Welcome to ADJOAA! We’re so glad you’re here.
ADJOAA is a curated multi-brand online marketplace specialising in premium, high-fashion and sustainable brands by African designers and Black-owned businesses. ADJOAA is dedicated to creating a fully circular and environmentally conscious business. From sourcing to production and beyond, we guarantee ethical practices and minimise our manufacturing impact through environmentally conscious solutions.
Find the beat of your own drum, with ethically produced fashion, in every colour of the rainbow.
Our Story
ADJOAA is founded with an enterprising spirit and a visionary objective: to spotlight and elevate designers, grow our community and drive social change.
We are proud to host a unique and talented collective of outstanding creatives and to celebrate the curiosity, complexity, and craftsmanship of African and Black diaspora designers, as both innovators and cultural tastemakers of discerning, ethical fashion and heritage designs. We are on a mission to revolutionise the fashion industry by tackling systemic barriers and building a global platform where curators, creators, writers and image-makers from underrepresented backgrounds will have representation. We mentor and assist up-and-coming African designers, providing them with representation and a position on our online marketplace.
We invest 1% of our company’s profits to support mentoring, education and skills training for young people in select countries in partnerships with designers, artists and communities. These programs support initiatives includes:
- Green initiatives such as Tree-planting to off-set our carbon footprint
- Mentoring programs to empower young Africans to engage in their communities.
- Exchange work-experience program led by talented fashion and design graduates, alongside ADJOAA and some of our participating designers.
- Literacy education in parts of Africa through mobile libraries and book club initiatives within selected schools and communities in the countries of the participating designers.
We scout, vet and assist to develop the ethical and sustainability credentials of the products, designers and brands we sell.
Our Purpose
Designers of African descent deserve more equity in the world of premium fashion. Our purpose is to take control of the narrative of African designers and makers.
We are doing our bit by supporting emerging ethical fashion designers from around the African continent and diaspora and connecting them with conscientious consumers.
We share their crafts and expertise with a wider audience while providing a platform for socially conscious businesses that care about the people, the planet and profits.
Dress up and share your story with us!
Our Mission
We exist to demystify the monolithic narrative about African and black people. ADJOAA spotlights ‘’Made in Africa’’ and brands by the black diaspora. We challenge fashion buyers and global customers to discover and fall in love with consciously and responsibly- made premium, couture high-fashion and lifestyle products from the Continent of Africa and the diaspora.
We are on a mission to tackle systemic barriers and build a global platform that challenges the status quo by providing makers, curators, creators, writers, and image-makers from underrepresented backgrounds the opportunity to have their creative perspectives realised.
We welcome you to join us on this journey. In doing so, we aim to build transformative solutions for the African fashion ecosystem while contributing to positive social change on a local, regional and global level.
For a wardrobe that challenges the status quo.©
Our Vision
ADJOAA’s vision is to be the most valuable, curated and trustworthy online shopping destination for sustainable modern, quality premium fashion and lifestyle brands.
More than an online clothing and lifestyle store. , ADJOAA provides creators and creatives with a platform to share ideas, learn and connect. We believe that designers of African descent deserve more equity in the world of premium fashion and that their craft and expertise should be accessible to a wider audience. We also believe that the narrative of African makers and designers belongs to them. We share it while leading the way for socially conscious businesses.
Finally, a premium fashion marketplace that has room for you, in all your glory.©
Our Difference
We are a premium fashion and lifestyle retailer focused on creating real social change. We use fashion as a tool to accelerate economic development by providing access to sales channels, payment solutions, affordable logistics and technology to enable emerging market brands to reach regional and cross-border consumers.
We are an ethical, sustainable, impact-focused online retailer that offers consumers a guilt-free alternative to fashion's unsustainable practices: throwaway consumerism, inequalities and unethical supply-chain issues (use of child labour and poor working conditions) driven by fast fashion.
