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Durban Fashion Fair Recognition Awards set to celebrate fashion excellence

Posted on by Fashion Tribe Influencer

The highlight of the annual Durban Fashion Fair is undoubtedly the DFF Recognition Awards – and the good news is that we won’t be losing out on this year’s edition despite all the disruptions caused by Covid-19!

The awards will be an important part of the DFF Class of 2020 Fashion extravaganza that is taking place at Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre on Friday, December 11.

A feast of creativity and colour, the much-anticipated event will give Durban Fashion Fair (#DFF2020) Class of 2020’s designer mentees an opportunity to showcase their creations on the ramp. Their garments will be modelled by this year’s new face models who have been given a chance to strut their stuff after receiving extensive training organised by eThekwini Municipality.

The training programme included model boot camps and skills development opportunities that have given these aspiring youngsters a peek into a career in fashion that they would never have thought possible.

Most importantly, eThekwini Municipality through the Business Support, Tourism and Markets Unit, will be recognising the achievers in the local fashion industry through the DFF Recognition Awards. Watch out for the Best Ladies’ Wear Collection, the Best Menswear Collection, Durban Designer of the Year, the Fashion Innovator, the Collection of the Week and more.

The judges who will be working feverishly behind the scenes to make these important decisions include:

Zodwa Kumalo-Valentine is group native content editor at Arena Holdings for titles including Business Day, Financial Mail, Sunday Times and Sowetan LIVE. She has been a speaker at the Street Food Festival and Business of Design, a judge at the South African Fashion Week New Talent Search and was one of the 38 curators of the World Design Capital. She has written for and edited several international and local publications and was part of the digital team that launched the content hub on Woolworths’ online portal.

Former editor-in-chief of GLAMOUR South Africa, Asanda Sizani, has held positions such as fashion and beauty director for ELLE and fashion editor for Woolworths’ W. She has also written for Fashion Tribes, a book on global sub-cultures, and served as curator for Design Indaba and Africa Fashion Week Berlin.
​​​​​​​She has also edited a range for the fashion retailer Topshop, consulted for brands such as Consol, Yardley, MaXhosa Africa and Unilever and fronted campaigns for Woolworths, Diesel and KISUA. She accepted the Media and Advertising award at the 2017 Standard Bank Rising Star Awards which recognises excellence in young leaders.

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A returning judge and previous sponsor of DFF Menswear Category, fashion retail professional and senior operations manager for the Foschini Group, Themba Mthethwa, brings experience in trend analysis, fashion retail management, and coaching to the awards. A public speaker, with multiple qualifications from different institutions including the South African Institute of Management, University of Pretoria, University of Stellenbosch, owner of the Valley Lounge and founder and owner of Son of Jane Studio and Gallery.

All Covid-19 restrictions will be in place. Don’t miss out on the fashion action on Friday, December 11, from 6.30pm at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban.

Book now as seats are limited. Tickets for the evening are on sale via webtickets.co.za or at Pick ‘n Pay outlets at R150 per person.

Content courtesy of IOL & Nairobi fashion hub 

Naomi Campbell ‘I didn’t think I’d still be working past 25 Years, let alone 50’

Posted on by Oscar Alochi

Even in quarantine, Naomi Campbell is very busy. The supermodel, speaking from the hotel in Nigeria where she’s quarantining pending a negative Covid test, has a schedule stacked with press engagements, Zoom meetings and shoots for her YouTube channel.

“It’s full-on here,” she says, her voice like honey down a crackly phone line from Lagos. “It’s kind of strange trying to get used to being back in the groove. It’s taking a minute for my mind to switch back into the hustle and bustle of it all.”

For Campbell, the hustle and bustle never really stopped. She’s in Lagos to support Arise Fashion Week, an event she’s backed since its 2018 launch. This season, the main attraction is the “30 Under 30: The New Stars” competition, a showcase of work by emerging designers who will present collections in livestreamed catwalk shows and compete for a grand prize worth $100,000.

“The stuff I’ve seen so far, I’m really happy with,” she says. “Although this has been a pandemic and a time of loss and sadness for many, it’s also been a time of people really using their minds and being so creative.”

