Introduction
Africa is loud right now; in music, in culture, and increasingly, in fashion. Over the last few years, a wave of African artists has stepped beyond the stage and into the spotlight of the world's biggest fashion brands. They're showing up in global campaigns, fronting these major brands, and putting their culture at the centre of it all. And these aren’t just endorsement deals, they’re cultural moments that signal a shift in who gets to represent global style.
Here’s a look at some of the most iconic collaborations between African musicians and fashion brands that have made the world pay attention.
Burna Boy × Burberry, BOSS & On
If there’s one artist who has made the case that an African musician can hold his own at the highest levels of global fashion, it’s Burna Boy. The Port Harcourt-born “African giant” has racked up Grammy wins, sold out stadiums, and in recent years, stacked up fashion deals with some of the world's most prestigious brands.
Burberry (Holiday 2022): In November 2022, Burna Boy starred in Burberry's holiday campaign The Night Before, alongside Shakira. Shot by directing duo Torso, the campaign was a surreal, festive celebration of self-expression. For a brand known for its British heritage, bringing in Burna Boy, one of the most culturally significant African artists alive, was a clear statement that Burberry was speaking to a global, modern audience.
BOSS (Fall/Winter 2024): Two years later, Burna Boy took his fashion presence to another level when he was named one of the faces of HUGO BOSS's #BeYourOwnBOSS campaign, photographed by Mikael Jansson alongside David Beckham, Naomi Campbell, Gisele Bündchen, and other global icons. Burna brought a Lagos edge to the brand's "CorpCore" aesthetic.
On (2025 – Multi-Year Partnership): Swiss sportswear brand On, the same brand that partnered with Roger Federer and Zendaya, brought Burna Boy on board in a multi-year deal in September 2025. He was given the title of Clubhouse President as part of the brand's growing tennis and culture world. The campaign featured Nigerian-inspired set design, blending his world with On's clean Swiss roots.
Tyla x Gap
Tyla was already on top of the world (a Billboard Hot 100 hit with Water, and a Grammy win for Best African Music Performance) when Gap chose her as the face of their Spring 2024 campaign. The collection was called Linen Moves, and it was all about self-expression and easy, flowing style. Of course, Tyla made perfect sense.
The campaign video featured Tyla dancing to Jungle's viral hit, Back on 74, wearing linen cargo pants, crop tops, and neutral basics. She and Jungle also put together an exclusive playlist for Gap, available on Spotify. Tyla had grown up admiring Gap's iconic music-linked campaigns, so for her it was a full-circle moment. The campaign became one of Gap's biggest online hits that year.
Davido x Puma
David Adeleke, OBO himself, is one of Afrobeats' most recognisable faces globally. Born in Atlanta and raised in Lagos, Davido became one of the first African artists to land a Puma deal of this size when he was signed as a global brand ambassador in December 2021.
The partnership gave us two collections. The first, We Rise By Lifting Others, came loaded with tracksuits, tees, shorts, and caps in the green and white of the Nigerian flag. The phrase an ode to Davido’s and his fathers’ own life philosophy.
The second drop, Puma x Davido 2.0, landed on October 1, 2024, Nigeria’s Independence Day, with a launch party at Puma's New York flagship. This time, it included the PUMA x DAVIDO CA Pro sneaker in "Zen Blue," with the words "For Those I Love I Will Sacrifice" stitched onto the tongue. The collaboration worked because Davido made it personal. It was about Nigeria, his people, and his story.
Nasty C × G-Star RAW
Nasty C is one of South Africa's most respected rappers. He's been pushing the boundaries of Hip-Hop on the continent for years, and his sharp personal style has always been a special part of who he is. In 2022, G-Star RAW picked him to front their Exclusives by G-Star RAW collection, shot alongside South African model Niquita Bento.
The collection was premium, detailed, and inspired by G-Star's vintage denim archive. G-Star called him "one-of-a-kind, boundary-breaking, creative and technical," which is exactly how you'd describe his music too. The collab was a proud moment for South African streetwear culture style, showing that the continent's fashion extends well beyond Lagos and Accra.
Tems x Tommy Hilfiger
By the time Tommy Hilfiger came calling, Tems was already one of the most talked-about voices in Afrobeats. The Lagos-born singer, songwriter and producer had a sound that didn't fit so neatly into any box, and her presence in fashion felt just as distinct.
Tems became the face of Tommy Jeans' Play to Progress campaign, first appearing in the Spring 2022 edition and coming back for Fall/Winter 2022, making her one of few artists to front the campaign across multiple seasons. The Spring 2022 campaign, shot by Bolade Banjo, championed the theme by showcasing Nigerian creative culture as a force in its own right.
Image via Hypebeast
What made the FW22 campaign especially special was that the entire shoot was done in Lagos. It was photographed by Harlem-based Joshua Woods and creatively directed by Akinola Davies Jr. For this edition, Tems was surrounded by a community of Nigerian creatives from the Alté scene; artists like Lady Donli and Dami Oniru, and Nigeria's first skateboarding collective, Wafflesncream. Tommy Hilfiger didn't just work with a Nigerian artist, they showed up in her city, on her terms. That's what makes it so iconic.
Africa's Most Iconic Creative Duos
Amaarae x Mugler (via H&M)
Amaarae is one of the most unique artists coming out of Ghana. Her music mixes Afropop, R&B, and art pop in a way that feels genuinely different. So when Mugler needed artists to help bring their major H&M collaboration to life in 2023, she was a natural fit.
For the Mugler × H&M campaign launched in May 2023, Amaarae joined Shygirl, Eartheater, and Arca to create a campaign anthem as a fresh take on Stardust's 1998 classic Music Sounds Better with You. The music video and campaign were bold, expressive, and rooted in themes of body positivity, transformation, and gender fluidity, which are all values that Amaarae carries in her own artistry too. It was a perfect pairing, and another sign that African artists belong in fashion's most daring spaces.
Rema x Jumpman
Rema became a global name practically overnight. His 2023 hit Calm Down went everywhere, topping charts on multiple continents. So when Jordan Brand put together their Beyond campaign, Rema was the perfect match.
He appeared in the Jumpman 23 Beyond campaign alongside Michael Jordan, Luka Dončić, Jayson Tatum, Zion Williamson, and Teyana Taylor. Shot in Paris, the campaign was built around Jordan Brand's mission to inspire the next generation to go beyond their limits. For Rema, who was just 23 years old at the time, the moment was electric.
Black Sherif x Ellesse
Black Sherif came out of nowhere and shook the whole continent. His sound mixes Twi, UK drill, reggae, and highlife in a way no one had quite done before. Songs like Kwaku the Traveller and his debut album The Villain I Never Was turned him into one of Ghana's most exciting young stars almost immediately.
In September 2023, Italian sportswear brand Ellesse named him the face of their Sartoria AW23 Men's Collection a line that mixed classic sportswear with more tailored, polished designs. The campaign showed Blacko in a clean green and white tracksuit and pigtails, looking effortlessly cool in front of an elegant mansion and calm confidence. It was a big deal because Ellesse doesn't typically work with African artists, making Black Sherif's inclusion a genuinely historic moment for Ghanaian music and fashion on the global stage.
Conclusion
These collaborations matter because they shift the story. When Tems brings Tommy Hilfiger to Lagos, Rema stands next to Michael Jordan, or Black Sherif fronts a European sportswear brand from a small town in Ghana, it tells a younger generation across the continent that their culture isn't something to be watered down for global audiences. It's something to be exported, celebrated, and worn with pride. Fashion has always reflected the world we live in. And right now, the world is finally catching up to Africa.
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