LULUBELL Group founder Lulu Shabell has become the first Tanzanian named to the global BoF 500 following selections announced on 2 Oct 2026.

In a release dated 7 Oct 2026 the company said she joined 100 new members in The Business of Fashion's Class of 2026.

“I'm deeply honoured to join the BoF 500,” Lulu Shabell, founder and chief executive of LULUBELL Group said.

For Kenya's fashion businesses the recognition draws attention to international market access and cultural ownership within East Africa's creative economy.

The company said Shabell was born in Kenya and identifies as Tanzanian through her identity and heritage.

She has Ethiopian and Somali roots and has lived in the diaspora including Switzerland, according to the release.

LULUBELL Group said her work connects African fashion businesses with commercial opportunities through brand strategy, storytelling, market access and partnerships.

The company said she has supported more than 200 designers over more than two decades across international fashion weeks and trade platforms.

Those platforms include CANEX Presents Africa at Portugal Fashion and TRANOÏ events in Paris and Tokyo, according to the release.

The company said CANEX Presents Africa at Portugal Fashion was developed with Afreximbank's Creative Africa Nexus.

Her focus includes production readiness, buyer relationships, investment and long-term business growth for African fashion enterprises.

“African designers and makers deserve to build lasting businesses from their talent and knowledge,” Shabell said.

Her comments place business development alongside recognition for creative work rather than treating international exposure as the sole objective.

The release presents production capacity and buyer relationships as priorities for turning access to fashion platforms into lasting businesses.

These priorities frame her work around commercial growth and ownership of the cultural knowledge behind African fashion.

LULUBELL Group said Shabell is also building ÀLKÉ as a pan-African cultural and economic institution.

The initiative centres on Art, Legacy, Knowledge and Enterprise and seeks to protect African cultural knowledge and intellectual property.

The company said its purpose includes strengthening the economic value of that knowledge and retaining value within African institutions.

Shabell previously worked for the United Nations and has a background in hospitality and luxury across Africa and Europe.

She has advised organisations on creativity, sustainability and economic diversification and writes for Robb Report Africa, according to the release.

The release said BoF selections draw on nominations from existing members and worldwide research reviewed by its editors.

Established in 2013 the index now comprises 1,713 people representing 104 nationalities, according to LULUBELL Group.