“In Addis Ababa, I was struck by Haile Selassie’s military uniforms at the National Palace; coming to London, I’m reminded of them in the regalia worn by Buckingham Palace’s royal guards,” says PatCH founder Chido Kaseke. The Zimbabwean designer is reflecting on her time spent in both cities for the Creative DNA X Studio Smithfield programme and how it’s influencing her work. “I’m using a traditional finger weaving technique from Zimbabwe to connect these two styles of ceremonial dress in my first leather handbag.” This handsomely made piece – its body reminiscent of a dress coat, its strap nodding to an aiguillette and its opening akin to the visor of a military cap – is the physical culmination of the designer’s journey through this year-long fashion incubator, yet far from its only outcome. “I also hope it communicates the honour I feel in being selected for the residency and representing my home country,” she adds.

Kaseke is among the latest graduates of the British Council’s flagship creative economies training project, which to date has supported well over 200 Sub-Saharan African fashion designers to reach their potential. This year it raised the bar, partnering with Paul Smith’s Foundation, the esteemed designer’s initiative nurturing early career creatives in London, and Projekt, a social enterprise turning disused buildings into affordable workspaces for creative enterprise across London.

The 2026 edition brings together Chido Kaseke from Zimbabwe, Bettydora Odhiambo from Kenya and Solome Asfaw from Ethiopia (all of whom have been through regional versions of Creative DNA) with Paul Smith’s Foundation designers Renata Brenha, Karoline Vitto and Yaku Stapleton. An initial two-week immersion into Addis Ababa’s fashion ecosystem this spring was followed by a six-week summer residency at Studio Smithfield in Farringdon. This prime London location was afforded to Paul Smith’s Foundation by Projekt and houses its Fashion Residency. Vitto and Stapleton graduated from its inaugural 18-month iteration and Brenha is part of its second.

Similar sessions with Yaku Stapleton were equally fruitful. “It was really beneficial to show rather than tell – the discussions we were able to have in the studio, over meals and at meet-ups, gave us the opportunity to reflect on how we got to where we are, offer some guidance to those earlier along in their journeys, and helped us better understand what we want to do next,” the British-Caribbean designer says. His brand Yaku fuses streetwear influences with storytelling steeped in fantasy and folklore and its immersive installations are a highlight of London Fashion Week. At the open studio, he presented a ferocious wooden chess table referencing iconography from Selassie’s Holy Trinity Church and the Lion of Judah.

“The peer-to-peer aspect of this programme can’t be understated,” adds Mosse of the budding kinships that have formed between the designers. She notes that exchanges can come in many forms, from insider tips on the best haberdasheries to intimate cultural dialogues. “Those relationships will far outlast any official support system you receive, and it’s that access and insight that makes the experience.”

Renata Brenha sees parallels between the collaborative spirit of Creative DNA and Africa’s wider fashion eco-system. While London may offer more infrastructure and opportunities, it can often lack collective practice. “In Ethiopia everyone knows everyone and it feels like a big family. It’s that spirit of culture that we’ve tried to offer the guest designers in London as we share and learn together,” she says. “I also admire how Betty, Chido and Xufan have such a personal approach to their crafts. It’s inspired me to go back to the essence of my practice – being resourceful with materials that already exist and transforming them through hand techniques.” The Brazilian-born designer reinterpreted Ethiopia’s Mesob baskets into two pleated and printed dresses featuring contrasting proportions.

As the designers complete the programme, armed with new knowledge, friends and purpose, they too can now enrich their own communities, and in turn feed into the next chapter of Creative DNA x Studio Smithfield. While Mosse notes that no training scheme is a “silver bullet” to instant success, this first collaborative edition has opened a two-way door. It’s that path to equilibrium that most excites the British Council’s Regional Arts Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, Farai Ncube. “The programme has created opportunities for learning while connecting designers across Africa and the UK, leading to peer learning, shared market intelligence and new commercial opportunities,” she says. “As we now consider the future, we’re exploring how to strengthen what comes after training: pathways to finance, production, buyers, digital and physical markets, intellectual-property support and more equitable Africa/UK industry partnerships…. Ultimately, It’s about working toward a shared vision, showing up for each other and pushing forward a system within which we are all equal.”