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Lagos has become something of a second home for Campbell. Usually she spends five to six weeks a year in Africa, but her usual travel plans, like everyone else’s, were disrupted by Covid. This is the first time she’s been able to make the trip since January. “I’ve missed Africa so much, I can’t tell you.”

Campbell may have been more prepared than most for travel in the age of contagion. Last summer, long before the term “social distancing” entered the lexicon, Campbell posted a video detailing her pre-flight cleaning routine to her YouTube channel. She donned gloves, used Dettol wipes to “clean[s] everything you touch” and draped her first-class seat in a protective cover.

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Her routine has only become more intense since the start of the pandemic. In May, she wore a mask, gloves, goggles, face shield and full hazmat suit to fly from London to Los Angeles. She finished her outfit with a Burberry cape. “A museum wanted an outfit that depicted 2020, and they asked me for my outfit with my Burberry cape, my hazmat suit, my gloves, my mask. So I donated it.”

This time, “I flew the way I always fly, covid or no covid. I flew with my mask… Now I have a few extra bags of PPE and cleaning supplies, a few extra additions. But it’s all good. I’m very cautious.”

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Really she would have done anything to make it to Lagos for the young designers she’s there to support. “I was very happy to come here and to be here for Arise and for these young designers. This is what I care about. I’m thrilled that it worked out.”

Designers participating in 30 Under 30 include Bibi, Lagos Space Programme, Ghetto and Elfreda Dali. For international fashion fans, the most familiar name on the list will be Kenneth Ize.

Ize, a 2019 LVMH Prize finalist and Arise’s designer of the year, creates vibrant, handwoven designs drawing on the artistry and expertise of weavers at his factory in Ilorin, in Western Nigeria. Campbell walked in his Arise-winning show and has become one of Ize’s highest-profile champions.

“I feel great wearing Kenneth’s designs. They’re authentic, they feel easy, I feel like I’m wearing the clothes and can put my own spin on it. I love that he uses the authentic artisan way of making his clothes and making his culture modern for the world,” she says.

“Kenneth has had a lot of great attention. It’s been wonderful how he’s been embraced. But we still have a lot to do in terms of getting him set up and recognised worldwide in the way designers should be.”

Campbell’s ambition is for the world to know a fashion week roster’s worth of African designers, not just celebrate one or two leading lights. “I want to see the fashion world embrace African designers and all these young designers from emerging markets. They need to be accepted and given a platform. Whatever I can do to help make that happen, that’s why I’m here, that’s what I’ll do.”

Speaking about African fashion, Campbell is fully in advocate mode – not a role she foresaw for herself even a few years ago. “All of it is a surprise in a way. There was no strategy or plan.”

But then, so much about her story is unexpected. That a girl from Streatham would go on to become a monomial star outshining and outlasting her peers over a three-decade-plus career wasn’t expected. Nor were her long working relationships with Azzedine Alaia, Karl Lagerfeld, the Versace family… None of it guaranteed or given to her, especially in light of received wisdom about a fashion model’s limited career longevity in the Eighties.

“I didn’t think I’d still be working as a model, because we were always told we would never work past 25 years.”

She’s still at the top of her game at 50, but still not making plans. She doesn’t even know where she’ll be for Christmas.

“I have no idea…. Wherever I’ll be, I just want to be still,” she says. “I’m looking forward to the new year, though. It’ll be nice to see friends and be able to hug them. Not being able to hug people you love is tough. I know we’ll get there.”

Content courtesy of Telegraph Uk & Nairobi fashion hub 

Rwanda Cultural Fashion Show and Africa Fashion Stakeholders to discuss future of fashion industry in Africa

Posted on by Ann Mumbi

Rwanda Cultural Fashion Show (RCFS) will on December 18, hold a virtual conference during which players in the fashion industry will discuss the current state of the African fashion industry.

Dubbed “The Future of Fashion Industry in Africa”, the webinar will bring together different stakeholders of the fashion industry to share experiences and discuss how private and public institutions can support Africa’s growing fashion industry.

The webinar will include discussions which will be in the form of a series of a thought-provoking panel. Key speakers of the event will include renowned fashion designers, fashion promoters, experts in textiles and fabric dyeing, fashion school teachers and some government representatives.

