Touch of Africa was founded in March 2011, with the aim of providing modern, ethically produced African clothing to western markets.

We believe that fair trade has the power to bring development and prosperity to African communities, allowing them to express their creativity and rise out of poverty on their own terms. We are constantly searching for designers who are committed to our goals of revolutionizing traditional African dress whilst passing the benefits onto wider communities. The African influences in our clothing can be as subtle as the trim on a shirt collar, but by including tribal fabrics and designs in our garments, we are helping traditional cultures to go global.

As an ethical business, we are committed to ensuring a reliable living wage for all of our workers, and hold all of our designers and manufacturers to account. We follow the entire production chain, so customers can buy from us with confidence that their garments are not made in sweatshops or using child labour.

Our Key commitments

• To bring the best of modern African fashion to western markets, providing our customers with high quality, distinctive clothing that will enable them to stand out fashionably on any occasion.
• To contribute through trade towards the development of African countries, and to generate jobs within previously disadvantaged communities.
• To meet radical new designers and help them to achieve their aims through promotion of their designs.

About us

Founder - Sela Motshwane was educated in Gaborone (Botswana), Cape Town (South Africa) and Cambridge (UK). Her varied academic background of Plant Sciences, Archaeology and and Entrepreneurship means she enjoys meeting new people and networking with like-minded people. She is on the committee for the Cambridge University Commonwealth Society where she undertakes Royal Commonwealth Society activities. In her spare time Sela enjoys dancing, attending political discussions, and runs a cultural exchange penpal program with schools in the UK and southern Africa. Her role in Touch of Africa is customer focus, marketing and finding new designers.

Operations - Haile Warner is currently reading Politics, Psychology and Sociology at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge. Her past positions of responsibility include managing a team of 5 consultants at Expressway Business Services in Birmingham, and acting as vice-president for CUSU Black. Haile was also Finance and Sponsorship Officer for Cambridge Equality Campaign, where she liaised with companies such as Deloitte and KPMG. Haile uses her research and organisational skills to manage the Touch of Africa supply chain and run internal administration.

Finance - Sam Hopkins was educated in London and Cambridge. He is a former chair of Cambridge University Cognitive Science Society, and was involved in several start-ups after leaving university. He currently works for an investment fund in London, and oversees the financial side of Touch of Africa.