Hanifa's 45%-off sale became a two-month fulfillment mess — then it paused production

Hanifa, the inclusive-sizes luxury label Anifa Mvuemba founded in 2011, ran its annual Hanifa Friday sale in November 2025 — garments discounted up to 45%, some sold as preorders with longer shipping times. The label was beloved and small: famous for its 2020 3-D 'ghost model' virtual runway, with sizing up to 3X.

Manufacturer production delays stalled shipping. Some customers received items; others waited as a week stretched into a month, then two months — many had bought for occasions that had already passed, and some said they received no communication at all. The backlash became a social-media uproar on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, with Mvuemba's name trending for nearly two months.

Mvuemba, who gave birth in December 2025, left maternity leave to manage the crisis: she apologized publicly, expedited garments, and refunded those who no longer wanted items. She said every Hanifa Friday order was ultimately fulfilled. On March 2, 2026 she announced an indefinite production pause — 'not necessarily permanent,' no restocks, no timeline to move again — in a note titled 'Why I've Considered Shutting Hanifa Down.'