Celestin Ntawirema, the brains behind RCFS and organiser of the webinar told The New Times that participants in this webinar will share experiences on how to establish a successful fashion concept business, discuss challenges facing the industry and propose some solutions.

Mr Celestin Ntawirema & Miss Rwanda 2020 Umutesi  Denise

“Though Covid-19 halted most activities in the industry, we thought of creating a platform that will bring players in the fashion industry to share experiences and best practices so we can learn from each other how best we can push our fashion industry to another level. We also want to see how designers can go global through African networks,” Ntawirema said.

The African fashion sector is already impressing in the global market, something that industry players hail as a motivation despite the challenges they have faced in the journey.

Ntawirema, who has been promoting fashion for over the past eight years said that, from his experience,  many brands from all over the continent had established themselves among the best globally and are now selling big on the international fashion markets compared to Western fashion despite having few fashion schools that can drive the industry to greater heights.

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He, however, lamented that investors are still reluctant to put their money in fashion-related projects because protection of fashion copyrights and fashion innovations is still low due to the gap in fashion literacy.

The webinar, he said, will be an opportunity for fashion players to show both the public and private sectors the potential that fashion has at its disposal so as to attract their investment and, on the other hand, call for support from the governments to create a conducive environment for fashion to flourish and become a sector which can contribute to the national economic development.

Some of the speakers expected for the webinar include Ruth Jackob, senior lecturer in fashion marketing Eastern London, Karen Uwera, the President of Rwanda Designers Association, John Bunyeshuri, the CEO and Founder of Kigali Fashion Week and Kenyan fashion guru Vinn Clizz, the Managing Director of Vinn Clizz among others.

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Mrs Karen Uwera

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Mr John Bunyeshuri

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Mr Vinn Clizz

Challenges

Though Rwanda’s fashion industry is being contextualized with the ‘Made in Rwanda’ policy but Ntawirema said that it’s a shame that One of the biggest challenges we have is that we have no fashion school that can prepare and raise future designers, models, or fashion promoters by profession.

“This is all down to the fact that Rwanda has no forum bringing together designers, models, promoters and other stakeholders to discuss to the future of this industry. We also need an umbrella or a fashion watchdog for all players in the fashion industry to ensure that the protection of our works is guaranteed,”

Rwanda may have local designers who are becoming successful but under hard conditions which the webinar is also looking forward to tackling.

The webinar outcomes are expected to respond to questions raised around African fashion industry from “who can design?”, “who can sell locally-made clothes”, and “who promotes fashion?” or even “who can basically support fashion sector?”

“We hope the webinar will find share responses to these questions together with the speakers. We also value new ideas from the public from which the future styling and fashion business in Africa can rely on,” he added.

Content courtesy  of The New Times Rwanda & Nairobi fashion hub 

Designer and Teacher Diarra Bousso Fuses Math and Art to Create Her Fashion Collections

Posted on by Fashion Tribe Influencer

Diarra Bousso isn’t your average designer. She’s a mathematician, an artisan, and a former Wall Street trader, and all of those experiences have led to the creation of her lifestyle brand, Diarrablu. Her designs celebrate her rich culture, with every pattern and piece telling a story.

“I grew up in Senegal, and I wanted to be the perfect student. I was never a cool girl or an ‘It girl,’ I was a nerd,” Bousso told POPSUGAR. Bousso is from a family of artisans. “In the summers, when I would go to my dad’s village, I’d see that work, and it’s so rich and beautiful,” she explained.

Splitting her time between visiting her dad’s village and attending a private French school in the city, Bousso explained she wasn’t sure how to connect her two worlds. “I always knew that I was going to do something at the intersection of those two worlds, but I didn’t know how to do it.”

She moved to the United States to attend graduate school at Stanford University, graduating with a degree in math education and research. Bousso didn’t want to work in tech upon graduation and found herself trying to figure out how to fuse her background in math with her love of fashion.

She began doodling in her free time and realized, “I can doodle, and I can also write math code to do the doodles for me.” It isn’t common for designers to code their designs, but Bousso is creating her own rules.

