Made In Africa™ (MIA)

Made in Africa (MIA) began in 2013 as an initiative of Liberty & Justice (L&J), Africa’s first Fair Trade Certified apparel manufacturer. After winning the top prize from the 2014 Hague Institute for Innovation in Law, MIA was spun out as a new business under the leadership of L&J’s CEO, Chid Liberty. In 2018, Kojo Annan became co-founder, co-lead investor, and Chairman of MIA. MIA is a global luxury group and platform for African creatives. We define Africa mainly by the culture shared by those of African descent, whether they currently reside in Accra or Atlanta. In this regard, Africa is everywhere. Made in Africa’s Liberty and Annan quickly built momentum around the idea of an African luxury group by securing a $190 million facility from Africa’s Import Export Bank (Afreximbank) and investments from leading families in fashion, entertainment, and philanthropy. The group’s strategy has since centered around buying and transforming existing fashion houses, as well as the development of new houses that serve cultural tastemakers. While historically, global luxury has been largely a European phenomenon, a massive shift is taking place in art and global culture reorienting our ideals around aspiration and value. No longer are antiquated notions of superior art or craftsmanship only expected from a limited number of regions within our diverse and beautiful world. The lines have blurred between streetwear and luxury. Artisanal work from Varanasi outdoes its competition from Paris. At Made in Africa, we do not believe this is simply a moment, it is a movement. And we predict this will become the most important movement in fashion’s history. Largely led by the Liberty and Annan families, with private shareholders from all over the globe, our greatest commitment is that the future of luxury will be Made in Africa.