International businessman Sam Mensah never used to travel light. Impressed by the quality of design in his home country, Ghana, he frequently filled his suitcase with gifts of clothes for his friends in Europe and the US. Giving fabric as a gift is an African tradition, a symbol of friendship, he said. But the beautifully printed material was often stored and so Mensah starting buying ready-to-wear clothes instead.Soon he was taking orders from all over the world.In 2013, Mensah launched his own online shop, Kisua, which means "well-dressed person" in Swahili. It is the first worldwide website to feature only African designs.He bought on board hot young designer Danica Lepen, known for her collaborations with successful local labels Black Coffee, and Marion & Lindie, as creative director.''It was an ambitious and difficult task to get it off the ground," said Lepen.''We're used to bringing lifestyle products into Africa. We're not used to taking things out."Kisua launched with 10 carefully chosen designers scouted from Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and Congo.Each worked closely with the Kisua team to produce a capsule collection that has flown off warehouse shelves.Demand for the Kisua brand has been so great, with distribution centres in the US and in Europe, the company recently added South Africa as a distribution hot spot and opened its first bricks-and-mortar pop-up shop in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, last week.It offers contemporary designs with rich prints and retro silhouettes.The brand has an advisory board that includes English fashion designer Ozwald Boateng, who is of Ghanaian descent and famous for his popular range of menswear.''We recognised that, although there is a lot of creative talent on the continent, there are many obstacles for local designers," said Mensah.''What we want to do is provide great quality clothes and give the designers a space in which they can be seen and heard, and, of course, make money."Kisua will be open at Melrose Arch until the end of next month..