“Once you write a couple of equations, by just changing a few numbers, you can create a new print very quickly. So it makes the process of drawing now very efficient because you can draw one thing, then actually create thousands by just changing the numbers,” she explained.

“Algorithms allow me to solve a very important problem in fashion in terms of sustainability. They also allow me to really explore creativity beyond what’s available, because there are no limits to what you can make.”

The equations Bousso writes create afrocentric shapes and prints that tell stories, centering on the diversity of Africa. She described the process as empowering, as she owns the production of the prints and no longer has to attend markets or trade shows for fabrics.

Additionally, there’s a sustainable element to her approach which allows her to save money without wasting fabric. “Algorithms allow me to solve a very important problem in fashion in terms of sustainability. They also allow me to really explore creativity beyond what’s available, because there are no limits to what you can make.”

This new technique has also allowed her to engage with her audience in real time, creating polls to find out which designs they prefer. “We produce what people want. There’s no excess inventory,” she said. Once she has the pattern in fabric form, she cuts it to maximize the amount of pieces produced, creating a dress, a necklace, shoes, and a face mask from three yards of fabric. “We keep iterating until there is nothing left,” Bousso explained.

Her 2020 Joal collection is rooted in wanderlust, the idea of freedom and travel, and her love for Senegal and celebrating the destinations in Africa that people don’t know. It pays homage to a small village on the coast of Senegal, Joal Fadiouth, an island covered in clam seashells. Joal was designed for being comfortable at home, mixing lightweight prints with solid-colored pieces.

Her newest collection, Dall (the Wolof word for stillness and serenity), “celebrates the magic in peace and stillness at home,” Bossou said in a press release. “Dall is an escape; a feeling; a destination; a daydream; a pause; an escape in time; a retreat in space,” she explained.

The holiday collection features sustainable, solid pieces like palazzo pants and maxi dresses made from ecofriendly lyocell fabric, coming in olive green, navy blue, rust, and evening noir colors. There are also bold pieces, such as kimonos and minidresses, inspired by mindful moments and the Tanzanian Serengeti, celebrating the beauty of movement in stillness.

The Diarrablu brand is known for its oversize kaftans and dresses that can be wrapped in 19 different ways, in addition to jumpsuits, swimsuits, kimonos, and mules. Each garment is custom adjusted to one’s height, per the African bespoke garment-making tradition, and ranges in size from XS to 3XL.

Every item is created to be worn for a lifetime and throughout all the changes the body will go through. “It’s always going to fit because everything is elastic and wraps,” she said.

Bousso’s designs are coveted for both the comfort and understated luxury. “It looks expensive but it’s not trying too hard.” Her collections are timeless, and with each design, you’ll be transported to a place of peace, freedom, and stillness.

Content courtesy of Pop Sugar & Nairobi fashion hub 

Africa’s Biggest Red Carpet (Asfas) To Return In 2021

Posted on by Oscar Alochi

The Abryanz Style & Fashion Awards (ASFAs), Africa’s biggest red carpet fashion awards have announced that the awards will not take place this year. This is the first time since its inception in 2013 that the event is pushed forward.

The Abryanz Style and Fashion Awards also known as the ASFAs are continental fashion awards presented annually in Uganda to recognize excellence and outstanding achievement in the fashion industry in Uganda and Africa. More than 2,000 people grace the event annually.

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Brian Ahumuza founder of the ASFAs states: “The Abryanz Style & Fashion Awards were started on the idea of people coming together to socialize, network and interact with one another, in the name of celebrating something we all love and support; Fashion. Our team did have a sit down, and we did weigh our options, in as far as embracing the new normal goes.

But we have never envisioned the ASFAs being a virtually produced show, as this ruins the idea and concept on which the ASFAs started. People coming together, in one room, with all the oomph, flair and glam is what has made the ASFAs what they are today. So, after much consideration, putting into account the safety of our fans and guests, and also the need to give you a show that will be as remarkable and unforgettable like the last 8 years, we have made the tough decision to postpone the event to 2021.

