Creative Week in Benin :Africa’s Next destination for Design and Fashion
Last month, from July 22 to 26, we were immersed in a dynamic week in Cotonou, Bénin. We celebrated innovation and cultural fusion, with the creative community through two landmark events: Design Week, driven by Africa Design School, and the 7th edition of Benin Fashion Month, organized by the Ministry of Arts & Culture and operated by ADAC, an operational agency for Arts & Culture. These gatherings marked Benin’s ambition to position itself as an African reference in the creative and textile industries, asserting a strong identity rooted in heritage yet truely future-oriented.
Design Week: Innovation as DNA
Africa Design School is establishing itself as a hub for creative training, offering bachelor’s and master’s programs in digital, graphic, spatial, and object design. In partnership with L’École de Design Nantes Atlantique and based in Sèmè City.
The school welcomes a new generation of students each year, set to infuse the continent’s ecosystem with fresh ideas.
The 2025 Design Week aims to reinforce this dynamic with panels, exhibitions, and masterclasses exploring the integration of new technologies, the rise of African luxury, and the challenge of scaling up to industrial levels.
This year program emphasized on intergenerational dialogue, local production, and transmission—all key levers for anchoring and innovating on the continent. Two guests of honor embodied this vitality:
Bibi Seck, renowned Franco-Senegalese designer, is known for his bold approach blending industrial design, African craftsmanship, recycled materials, and international collaborations (IKEA, Moroso). A champion of design as a driver of social solutions, he advocates for democratizing design in Africa and valuing local know-how.
Ousmane Mbaye, a self-taught Senegalese creator, poetically and skillfully transforms ordinary materials into unique design pieces, often from reclaimed materials. His “savoir fer” (know-how with iron) is expressed in colorful, contemporary works that combine utility with artistic dimension. His work symbolizes the emergence of African design that draws from history while embracing the global present.
A highlight was the rediscovery of the gôbi, a traditional Beninese accessory, now both a symbol of elegance, prestige, and a potential vector for local wealth. Originating from the Porto-Novo region, this handwoven headpiece is celebrated as a strong cultural marker and a tool for social and artistic transmission. As William Codjo, General Director of ADAC, emphasized: “Making the gôbi the equivalent of the tie is about revaluing our heritage and opening the way to value creation for an entire sector.”
“Making the gôbi the equivalent of the tie is about revaluing our heritage and opening the way to value creation for an entire sector.” William Codjo, General Director of ADAC
Benin fashion month: Roots, Creativity, and Openness
Under the theme “Roots & Future,” the 7th edition of Benin Fashion Month showcased the rise of textile professionals, local designers, and intergenerational collaboration. With more than just a runway show, the event became a laboratory of ideas where tradition and innovation, ancestral know-how and modern technologies, meet and challenge each other.
Collections showcased highlighted key materials such as kanvô, indigo, and woven cloth, reinterpreted by a bold new generation of creatives. Panels and masterclasses addressed sector structure, ethics, sustainability, aiming to make Beninese fashion a pillar of development and employment for the entire country. This dynamism is supported by a booming local textile industry, benefiting from both artisan expertise and the arrival of major international brands, with the goal of achieving 50% local processing by year’s end.
Artistic Director Jerry Sinclair reminded us that this momentum is a manifesto for a creative, free, and identity-connected Beninese fashion.
A structured ecosystem almost ready to take off
The success of this edition of the Creative Week is also the result of institutional support: through its development fund (FDAC), ADAC selects and finances innovative projects each year in the performing arts, design, cinema, and literature, in order to showcase Benin’s creative potential and make it a true driver of growth. Today, Benin’s creative ecosystem is driven by a talented, committed youth community and a network of public and private structures supporting the sector and inspiring an ambitious vision at the regional scale.
As summarized by the Minister of Culture, Jean-Michel Abimbola, Benin’s creative genius remains “an inexhaustible river,” a source of inspiration, beauty, and economic opportunity for a whole generation.
Creative Week in Benin 2025 confirmed that a promising future for African design and fashion lies in the combination of heritage and innovation. This collective momentum, in which Moonlook is fully engaged, calls for continued support and promotion of African creativity beyond borders.
