The luxury e-commerce platform that wants to target African consumers, while also exposing African brands to the rest of the world, officially launched Monday.

The London-based platform is helmed by Ayo Rufai, Kemi Adetu, and Teni Sagoe. Jendaya’s launch has been highly anticipated for months, with the expectation that its designer offerings and shipping to Africa, Asia, the UK, the US and Europe will both help to both bolster luxury e-commerce on the continent and promote African luxury designers globally.

“Jendaya is the only e-commerce marketplace that uses the social power of community and culture to help global shoppers discover diverse designers,” the company’s chief executive, Ayo Rufai, said.

According to Rufai, Federico Marchetti, former chairman and chief executive of Yoox Net-a-Porter Group has served as a mentor to Jendaya’s team, while Rotimi Akinyemiju, former COO of Moda Operandi, and Omoyemi Akerele, founder of Lagos Fashion Week, are among the company’s board of advisors.

Jendaya users can expect a strong curation of brands, including some that will be new names for most consumers, as well as the ability to pay using cryptocurrency, he added. The platform currently stocks 60 brands, including JW Anderson, Balenciaga, Imad Eduso, Tokyo James, Jermaine Bleu and Okapi.

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