This year and the year to come will be maximized in planning, together with our partners at Talent Africa, to ensure that we deliver a show that will be the best you have ever experienced. To our loyal fans and the supporters of the ASFAS, we do apologize for any inconveniences this may cause, but you can be sure to experience the ASFAs like never before, come 2021! Thank you for your unwavering support in the last 8 years, and get those outfits and the flair ready.

Aly Allibhai from Talent Africa Group states “with the current health guidelines and ban of public events due to the pandemic it would have been impossible for the ASFAs to give our guests the same A-list red carpet fashion experience through an online or virtual experience, so we have decided to come back next year with a bigger and bolder experience”.

The team from the ASFAs wishes you a safe and happy festive season ahead.

Content courtesy of ASFAs & Nairobi fashion hub 

How can Private and Public Institutions Support Africa’s Growing Fashion Industry?

Posted on by Fashion Tribe Influencer

This is the topic that will be discussed during the virtual conference entitled “The Future of Fashion Industry in Africa”. It will be in the form of a series of thought-provoking panel discussions about the textiles and fashion industry in Africa. It is scheduled on Friday, 18th December 2020, from at 10:30 am to11:30 am (GMT-KIGALI).

Rcfs 2020 Webinar Speakers

Rwanda Cultural Fashion Show Webinar 2020 Register Here To Participate  or Send your registration via e-mail: info@rcfs.rw 

It is organized by the Rwanda Cultural Fashion Show known as the RCFS. This is a Rwandan company which had been working in the fashion industry about 8 years ago. The RCFS was founded in 2012 to promote fashion designers and create public awareness of the talent and quality designs in Africa.

Since the start, may Africans men and women have been promoted through the RCFS events. It assists in marketing, promotion and branding especially for the upcoming fashion designers who are starting small businesses in fashion. According to the examples from the RCFS’s 8 years’ experience, many brands from all over the continent had been established and some are now selling even on the international fashion markets.

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This is a magnificent step which shows that the Africa fashion industry had been achieving in a short time. For example, Africa has few fashion schools comparing to the countries where modern fashion is coming from like in the USA, India and Europe etc. But many Africans fashion designers had been invited to showcase in Western and Europe fashion weeks and this is a great full for the Africa fashion sector.

The journey of the fashion industry in Africa started about 20 years ago. It was the revolution of the textiles and fashion industry on the continent which the RCFS sees as an example for the Africans and friends of Africans to feel the pride from our various cultures in styling.

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According to the African Development Bank, demand for African textiles and garments is increasing globally, and African patterns are gaining international recognition as fashionable and iconic pieces, with international fashion houses now integrating more and more African influences in their latest collections. As President Zewde stated: “Globally, Africa’s cultural colours and clothing are increasingly being embraced.

Another example, there are several continental initiatives which are supporting the African fashion industry to develop and sell their products. The Fashionomics Africa initiative of the African Development Bank, together with the African Union, the AfroChampions initiative, and other institutional partners and private operators, launched the Pan-African Fashion initiative on 9 February during the recent AU meetings in Addis Ababa.

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Pan-African Fashion initiative is a platform for stakeholder engagement, dialogue, strategy and policies to advance the African fashion industry within the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which aims to remove trade barriers between African nations and thus expand intra-Africa trade by about $35 billion per year. Intra-African imports and exports currently account for just 15% of all trade on the continent.

Content courtesy of Rwanda cultural Fashion show & Nairobi fashion hub 

African Inspired Ankara Prints Get Modern Makeover

Posted on by Fashion Tribe Influencer

HOUSTON, Texas – African-inspired prints are getting a modern makeover. Ankara, a fabric from West Africa, isn’t just considered cultural attire anymore it’s taking the spotlight on catwalks and red carpets across the world.

Onyii Brown, a Nigerian-born designer from Houston, has always admired the bold, bright colors of Ankara. She first started her brand, Onyii & Co., in her garage, turning vibrant African prints into figure-flattering wrap dresses, skirts, and jumpsuits. Since then, she has shown her colorful styles at New York Fashion Week and even received recognition from Martha Stewart.

Yetunde Olukoya, also from Nigeria, first started sewing designs for her label in her living room in Fulshear, Texas. Like Brown, she drew inspiration from her African heritage, fusing the traditional Ankara prints she loves into Western looks. Her brand, Ray Darten, is manufactured in Nigeria and supports educational and health initiatives in that country.

