Female-owned African Brands: The Five We’re Rocking With Right Now

These days, African women are blazing the trail in different industries, and we’re totally here for it! Amongst these phenomenal women, we have keenly observed five of them, and we can’t get over how innovative their brands are. You might have seen some of these female-owned brands or heard about them, so keep reading to find out if your “fave” is on the list.

HAMAMAT AFRICAN BEAUTY

female-owned brand hamamat showcasing its shea butter museum
Image courtesy/@hamamat

The first and only of its kind. Located in Tamale, Ghana, Hamamat is proudly the first-
ever shea butter museum spa, and African village market. They specialize in creating
skincare products, formulated with 100% natural ingredients. The star product is their
shea butter, which is produced and packaged by them.

The owner, Hamamat Montia, established the brand in 2017 and has proudly boasted of
many firsts. She is the first online retailer to produce 100% freshly made shea butter
and ship to almost all parts of the world.

At Hamamat African village market, some lovely products you’d find on sale are their shea butter, oils, scrubs, handmade bags, tie-dye craft, etc. We love the originality of this brand, and how they appreciate their African heritage.

ASHIRA THE BRAND

orange shoes from female-owned brand ashira
Image courtesy/@ashirathebrand

Established in Nigeria in 2020, Ashira is a female-owned brand that sources its materials locally and produces bespoke high-heeled shoes.

Asides making pretty high heels for women, they also have a section for women’s clothes, bags, roses and other cute gift items.

The reason we love this brand is because it speaks of femininity and elegance in all its products. If you’re looking for where to buy your Valentine’s day gifts, you should probably stop by Ashira’s.

HANIFA

black woman wearing clothes from female-owned fashion label hanifa
Image courtesy/@hanifa

In the middle of the 2020 lockdown, Congolese woman, Anifa Mvuemba, forever changed the face of the fashion industry. Using 3D designs, she created a virtual runway, with models of varying body shapes, wearing her collection which she named ‘Pink Label’.

This was a huge sensation online, as many people were blown away by such a futuristic innovation. With the media buzz she got, she brought to limelight the illegal minings in Congo, which has affected a lot of families negatively.

We do not only appreciate this intelligent queen, we also applaud her humanity and patriotism!

YSWARA

female-owned tea brand Ysara
Image courtesy/@ysara

If you’re looking for a brand that exudes luxury and opulence, well, Swaady Martin created this brand for you. It’s a store for teas, scented candles and other creative gift items, carefully packaged in the best possible way that speaks of class into the hearts of people.

This brand is distinct for being simplistic, yet magnificent and firmly rooted in the African way of life.

NULI

salad display in wooden bowl by female-owned brand Nuli
Image courtesy/@nulilounge

If you live in Lagos, Nigeria, you might have passed by a Nuli outlet one or more times. Launched in 2015, the Nuli brand was birthed out of a need to make a difference in the agricultural sector of Africa, and encourage Africans to eat more locally grown farm produce. Basically, their concept is “farm-to-table”.

This concept worked, and today, Nuli is recognized both locally and internationally. They have several locations in Nigeria and are still counting.

Nuli resonates with us because as advocates of clean living, this female-owned business the same vision as we do, which is to get more Africans to live healthier and eat more farm fresh, locally-grown foods. 

There are more female owned brands out there that are totally killing it, but these ones mentioned are a few of our top list. If you’ve never tried out any of them, you definitely should!