Where Can I Purchase Ready Made Ankara Outfits?

Q. "Is there ANY ankara designer who has a website that one can actually view and purchase an item from? I have looked through ALL your links and none of them do. [S]ome don't even publish their prices. What are they afraid of? Haven't they heard of Paypal or Visa? If one does not have the time for a fitting or resides in a non- popular city how else can one purchase a ready to wear ankara outfit? HELP!" ~Florence

A. Hi Florence, thanks for your e-mail. Designers, readers, please give Florence your suggestions. Meanwhile, Florence, I think you should check out our post on Ankara which includes the Urban knit brand & Sika designs here. I'd suggest you contact the designers on our site directly and ask regarding their price points and where you can get their garments in the USA.

E-retail for African Apparel Designers
As to prices on site or paypal/Visa, high end designers African or non-Africans usually do not have the prices of their garments listed on their site. That is where the retail stores come in to carry their brands. A lot of the African designers linked on Ladybrille.com sites are consistent with the status quo, especially since most do not mass produce. However, your question touches on the movement that is part of Ladybrille and we hope spreads across the net. E-retail for African apparel manufacturers and designers, we believe, is what levels the playing field for Africa's fashion industry and allows it sell directly to customers, without having to woo and appease buyers to give us a chance. An African owned fashion business that has done an excellent job of e-retail is Toni Payne Cosmetics.

For most, especially African brands in Africa, the problem is the supply chain including logistics that happens after the consumers in USA & [Europe] order their fashion products and how they get the product to Western consumers intact and in a timely fashion. Basically, Africa e-retailing is still in its infancy but it's only a matter of time when you'll be able to click on sites akin to GAP.com or Nordstrom.com, figure out what you like, see the price and order. For now, again, contact the designers directly. By the way, a new e-retail store owned by the Liberian born, Fashion Buyer, Chioma Amegashiemight be helpful. You can e-mail her on what you want and if she gets enough of such demands, she will be ordering from the brands on our site and more. Again, designers, please help to fill in the gap with your suggestions in case we missed something.