Localish went behind the scenes with these bold designers to see how they’re turning African-inspired prints into a global trend!

Content courtesy of ABC 7 NY & Nairobi fashion hub 

How This Black Icon Infused Fashion Line Found Success Amid Covid-19

Posted on by Ann Mumbi

‘We’ll continue to rise’: How this Black-icon-infused fashion line found success amid Covid-19

Johanne and Terrance Wilson, owners of COOL Creative, recently won Comcast’s RISE contest, which invited Black small business owners who were hit hardest by the pandemic the chance to win consulting, media services, or a technology makeover.

Models wearing COOL Creative apparel. Courtesy of Comcast.

Several years ago, Johanne and Terrance Wilson, of Hollywood, Florida, celebrated African-American icons in a meaningful way, by passing on their inspiring stories to their daughter, who was 6 years old at the time.

Terrance, an illustrator, brought influential Black figures from Martin Luther King and Maya Angelou to Notorious B.I.G. and Lauryn Hill to life through storytelling and sketching portraits. One day, Johanne had an epiphany these beautiful portraits created by her husband within the walls of their own home should be shared with the world. And so COOL Creative, a unique boutique that offers apparel and accessories with African-American icons displayed on them, was born.

COOL is an acronym for Create Out Of Love, because for the Wilsons, their brand design and digital agency isn’t just a business, it’s a family. The Wilsons worked hard to expand and lay the groundwork to open a brick-and-mortar store to sell their apparel in Little Haiti, a neighbourhood of Miami, Florida.

Models wearing COOL Creative apparel. Courtesy of Comcast.

Despite the strides the family took to grow their business, they recently experienced the major setbacks as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. After pouring countless resources into opening a store, they could not physically open due to lockdown orders and delays from manufacturers. Ironically, during a time when racial inequality and #BlackLivesMatter protests echoed in cities around the country, COOL Creative was also fighting for a lifeline.

The Wilsons are certainly not alone. African-Americans have been disproportionately impacted by Covid-19 from every angle, from systemic health inequities that put them at greater risk of the virus to the fact that Black-owned, small businesses are nearly twice as likely to shutter during the pandemic.

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A model in COOL Creative apparel. Courtesy of Comcast.

Between February and April 2020, the number of active Black-owned businesses declined by 41 percent, compared to 21 percent for the general population, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Unwilling to back down from their dream, the Wilsons carried on. With the same tenacity and grit that Johanne once had as a young student applying for numerous grants and scholarships to finance her college education, she set out to find assistance that might help COOL Creative rise above the overwhelming pressures that came from the pandemic.

That’s when she found the Comcast RISE contest, which invites Black small business owners who were hit hardest by the pandemic to apply for a chance to win consulting, media services, creative production or a technology makeover. RISE targets the pioneers of legacy, the curators of culture, the family franchise and more.

Comcast RISE which stands for Representation, Investment, Strength and Empowerment stemmed from Comcast’s $100 million Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative that launched this past summer. The contest awarded COOL Creative with significant media services, including a commercial for 90 days and a recent appearance in November on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”

“It’s more important than ever to stand with the Black community and amplify Black voices,” Clarkson said during her segment. The contest awarded several other Black small business owners, including LeDay Grant, owner of an ice cream shop that provides space for community engagement in Denver, and Alicia Goodwin, owner of Lingua Nigra Jewelry in Chicago.

“We’re really excited to take advantage of the promotion and to get a commercial for 90 days,” Wilson said. “Our goal is to drive people to the website and also to the store and make up for all the sales that we lost over these past months,” she added.

Terrance Wilson, co-owner of COOL Creative, at his store Little Haiti, a neighbourhood of Miami, Florida. Courtesy of Comcast.

Teresa Ward-Maupin, SVP for Digital and Customer Experience at Comcast Business, said that RISE came from a deep desire to help people on a more granular level and to recognize those who have been most impacted by Covid-19. “We set out to determine how we can make the biggest impact, not just during this moment in time but to help businesses recover and prosper for the long term. We set out to truly lift businesses up.”

