When Bukky Asehinde launched Bellafricana in 2016, she wasn’t trying to build an event or even a physical destination. She simply wanted authentic African creative products to become more visible and accessible to the world.
More than a decade later, that same vision has grown into TALES House London—a permanent home for African fashion, beauty, art, food and lifestyle brands.
Interestingly, Bukky doesn’t see this as a change in direction.
"The vision has remained the same, but the mission has evolved."
From the beginning, her goal was clear.
“My vision was simple: to make authentic African creative products globally accessible and to help African creatives get the visibility and recognition they deserve.”
What changed wasn’t the destination. It was the route.
"When I started Bellafricana, I thought an online platform would be enough. I wanted someone in London, New York, or anywhere in the world to discover and confidently buy from an African creative."
But listening to the community revealed something bigger. Visibility alone wasn’t solving the problem.
"Creatives needed business support, mentorship, community, access to markets, and opportunities to meet customers face-to-face."
That realization eventually led to Bellafricana’s first London pop-up in 2023.
Then TALES became much more than an event. It became an experience. And after witnessing its impact on both brands and customers, another question emerged.
"Why shouldn't African creativity have permanent homes around the world, just like cities have Chinatowns or Little Italys?"
That question became TALES House London.
As Bukky explains,
"It's not just a permanent retail space. It's the beginning of a much bigger vision to create global destinations where African creativity is celebrated every day."
Although the platform has evolved, the problem she set out to solve remains remarkably consistent.
"The core problem hasn't changed."
For Bukky, African creatives have never lacked talent. What they’ve lacked is visibility, structure, access and trust. Many creators produce exceptional work, yet struggle to reach the right customers, price confidently, tell compelling stories, or expand beyond their local markets.
While international interest in African creativity has increased, she believes stronger business foundations are now more important than ever.
"Bellafricana isn't just about promoting brands anymore. It's about helping them build sustainable businesses that can compete anywhere in the world."
One of the most striking themes throughout Bukky’s journey is that every stage of growth has been driven by listening. Rather than deciding what the community should want, she paid attention to what it actually needed. When asked why she expanded beyond a traditional marketplace, her answer was simple.
"Because people build businesses, but community builds movements."
She realized creatives weren’t simply looking for another platform where they could upload products.They wanted encouragement. They wanted collaboration. They wanted somewhere they could ask questions without feeling judged. They wanted people who genuinely believed in them.
Looking back, Bukky summarizes Bellafricana’s journey in one sentence:
"Each step has simply been responding to what our community needed next."
Community came first. Then experiences.Now, those experiences have found a permanent home.
The decision to establish TALES House wasn’t driven by ambition alone.
It came from repeated conversations. Every year after TALES ended, the same question surfaced.
"When are you opening again?"
It wasn’t only vendors asking. Customers were asking too. She also watched creatives spend months preparing for TALES, build remarkable momentum, and then have nowhere to continue that momentum once the event ended. That was the turning point.
"TALES shouldn't just be an event. It needed to become a destination."
And, as she puts it,
"TALES House is our answer to that."
As African brands gain greater international recognition, Bukky believes the conversation itself needs to change.
“I think we need to stop calling them ‘African brands’ first and start recognising them as great brands that happen to come from Africa.”
For her, the challenge has never been talent.
"Quality has never really been our issue. Perception has."
She believes stronger investment, infrastructure, storytelling and opportunities will continue to shift that perception. At the same time, founders themselves have work to do.They must invest in branding, systems, customer experience and consistency. As she reminds creatives,
"Global recognition isn't just earned through talent. It's earned through excellence."
Working with hundreds of entrepreneurs has also shaped the advice she gives.
The biggest mistake isn’t poor products. It’s neglecting the business behind the product. Some founders spend years perfecting what they create while giving very little attention to pricing, marketing, sales, cash flow or customer experience.
She also sees another pattern. Waiting until everything feels perfect before becoming visible. Her advice is direct.
“Visibility creates opportunity. People cannot support what they don’t know exists.”
And ultimately,
"Build the business with the same care they build the product."
Like many entrepreneurial journeys, hers has also included moments of uncertainty. Moving to the United Kingdom became one of the most difficult seasons of her life.
“Financially, emotionally and mentally, I questioned whether I had the strength to rebuild Bellafricana in a new country.”
There were moments she considered walking away. But messages from creatives kept arriving. Stories about renewed confidence. New opportunities. Lives changed because someone believed in them. Those reminders helped her continue.
"My faith also carried me."
Then she adds one sentence that captures the season perfectly.
"There were moments when all I had left was obedience."
For young creatives beginning their own journeys, Bukky’s advice is practical.
Master your craft. Learn business. Build relationships. And don’t wait until everything feels perfect.
“Start before you feel ready.”
“You don’t need perfect conditions to begin.”
Looking ahead, Bukky hopes TALES House becomes the first place people think of when they want to experience African creativity in London.
She envisions thousands of visitors discovering African brands, founders securing wholesale partnerships and international customers, and creatives saying one simple sentence:
"TALES House changed the trajectory of my business."
Beyond London, she hopes the model can one day be replicated in cities around the world.
Near the end of our conversation, we asked Bukky what lesson has most changed the way she thinks.
Her answer perhaps explains every chapter of this journey.
“I stopped asking, ‘How do I build a successful business?’ “And I started asking, ‘How do I build something that outlives me?'”
She says that shift changed every decision she made.
"It moved me from building a platform to building an ecosystem. From organising events to creating institutions. From chasing growth to creating impact."
Then she leaves us with a thought that feels bigger than entrepreneurship itself.
“Because success is wonderful.”
“But significance, that’s what lasts.”
The Brief Network: Inspiring Stories and Empowering Lessons.
