thumb|A woman in [[Kenya wearing kanga]]
African clothing is the traditional clothing worn by the people of Africa.
African clothing and fashion is a diverse topic that provides a look into different African cultures. Clothing varies from brightly colored textiles, to abstractly embroidered robes, to colorful beaded bracelets and necklaces. Since Africa is such a large and diverse continent, traditional clothing differs throughout each country. For example, many countries in West Africa have a "distinct regional dress styles that are the products of long-standing textile crafts in weaving, dyeing, and printing", but these traditions are still able to coexist with western styles. A large contrast in African fashion is between rural and urban societies. Urban societies typically are exposed more to trade and the changing world, while it takes more time for new western trends to get to rural areas.
By region
thumb|left|Urban [[Algerian man wearing a burnous (woolen cloth)|222x222px]]
In Northeastern Africa, particularly in Egypt, styles of traditional women's clothing have been influenced by Middle Eastern cultures; this can be exemplified by the simply embroidered jelabiya which are similarly worn in Arab states of the Persian Gulf. The djellaba (worn in Northwest Africa) shares similar properties with the boubou, the dashiki, and the Senegalese kaftan. While in Nigeria, women wear various clothing including styles made from Ankara, Asooke and Gele.
In Sahelian Africa, the dashiki, Senegalese kaftan, and the grand boubou made from Bazin material are worn more prominently, though not exclusively (the Bògòlanfini, for instance, is worn in Mali). The dashiki is highly stylized and is rendered with an ornate V-shaped collar. In contrast the grand boubou is simpler, even more so than the djellaba, though the color designs reach impressive proportions, especially among the Tuareg, who are known for their dyed indigo robes.
In East Africa, the kanzu is the traditional dress worn by Swahili-speaking men. Women wear the kanga and the gomesi.
In Southern Africa, distinctive shirts are worn, like the long dresses they wear. For instance, the Republic of South Africa is known for the Madiba shirt, whereas Zimbabwe is known for the safari shirt.
In the Horn of Africa, the attire varies by country. In Ethiopia, men wear the Ethiopian suit and women wear the habesha kemis. In Somalia, men wear the khamis with a small cap called a koofiyad. The Zuria, is a common traditional dress worn in Eritrea.
Fashion in South Africa
thumb|Xhosa women
The Republic of South Africa, with an estimate of more than 57 million people from countless backgrounds, ethnicities and religions, holds in it an immense cultural diversity that is expressed through the vast array of topics ranging from cuisine, music, languages to celebrations. Fashion, connecting closely with one's daily life, also plays a crucial role in the identification of South Africa's culture and people, merely as it does every elsewhere in the world. Clothing can be chosen for convenience, or be used to express style, political beliefs, religious beliefs and perspective in life. No matter how it was chosen, every single piece of clothing contains a long history in it.
Precolonial
One of the earliest vestiges of South African attire was traced back to around 2000 years ago when Middle Paleolithic population descendants, the Khoisan, settled in Cape Peninsula in the south-western extremity of the African continent. These people were divided into two groups: the hunter-gatherers San and the pastoral herders Khoikoi. Without foreign contact, garments and cloth were unavailable for them to import. Instead, these early settlers altered available resources such as game and domestic animals' softened skin, and sometimes, plants and ostrich eggshell for attire making. In addition to these sources, the introduction of metal also gave them more choices for fashion. The arrival of the Khoisan people were followed shortly after by groups of Bantu peoples, who, through the Bantu expansion, ended up with conflict and occupied the land of the Khoisan people, forcing them into dispersion and absorption into the Bantu-speaking community. All of these groups of people, share the common home of South Africa, have for themselves distinctive languages and culture.
Colonial
Colonization starting from the mid seventeenth century undoubtedly changed South Africa in all aspects, and fashion together all those changes was influenced heavily by the arrival of new materials from Europe as well as the Eurocentric view about the body and clothing, perceiving that South Africans dressed like necked imposed changes on traditional fashion of these indigenous groups of people. Traditional clothing made with local materials were incorporated with new style and items from Europe. With the influence of colonizers, Western fashion came to rule over South Africa with educated class people preferring Edwardian top coats and hats. Working men also went with Western style that boost the demand for these products. Stores in these working areas carried a wide variety of goods such as boots, coats, tweed jackets, waistcoats, shirts, braces, belts, hats, handkerchiefs, and pocket watches.
Apartheid period
During this era of classifying people by their ethnicities and races, unique dress of each South African indigenous community served to make that community distinct.
Developing fashion industry
As of 2016, there has been a boom in the development shops, clothing boutiques, hotels, as well as major restaurants in Accra, Ghana. As time passed there has been more recognition for the development of art through the creation of fashion in countries such as Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, and South Africa. While there is a global disconnect between the western world and their interpretation of African fashion through the use of tribal patterns, many designers have risen and made an impact on the high-end fashion industry by putting a twist on their traditional African garments. New designers are now trying to expand their entrepreneurial footprint and enlighten the world on the versatility of African fashion. More specifically Johannesburg's development in making an impact on the fashion industry has been more intentional. With the help of many designers, Johannesburg has built up a fashion district in the inner city that has made a name for itself globally. While new designers use this location as a stepping stone for their expansion, established fashion houses also play a role in the maturing of the district. Conversion of the established and developing fashion houses has built international respect for South Africa with the fashion industry, making South Africa's Fashion Week a major destination in the worldwide fashion takeover at the beginning of each spring/summer and fall/winter season. Due to the city's plethora of established black-owned talent, Johannesburg has become one of the major fashion capitals for not only black creatives, but designers of all races.
Folk costume
Western clothing
thumb|280x280px|African formal clothing has normalized western clothing conventions and styles
European influence is commonly found in African fashion as well. For example, Ugandan men have started to wear "full length trousers and long-sleeved shirts". On the other hand, women have started to adapt influences from "19th-century Victorian dress". These styles include: "long sleeves and puffed shoulders, a full skirt, and commonly a colorful bow tied around the waist". This style of dress is called a busuti.
Secondhand clothing
There exist non-profit organizations in all western societies that sell used clothes to for-profit companies in Africa. These European clothes are quite common in some parts of the continent. These used clothing are called Mitumba in some areas and are surrounded by controversy. Critics point to it as a threat to local clothing manufacturers and complain that it exploits consumers while others like the average Nigerian citizen argue that these used clothing items provide useful competition for often expensive and low quality local products.
Before charitable organizations started importing used clothes, cheap cotton clothing from Asia was the biggest import of cotton clothing to Africa. Thereafter, western charitable organizations began to send used clothing to African refugees and the poor.