While the first phase of RISE focused on Black small business owners, the contest is now accepting entries from BIPOC small business owners. In all, Comcast will award around 700 small businesses in need among various categories.

A model is COOL Creative apparel.Courtesy of Comcast.

“When the thought of losing COOL Creative hit us, we kicked into fight mode,” Wilson said. “During a time of racial inequality and protests, we need fashion lines like ours more than ever. It really speaks to the struggle and truly connects people,” she explained, adding that she hopes their Little Haiti store will be a space for people to engage and connect within the community.

“Our fashion speaks to a nation that has been hurting,” Wilson said. “We’ll continue to rise.”

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Content courtesy of NBC News & Nairobi fashion hub 

Nigerian Fashion Brand Imaatu Debuts ” Adire Tuntun ” Collection 2021

Posted on by Oscar Alochi

Vietnam based Nigerian fashion brand has lifted the veil on their fall/winter collection titled “Adire Tuntun”.
According to the elegant creative director, Omaatu, ‘Adire Tuntún’ which simply means “New Adire” births a dazzling array of ready to wear pieces and evening gowns, with striking emerald and shadowy patterns.

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Omaatu has a special place in her heart for African prints and African fashion which she fuses into modern style, like seen in this collection.

Highlighting the indigo-dyed pattern, originated in Nigeria, which is the primary drive of the collection, its her way of paying homage to the African culture, accentuating cross-cultural fashion.

The designer, Omatu, who believes her works should be more popular than her personality said that the dresses are comfortable and youthful yet very stylish.

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Imaatu, whose fashion brand is formerly known as Fulani, started her fashion works in Vietnam and launched in 2003.
The designer and creative director who prefers to be called by her first name, Omatu, celebrates women globally and empowers them through her creations to emphasize their feminine charms.

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Her designs radiates self-confidence through colorful fabrics, with great importance to unique cuts that do not limit the wear ability of each piece.

Content courtesy of New Telegraph & Nairobi fashion hub 

The Jw Show 2020 Edition Connecting Africa and The World Through Fabric and Design

Posted on by Oscar Alochi

The JW Show 2020 edition held last night at Nairobi Film Centre formally know as ( Nairobi Cinema ) was successfully event and one of the big show in East & Central Africa #MadeinKenyaByKenyans, the show had quite and inspirational panel for fashion designers and literally every young person who inspire future generation.

The show was limited to 300 attendees as per the state regulations on COVID-19 rules and was streamed live across all major social media platforms

The JW Show gave opportunity to  11 fashion designers from Nairobi with a mix of students and upcoming designers unlike last year when they went scouting for talent from the counties level.

Unlike the previous edition where showcasing designers were competing for a prize, this year show was one simple platform for unveiling  new talented participants. All collections on the runway come with face masks.

The organizer of the event added a panel discussion where they generated and share ideas on how they can support upcoming designers and keep them on their feet.

Once again the Jw Show, gave opportunity to persons living with disabilities in the fashion industry who have been left behind during this pandemic and they want to make sure their valuable input is seen and appreciated. 

This year the show was keen on the quality of the fabric employed in designs and creativity of the designers, each designer to showcase at least five collections.

Kenya Film Classification Board  ( KFCB ) has been partnering with the JW Fashion Show for three years in a row. The vast creative sector is the next frontier for wealth and job creation.

The Board is cognizant of the untapped potential in the creative industry thus commits to continue supporting ventures that seek to identify and nurture talent for job creation ~ CEO Ezekiel Mutua

The Jw Show signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and a partnership with Kenya Film Classification Board since last year 2019 where KFCB committed themselves to support Jw Show Made in Kenya By Kenyans

It’ been tough to persuade sponsors to come on board  because people’s finances have been affected by the pandemic. But we are very grateful to Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) for believing in us. ~ Jw Show Founder Jeffrey Wilson 

Organizers of Jw Show were planning on bringing in three designers from Rwanda, Nigeria and South Africa, but the pandemic came in the way of it. and the plan has been pushed to next year were we will see international designers showcasing at The JW Show 2021 edition.

