Silverbacks Holdings, a private investment firm focused on African markets and high-growth industries, has announced a joint strategic investment with ImpactHER in two fashion companies, Vanhu Vamwe and The Rad Black Kids. This investment follows the firm’s participation in Afreximbank’s Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) platform, which aims to finance and showcase Africa’s creative economy.
Vanhu Vamwe, a sustainable luxury brand co-founded by Pam Samasuwo-Nyawiri and Simba Nyawiri, merges traditional craftsmanship with bold storytelling. The company has engaged over 150 artisans and retails on 48 stockists across Africa, the US, UK, and Asia, including platforms like Net-A-Porter and Neiman Marcus. Vanhu Vamwe operates entirely in euros and dollars and has achieved profitability, demonstrating the potential for African heritage to anchor modern luxury markets.
The Rad Black Kids, founded by Thulani Ngazimbi, channels Zimbabwean street culture into lifestyle fashion, partnering with global retailers like Amazon subsidiary BOP LLC. The brand has retailed in Nordstrom, Macy’s, and PACSUN, earning in US dollars and establishing itself as a profitable business. Both brands excelled at CANEX 2024, with Vanhu Vamwe winning first place and The Rad Black Kids placing third, leveraging the platform for enhanced visibility and investor traction.
The investment from Silverbacks and ImpactHER will enable both brands to amplify their global presence, with Vanhu Vamwe aiming to expand into new markets while staying true to its story and values. The Rad Black Kids plans to use the investment to prove that African creativity and diaspora stories can drive powerful, profitable fashion brands.
Efe Ukala, President and Founder of ImpactHER, commented that these brands embody the ingenuity and global excellence of African fashion, and the investment will help turn Africa’s creative brilliance into global business power. Ibrahim Sagna, Executive Chairman of Silverbacks Holdings, added that the firm is proud to partner with ImpactHER and CANEX to back formidable founders like Dr. Pam and Thulani, whose fashion labels reinforce the conviction that African creativity is ready to deliver high-quality products and profitable businesses.
This investment marks Silverbacks’ second and third investments in the fashion sector, building on a prior investment in Armando Cabral. The firm continues to focus on globally competitive African companies that prioritize scalable growth, with recent investments demonstrating strong returns from African investments. Silverbacks has executed a partial exit program, with notable successes in Nigeria and Egypt, and has deployed capital into various industries, including sports-tech and fintech. The firm applies a data-driven portfolio construction model targeting 3x to 5x investment returns, focusing on export-oriented, tech-enabled businesses expanding from Africa to the rest of the world.