The Founder Sisters Putting African Sustainable Fashion on the Global Map!
- Lush Angela
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 3 hours ago
Beyond the Runway: An interview with the sisters challenging a global industry and a blueprint for building a purpose-driven business.
In a world obsessed with "newness," two African sisters are leading a quiet revolution, one up-cycled garment at a time. Belinda Atieno and Ruth Anyango, the founders of Eco Fashion Week Africa (EFWA), are not just organising a fashion event; they are challenging a global system and reclaiming Africa’s rightful place as a leader in the sustainable fashion conversation. Their journey is a masterclass in building a mission-driven enterprise, a perfect case study for the kind of visionary leadership the SESA Academy cultivates. But before we delve into their insights, it’s crucial to understand the landscape they are transforming.
The global fashion industry is at a crossroads. Consider these facts:
The global fashion industry is responsible for 2-8% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.
It is a massive consumer of water, with the World Bank estimating that textile dyeing and treatment contribute to 20% of global industrial water pollution.
The rise of "fast fashion" has exacerbated a waste crisis, with a truckload of textiles being landfilled or incinerated every second.
In Africa, this global problem has a local face. The continent is often on the receiving end of the fast fashion lifecycle, grappling with the influx of low-quality second-hand clothing, or mitumba, which can undermine local textile industries and create waste management nightmares.
Yet, as Belinda and Ruth powerfully argue, this is only half the story. They both powerfully illustrated what they would want to change. Belinda shared four aspects:
1. I would change the idea that “new” is better.
2. I would change the systems that silence African perspectives.
3. I would change the way the industry excludes everyday people.
4. I would change how we measure success.
And Ruth emphasised that as a collective there needs to be mindset shift that the belief sustainable fashion is just a passing buzzword, and we all must realise that it is not too late for the fashion industry to move beyond the take, make and dispose model and embrace responsible production and consumption.
Reclaiming the Narrative: Africa as a Solution, Not a Problem
When asked why EFWA is vital for Africa's voice, their response was a powerful rebuttal to a one-sided narrative.
We collectively think EFWA is important because Africa has always had something to say in this conversation but the world hasn’t been listening. Long before sustainability became a global trend, African communities were practicing circularity through culture, necessity, and wisdom. We repaired, reshaped, reimagined, reused, and passed down.
We lived in community, we designed with resourcefulness, we honoured the life cycle of what we owned, yet when the global sustainability narrative is told, Africa is often portrayed only as the problem, as waste sites, second-hand markets, and pollution zones. What EFWA does is reclaim the narrative. We show that Africa is not “catching up” to the sustainability movement, the world is catching on to what Africa has always known.
By working with young designers, students, artisans, schools, and communities, EFWA is creating a platform that asserts:
Africa has solutions.
Africa has innovation.
Africa has voices that matter.
And Africa deserves a seat at the decision-making table, not just at the receiving end of global waste.
The Founders' Blueprint: Mindset, Mission, and Systems Change
Their vision is both profound and practical. When asked about the importance of sustainable fashion, their answers revealed the core of their founder mindset:
Belinda focused on the philosophical shift: "Sustainable fashion goes beyond material it is about mindset. It is about asking ourselves: How can we create beauty without harm?"
Ruth highlighted the systemic imperative: "Fashion just like any other industry, must be sustainable if we want to protect the future of our planet... ensuring justice for workers as well as for local and small brand owners."
This blend of deep purpose and operational awareness is what separates a hobby from a scalable enterprise. It’s also what defines their ambitious goals for change. Changing the idea that “new” is better to changing how we measure success is a blueprint for any founder looking to build a business that outlives trends.
Your Business, Your Revolution: From Inspiration to Implementation
The story of EFWA is inspiring, but it’s also instructive. It shows that the most successful modern businesses are those that solve real problems, tell compelling stories, and build resilient systems. This is the exact philosophy behind the SESA Academy 7-Week Masterclass.
Just as Belinda and Ruth mastered the art of strategic storytelling to champion Africa’s voice, SESA teaches founders how to articulate their value. Just as they built operational partnerships with global entities like the UN, SESA provides the frameworks for financial, legal, and strategic growth. Just as they cultivated an unshakeable mindset for systemic change, SESA focuses on the entrepreneurial mindset required to break ceilings and attract investment.
The journey of EFWA proves that African women founders are capable of building globally influential, impactful enterprises. The SESA Academy exists to provide the blueprint for more women to do the same in their respective fields.
Inspired by the vision of Belinda and Ruth? Ready to build a business that combines profit with purpose, and scale it to new heights?
The SESA Academy 7-Week Masterclass is your next step. We provide the strategy, the systems, and the sisterhood to help you transform your proven business into an investment-ready, scalable enterprise.
Click link to Learn more about the course: https://drive.google.com/file/u/5/d/1D-2R2ahHNg7n83eyz_loO7rp102o4Oy9/view
Apply to the SESA Academy Masterclass here: https://forms.gle/xZqwNBsRPy1Zu93eA
Let’s build a future where more African women founders lead revolutions, both on the runway and in the boardroom.