We champion and tell the authentic stories of African and black diaspora creatives, makers and designers. We empower and shift the narrative to the quality and unique craftsmanship that’s worthy of our regional and global consumers.
We partner and support creatives reviving and preserving traditions and those reclaiming black aesthetics through new and innovative premium designs. To us, fashion is not only armour, it is also a weapon to fight inequality of representation.
Creating social change through fashion.©
Our Values
Community
We live to feel connected to something bigger than ourselves; shaped by the stories of our past and the strength of our future. We offer equity to every person we welcome to our platform.
Education
We exist to provide our audience with access to material things that make them feel good, and ideas that make them feel better. We always aim to provide them with the tools they need to make decisions that are right for them, with full transparency.
Inspiration
We chaperone a growing collective of skilled African and Black makers and creatives. We live to lift each other up, invite everyone to the table, and add a touch of beauty and humanity to everyday living.
Come for the clothes, stay for the conversation.©
Our Team
Born in Ghana and moved to Antipodes (New Zealand & Australia in 2003). Pinaman Owusu is a Policy Analyst turned entrepreneur and the creative force behind ADJOAA. She is driven by impact with an innate desire to make a difference in the world by leveraging her network, tools and opportunities she’s privileged to have.
A local of Ghana, Australia, New Zealand and for the past 6 years, the UK, whose heart beats for the Continent of Africa. Pinaman is often found traversing cities across Africa learning and engaging with designers and makers to understand how she can help address some of the industry’s pain points.
Pinaman and her team at ADJOAA scout, vet and manage designers and manufacturers, to ensure the highest standard of ethical and sustainability-made products.
Internships
Available Positions
Available positions in each of the roles listed below:
Junior Buyers: Commercial Mens, Commercial Womens, Accessories and Lifestyle Products.
- Content and Social Media : Social Media Marketing, Email Marketing, Virtual Marketing, copywriters (fashion, beauty, skincare, home decor), Ecommerce & SEO.
- Graphic Designers: Graphic designer for presentation design and social media content.
- Marketing & Communication: PR, Brand Marketing, Partnerships, Events and Promotions.
- Operational Excellence: Order Fulfilment, Inventory Management, Client Relations, Logistics & Supply Chain, Customer Experience.
- Creative Production: Visual Merchandisers/product styling, Stylists, Photographers, Videographers and Production Assistants.
Preferred Requirements
Ideal candidates must be currently enrolled in a university and eligible to receive course credit. Interns must have a strong interest and/or experience in fashion design, marketing, branding, print design, entrepreneurship and e-commerce and preferably majoring in any of the following:
- Business and Commerce degree, Creative writing and publishing, Journalism, E-commerce and Merchandising, Logistics and Supply chain and Web development.
- Fashion, Public Relations, Communication, Digital Marketing, Engineering and development studies.
Our organisation is about diversity, representation and achieving equity and consistent with those values, we are looking for students from diverse backgrounds and people from minority backgrounds are especially encouraged.
Benefits
- Gain industry experience at an emerging startup.
- Develop your communication, interpersonal, time management and project-related skills.
- Receive mentoring support, letters of recommendation and opportunity for future work.
- Hands-on learning in a collaborative and supportive environment.
- Receive exclusive shop credits
How To Apply
If interested, please email to ADJOAA at hello@adjoaa.com and attach a copy of your CV/Portfolio and include the position you are applying for in the subject line.
Interviews will take place over Zoom or Google Meet.
- Job Type: Volunteer Internships; for course credit/unit
- Schedule: Flexible but must be available to work evenings and some weekends at their availability.
- Duration: A minimum of 3 months, preferably 3 days a week or 10-15 hours/week.
- Location: Fully Remote. We have teammates in Australia, New Zealand and parts of Sub-saharan Africa.
SHOP BY CATEGORY
Dresses |
Tops |
Shoes |
Bags |
Jewellery |
Homeware |
Accessories |
Pants |
Shirts |
Eyewear |