How to Create a Casual and Professional Wardrobe Made in Africa?
Nothing initially suggested that Marina Esso would go on to lead a fashion brand. With a master’s degree in law, supplemented by a course of study in business and distribution at the Catholic University of Yaoundé, she spent most of her career in senior management positions in the petroleum distribution sector in Cameroon, notably serving as network director for a major European company.
The turning point came in 2019. Faced with the acquisition of her company and the upheavals caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Marina decided to take a break and realign her professional life with her lifelong passion: fashion. As a major buyer of international brands, she came to an inescapable realization during a trip to Asia while visiting a textile trade show: the quality and origin of the raw materials she buys at premium prices in the West are often out of step with their true value.
The DNA of Sanaa
The brand name, Sanaa, means “work of art.” From the very beginning, Marina Esso chose not to follow the fleeting trends of streetwear or fast fashion, but rather to target a very specific group of influential women: female executives, entrepreneurs, and career-driven women, particularly those aged 40 to 55. For these influential women, clothing fulfills a need for self-expression as well as comfort in terms of both climate and physical well-being.
Iconic Pieces
Sanaa’s strength lies in its obsessive search for innovative, soft materials that are well-suited to tropical climates:
- Silk Blend Sets: This is the brand’s absolute best-seller. Made from 85% fine silk and 15% carefully selected synthetic fibers, this fabric retains silk’s luster and majestic drape while eliminating the hassle of silk care. It is wrinkle-resistant, machine-washable, and ideal for business travel.
- Premium linen: 100% natural linen of exceptional quality, available in sleek styles for which Marina updates only the color palette each season to ensure exclusivity.
- Bamboo silk: A luxurious fabric that is water-washable, breathable, and has a highly sought-after silky sheen.
The brand subtly incorporates a nod to Africa through warm, earthy tones (terracotta, dusty pink, deep brown), while maintaining a decidedly cosmopolitan and universal silhouette.
A pan-African industrial and logistics infrastructure
Drawing on her background in management and retail, Marina Esso runs Sanaa with a high degree of discipline. Although based in Cameroon, she has chosen to outsource the production of her collections to a highly skilled professional workshop in Africa, capable of ensuring impeccable finishes and international manufacturing standards.
Marina personally oversees the artistic direction, designs the models, develops the technical specifications, and meticulously approves each prototype. In Cameroon, a dedicated team handles logistics, receives packages, and ships orders through the brand’s e-commerce site. For her communications strategy, she relies on the expertise of the Cameroonian agency to orchestrate her campaigns and product launches.
Sanaa also takes an inclusive approach by offering a size range from 34 to 52, with the option of custom alterations within three weeks.
International ambitions
Sanaa’s distribution strategy is based on a highly effective hybrid model that combines e-commerce, the upcoming opening of a showroom in Douala, and an active presence at prestigious events across the continent and beyond.
After participating in exclusive pop-up events in Cotonou and Abidjan, and most recently at the Style Lounge Platform Warehouse in Paris in June 2026, the brand is already preparing for its next big step.
In November 2026, Sanaa will fly to Lagos, Nigeria, to attend the international CANEX 2026 event (creative industries supported by Afrexim Bank), in partnership with Brunch African Women. This prestigious event will be an opportunity for Marina Esso to unveil her very first collection entirely dedicated to corporate wear, accompanied by an exclusive festive capsule collection for the holiday season.
Attentive to her customers’ needs, Marina also plans to expand her product range by launching, very soon, her first men’s line, featuring high-quality linen shirts, as well as a selection of accessories and fine leather bags.
By combining the precision of business processes with the poetry of flowing fabrics, Marina Esso proves that clothing is not merely a matter of adornment: it is a tool for empowerment and self-confidence for the women who are driving modern Africa forward.
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