Elizabeth Lenjo

"It is always important to understand one’s audience and market"

"We have failed as a continent to realize the gems we have in our various countries and we unfortunately have allowed ourselves to be “brainwashed” … So for the longest time, we have just been small time players in the fashion industry yet we have the potential to be giants"

"There is dire need for legal education and sensitization in the fashion industry to propel us to greater heights with probabilities of higher success."

"The fashion industry and creative industries generally have managed to thrive for so many years while flourishing in legal ignorance. As such, it has been hard trying to make them see why the law is relevant to them and why they need to have business structures to grow their craft"

"Aside from legal ignorance and lack of use of intellectual property laws as a continent, we are also not trading with each other. Which is largely a fault in policy making and visionary leadership"

"Yet, we can grow the African economies, enhance our intra-African trade opportunities as well as benefit from cross-cultural interaction like we used to during barter trade era. It is what made the African cultures so rich"

"We need to start trading with each other, we need affordable transporting services, we need to have more flexible immigration practices and laws and affordable airfare around to travel across African states"

"We need to embrace the importance of the law for the fashion industry, realize our weaknesses and find solutions. We also need to embrace the business approach to enable the fashion industries to thrive"

"We also need to build strong associations so that the industry speaks with one voice. These associations need to be properly constituted with skilled personnel who have a passion for the industry. They should include lawyers, economists, accountants, marketers etc. Only then shall these associations yield fruit"

"The self-interest route of navigating the industry needs to die a natural death; not only in fashion but in the entertainment industry as a whole"

"We first need to examine the problems and faults that led to their downfall in the first place. We also need to acknowledge the need for research and development for a more vibrant and competitive textile industry. We have the potential to innovate and change the game. Our continent is rich in resources and we need to start exploring these opportunities"