Are African Fashion Pop-Ups Taking Over the World? On The Shop Atunda Pop-Up in NYC
Once again, another African fashion pop-up touches the streets of New York City, but this one brought Ekinken another perspective. Could one say that African fashion pop-ups are taking over the world, because it seems like it?
The Shop Atunda pop-up featured various brands including Fruché, Y’wande, Studio Bonnitta, Templa8te, Anthea Manari, SkinNeeds, SÈKÏ, RÍRÁN, OJÚ AYÒ, NITÉMI, AJANÉÉ, Babayo, ByFalase, Flaunt Archive, Gem Bar, Henri Uduku, Mairachamp, KÀAYA. The aim of Shop Atunda is to make sustainable pieces more accessible to the public through their pop-ups and community engagements. This pop-up was a clear indication of that, but there was something that was very prevalent while I was there.
Over the 3 days, I got to speak to the founder of Anthea Manari, Elenda Nwandu. She mentioned that since March of 2026, her brand has had about a pop-up a month across continents and countries. The fact that she keeps doing them means that they have been great for business, and we can attest to that from the way her jewelry performed at the Shop Atunda pop-up.
Anthea Manari is a fine jewelry brand that specializes in Moissanite pieces. Starting with their tennis bracelets and tennis necklaces, they’ve expanded to a wider range of jewelry, including earrings, chain necklaces, and rings. Their best seller are their pear studs, and that was clear at the pop-up; but something that Anthea Manari did stuck with me. They brought in an unreleased product for people to try on and sample. These were their mosaic tennis necklaces and mosaic tennis bracelets, which sold out as well. It seemed like the perfect ground to see how an audience would view the new product.
Pop-ups are a space to not only reach new markets but to interact with customers in person and see how they respond to your products. You get the opportunity to open a mini storefront, design it accordingly, and promote your products in a way that you can’t do online. You get to share your story with each and every customer in person, and they get to try on your pieces as well. You see what people like, what they care about, what you should produce more of. Pop-ups are not just an avenue for you to make “quick money”; it’s a place for you to connect with your community.
The best part of it is that people also want to connect with the brand too! They want to get the pieces that they saw on a trip to Accra (true story!). They want to buy the jewelry they’ve been seeing on TikTok for so long but didn’t know whether it would look good on them. They want to see your brand in person, and they want to connect with you as well.
This is why African fashion pop-ups are taking over the world, because they bring art that people have only seen online or on someone else straight to their doorstep! It allows community among those who love African fashion and allows them to connect with each other. It’s a place that is more than a store, but a place for people with common interests to unite.
That’s why African fashion pop-ups are taking over the world, and we hope to see more of that!
