COASTAL CITY PARTNERSHIPS

Connecting Ports, People & Possibilities

Across Africa and Europe, coastal cities are on the frontlines of climate change, trade expansion, and cultural innovation. At AFWA 2025, we bring together visionary coastal cities to co-create solutions through fashion, sustainability, and urban innovation.

This is more than a fashion week—it's a municipal diplomacy platform built to strengthen dialogue between port cities, connect small businesses to global markets, and showcase how culture can drive coastal resilience.

Why Coastal Cities Matter

From Accra to Rotterdam, Cape Town to Amsterdam, coastal cities are:

• Economic gateways for trade and tourism

• Cultural hubs for creativity, music, and fashion

• Climate-sensitive zones affected by rising seas and coastal erosion

• Strategic actors in advancing the Blue Economy

AFWA 2025 fosters city-to-city cooperation, allowing municipalities to share ideas, technology, and policy tools that empower both local industries and international partnerships.

Partnership in Action

AFWA invites mayors, city planners, port authorities, and innovation hubs from over 30 African and 10 Dutch coastal cities to collaborate across:

• Joint panel discussions on sustainable fashion, port planning, and creative economies

• Twinning programs between African and European cities for mutual learning

• Business matchmaking between coastal-based SMEs and international buyers

• Cultural exchange programs led by diaspora artists and designers

• Municipal exhibitions on climate adaptation, circular economy, and urban innovation

Cities We’re Engaging

Some of the coastal cities invited include:

• Africa: Luanda, Douala, Accra, Dakar, Lagos, Kribi, Abidjan, Cape Town, Mombasa, Maputo, Walvis Bay

• The Netherlands & Europe: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Vlissingen, Den Helder, Hamburg, Antwerp, Lisbon

AFWA is building a cross-continental platform where cities can showcase their sustainability efforts, promote cultural identity, and attract new investment opportunities through the creative economy.

What Cities Gain from Participating

• Global visibility through high-profile fashion diplomacy

• New investment pipelines in green innovation and tourism

• Access to diaspora talent and sustainability solutions

• Inclusion in AFWA’s post-event Coastal Cities Innovation Network

• International cooperation toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Let’s Build Stronger Coastal Futures

We believe fashion can be a vehicle for policy dialogue, economic inclusion, and climate innovation.

Let’s shape the future—city by city, coast by coast.