Building a Shopify Store for an African Fashion Brand

To build a Shopify store for an African fashion brand, choose an Online Store 2.0 theme, set up products with size and fabric variants, connect payments that work in your country, and add tools that help shoppers with fit. The order matters: get products and payments right first, then add fit help so shoppers buy with confidence.

This guide covers the setup step by step, with notes for Ankara, Aso Ebi and made-to-measure pieces. For the fit side in more depth, read about virtual try-on for African fashion brands.

What do you need before you open the store?

Gather these before you start building. It saves days of back-and-forth later.

• Clear photos of each piece, on a model and flat, in good light
• A size chart for each garment type, in body measurements
• Fabric names and care notes, such as "cotton wax print, hand wash cold"
• Your price list, including any made-to-measure surcharge
• Shipping rules for local and international orders
• A short brand story, in your own words

How should you set up products for African fashion?

Use product variants for the choices a shopper makes. Shopify's guide to product variants explains how a product can come in options such as size or color.

For African fashion, the common options are:

• Size: your labels, such as S to XXL or UK 8 to 20
• Print or fabric: the same style in different Ankara prints
• Length: for kaftans, gowns and skirts that come in more than one length

Sell made-to-measure pieces as their own products. Add a note that the client will send measurements after ordering. That keeps them apart from ready-to-wear stock and avoids confusion at checkout.

Write descriptions that answer fit questions

Shoppers can't touch the fabric, so tell them what it does. Say whether it is stiff or soft, whether it stretches, and how the cut sits. Add the model's height and the size they wear.

For more on describing prints and fit, see these Ankara fit and sizing tips.

Which payments and markets should you set up?

Choose payment providers that work where your business is based. Payment options on Shopify vary by country, and you can use third-party payment providers if Shopify's own option isn't available to you. Check the providers your local customers already trust.

If you sell to the diaspora, set up markets for the countries you ship to. Shopify's international selling tools let you sell and get paid in different currencies. Show prices in the shopper's currency where you can, because a price in an unfamiliar currency slows the decision.

Be clear about shipping times and customs duties on your shipping page. International shoppers want to know who pays duties before they order.

How do you help shoppers with fit and sizing?

Fit is the biggest worry for anyone buying fashion online, and bold cuts and prints make it harder to picture. Two tools help.

Virtual try-on. The shopper uploads one photo and sees your real garment on their body. That helps with prints, because they can see how a large pattern sits on their frame.

Find my size. The shopper uploads one full-length photo and types their height. The scan runs on their device and matches their measurements to your own size chart. If they fall between sizes, it suggests the roomier one.

ZeDaq.ai offers both in one Shopify app. You enter one chart per garment type: tops, outerwear, dresses and bottoms. The guide to size recommendation for African brands explains how to build charts for fuller cuts and mixed catalogs.

How do you add try-on and sizing to Shopify?

1. Install ZeDaq.ai from the Shopify App Store and approve the permissions.
2. In the app, add a size chart for each garment type you sell.
3. In your Shopify admin, go to Online Store → Themes → Customize, open App embeds and turn on the ZeDaq.ai embed. Save.
4. Open a product page on your phone and test try-on and Find my size yourself.

The Free plan includes 3 try-ons and 3 measurements a month, which is enough to test. Paid plans start at Micro, $14 a month, and every paid plan has a 3-day free trial with no card required. See current ZeDaq.ai plans for limits.

What about made-to-measure and bespoke orders?

Made-to-measure pieces need the client's measurements after they order. Be clear on the product page about how that happens and how long it takes.

A simple flow works well:

1. The client orders and pays on Shopify.
2. You contact them to collect measurements.
3. You confirm the measurements before you cut.
4. You share a delivery date.

The guide to handling made-to-measure sizing online covers how to collect measurements and set expectations.

FAQs

Do I need a developer to build a Shopify fashion store?

No. You can pick a theme, add products and install apps from your Shopify admin. A developer helps only if you want a fully custom design.

Should Ankara prints be separate products or variants?

Use variants if the style and size chart are the same and only the print changes. Use separate products if the cut or fit differs.

Can shoppers try on my pieces without an account?

Yes. Shoppers use try-on on your product page with one photo. There is no sign-up and no app to download.