Kisua Opens Pop-Up Shop in Africa

Online African fashion platform Kisua has opened its first brick-and-mortar pop-up in Johannesburg. The by-invitation-only event promised access to a “gifting suite,” where all guests chose and subsequently changed into an item from a special Kisua selection. So everyone — including South African celebrities like Shashi Naidoo, Lalla Hirayama and society hairdresser David Gillson — wore Kisua. The Kisua Dressing Room is the first physical concept store for the label, which was launched online in 2013 in the U.S. and the U.K., with Ozwald Boateng heading its global advisory board. The South African launch took place quietly last year, and as a new online fashion brand in South Africa, explained chief executive officer Samuel Mensah, “we believe it is necessary to create opportunities for our potential customers to be introduced to Kisua products in the offline environment where they can touch, feel and try on the garments.” The Kisua Dressing Room pop-up at Melrose Arch, he added, “is part of this South African market entry strategy for Kisua.com, and it will run until the end of May.” While nearby, more established malls such as Sandton City and Nelson Mandela Square may attract more foot traffic, Melrose Arch, with its more open street-style shopping approach,

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