Monday, 3rd September, 2018, Nairobi – Brand Kenya Board has today inked a partnership deal with Fashion Agenda Africa (FAA) to boost growth of the local fashion industry and enhance meaningful conversation between government and the industry.

The partnership will see the two parties engage in an effort to create awareness and encourage the habit among Kenyans to purchase and wear made in Kenya fashion brands within the local and international market.

kenya’s untapped fashion industry has the potential of creating over 300,000 jobs, according to a recent study by Hivos East Africa, Equity Bank Kenya, and the Association of Fashion Designers of Kenya (AFAD). The labour-intensive textiles and apparels sector has been mapped out as a priority sector under manufacturing pillar of the Big 4 national development blueprint as well as the Kenya Industrial Transformation Program.

Kenya is currently the largest exporter of apparels under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) with about KES 35 billion worth of exports as of 2017. With the changes in the global apparels sourcing supply chain in the world, the sector is likely to get a significant boost.

“The Human Development Index Report 2017 places Kenya’s unemployment rate at 39.1 per cent. The textile and apparels sector, if well invested in across the value chain, has the ability to create numerous jobs, given that it is labour intensive. Brand Kenya Board is happy to be part of transforming and making this multi-billion industry more profitable to Kenyans,” stated Brand Kenya Board’s Ag. CEO Ms. Floice Mukabana.Read more on the next page..

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Fashion Agenda Africa’s (FAA) journey began over 5 years ago and seeks to build, support and empower young, passionate fashion professionals to become the best in their chosen areas of specialization across the value chain. This is done through a set of initiatives, skill development workshops, and access to industry relevant information. The Forum is a global membership organization where all change agents in matters fashion meet young and upcoming talents to be able to collectively develop one voice, one vision and one goal on matters fashion.

“Upcoming designers usually grope in the dark and lack support to be able to rise above the numerous challenges, more so because this is an industry that is still perceived as informal. Fashion Agenda Africa (FAA) therefore presents the best platform for fashion luminaries to be able to effectively pass the baton and make the industry sustainable. A revolution in the fashion industry is here and I am happy to be part of this change. Through FAA, we literally ‘pass on the baton’ and ‘light another person’s candle’ as our slogan says” said FAA’s Founder and fashion icon Ms. Akinyi E. Odongo.

FAA’s partnership with Brand Kenya, which will run for an initial one year, is therefore aimed at establishing an integrated approach within government and private sector towards local and international marketing of Kenyan fashion products.

In the partnership, both parties will:

• Work together to create impactful online and offline campaigns with communication tailor made to promote the fashion industry in an effort to unite Kenyans and provide them with positive information about the country and promote patriotism and national pride.
• Develop an easily accessible, go-to, online database of Kenyan fashion, textiles, jewelry, accessories, and leather and crafts designers in order to promote local products and services to encourage economic transformation;
• Engage youngsters and designers who will take the legacy forward through capacity building programs and other initiatives to that will encourage commitment to quality and innovation in order to produce locally but confidently compete globally;
• Build, maintain and market the Kenyan brands locally, regionally and globally in order to effectively position the country optimally in terms of investment, creditworthiness, tourism and international relations; additionally improving the international image of Kenya;

“This industry has potential to significantly grow the country’s GDP. The development of sector’s farm – fashion value chain presents the country with immense opportunities in cotton farming, textile mills and apparels/fashion industry. A fully developed value chain has the capacity to employ about 10 per cent of the country’s population. It is time that all industry stakeholders collaborated and amplified their voices to make the industry more profitable and erode perceptions that art is for failures,” added Ms. Akinyi E. Odongo.

Aside from availing its affiliates and other fashion industry professionals for programs, workshops, initiatives, meetings, and industry based content creation, FAA will also act as the official liaison between government and the fashion industry, including any private sector partnerships that the government bodies might undertake that impact fashion designers and the fashion industry in its entirety.

Brand Kenya has been at the forefront in promoting the industry. The Board earlier on launched a comprehensive online campaign dubbed ‘Kenya Fashion Fridays Challenge’ to drum up support for Kenya’s vibrant fashion industry by re-defining Kenya’s Friday dress down and rallying Kenyans to wear authentic Kenyan-made brands every Friday.

“Our partnership with Fashion Agenda will create more avenues for the Board to make the industry more profitable and also contribute immensely to the growth and transformation of the manufacturing industry,” the Board’s Ag. CEO Ms Mukabana added.

Fashion designers under Fashion Agenda Africa umbrella will also take up the Made in Kenya Brand Mark that was developed by Brand Kenya to identify and authenticate Kenyan products on local and global markets.Keep reading to know more about Brand Kenya and Fashion Agenda Africa..

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About Brand Kenya BoardBrand Kenya Board is a state corporation established in March 2008 to coordinate initiatives for marketing the country in order to maximize their efficiency; create and maintain the Kenya brand, and to identify and distinguish Kenyan products, services and concepts.

The Board is tasked with the responsibility of identifying and refining the key attributes about Kenya that contribute positively to the image and reputation of the Nation and to aid in the value proposition for Kenyan goods and services, as well as establish a brand for Kenya which positions the country optimally in terms of investment, creditworthiness, tourism and international relations.

For more information, contact:- Maureen Mambo, Manager Media and Publicity0721588581 or maureen.mambo@brandkenya.go.ke.

About Fashion Agenda AfricaFashion Agenda Africa (FAA) is an initiative by a group of fashion industry visionaries from across Africa, working together to change the African Fashion narrative.

FAA seeks to build, support and empower young passionate fashion professionals to become the best in their chosen areas of specialization across the value chain. This is through a set of initiatives, skills development workshops and access to industry relevant information.

For more information, kindly contact:Akinyi E. Odongo,Founder, Fashion Agenda Africa (FAA)0727698242 or akinyi@akinyiodingo.co.ke

Content courtesy of Brand Kenya, Fashion Agenda Africa & Nairobi Fashion Hub