Photo credit : Mesmeric Kenya

Content courtesy of Nairobi Fashion Hub 

 

Fashioning with Waste: Turning Fast Fashion into an Opportunity in Africa

Posted on by Fashion Police

Human capital, embodied in the skills, talents, energy, aptitudes, creativity of the human race, has propelled the global north to the pinnacle of global competitiveness. Africa being the youngest continent, with 720 million young people, has a significant comparative advantage in harnessing this sovereign capital. This is a critical consideration for a continent that needs to create no less than 13 million jobs each year to be competitive. One of the areas that these jobs can come from is in the fashion industry.

Social Media Effects

With the advent of social media and the convenience of e-commerce, the popularity of the fashion industry in Africa is growing significantly. The largest segment of Africa’s e-commerce is fashion with a projected market value of $8 billion in 2020. The youth are the most significant source of this market. Studies show that in developing regions like Africa, fashion – specifically textile and clothing – is the second-largest sector after agriculture. This sector is dominated by informal sector actors and is documented as holding the potential to create jobs for millions of women and youth across the continent. Cumulatively, the market value of fashion in Africa is estimated to be $31 billion. With interest and a ready and growing market, the fashion industry in Africa stands out as an area where millions of jobs can be created for youth entering the labour market each year.

How Fast Fashion Impacts the Environment

As lucrative as it sounds, the impact of fast fashion on the environment is extreme. For example, to manufacture one pair of jeans takes close to 8,000 litres of water. This amount is equivalent to what a person drinks over seven years. A cotton shirt requires close to 3,000 litres of water to manufacture. Typically, within ten uses, these jeans and shirts are discarded. They end up contributing to the 21 billion tons of textiles sent to landfills each year. In addition, thousands of different chemicals are used to turn raw materials into clothes. The fashion industry produces 10% of global carbon emissions and consumes more energy than aviation and shipping combined.

Ripe Time for Sustainable and Climate Resilient Fashion in Africa

With increasing concerns surrounding the environmental impact of fast fashion, there is a greater push for the industry to adopt sustainable practices. A strategic shift towards sustainability is beckoning. Africa is already contributing to this push, but through circumstances, rather than by design. And this is through the second-hand clothes market. A staggering 80% of people in Africa wear second-hand clothes. While this market is fueled by unfortunate circumstances, with those looking for low-cost clothing unable to afford any better than second-hand imports, this contribution to sustainability in fashion qualifies as “re-use” in sustainability parlance. But the continent can do much better.

First, is through competitively marketing Africa’s traditional sustainable fashion practices. From bark cloth making in Uganda, to woven textiles of Nigeria and Ghana, traditional Berber weaving in North Africa, and beadwork from Maasai and Ndebele artisans in Kenya and Tanzania, sustainable fashion has been a part of the continent’s cultural heritage. These practices need to be prioritised in a new push to bring sustainable fashion to the mainstream of fashion on the continent. Yet another opportunity comes from recycling and reusing other inorganic waste generated in the continent. For example, even as the push to ban plastics is looked at from the dimension of reducing waste, another alternative can be in the form of reusing the 180 million tonnes of waste plastic bags and bottles to manufacture synthetic apparel like shoes and bags.

The fashion industry, being the second largest sector in Africa after agriculture, offers a timely opportunity for diversification of innovative climate action enterprises for African youth. Through this sector, willing youth can establish innovative climate action enterprises that will enhance their liquidity and ability to invest in other equally promising climate action enterprise areas like clean energy. Fashioning with waste as a resource is a hidden gold mine that needs to be explored.

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Photo courtesy of Business of Fashion

Content courtesy of International Policy Digest

The Folklore

Posted on by Fashion Tribe Influencer

The Folklore is a New York City-based multi-brand online concept store and wholesale showroom that allows U.S. based and international customers to easily shop exclusive styles from Africa and the diaspora’s top luxury and emerging fashion brands.

Shop clothing, accessories, shoes, jewelry, bags, hats, and homewares from top contemporary fashion brands including Andrea Iyamah, MaXhosa, Loza Maléombho, Orange Culture, Simon and Mary, and Pichulik.

Exclusivity and sustainability is key for The Folklore. Each season The Folklore carries very limited stock of each luxury item. The carefully curated high-end product-line reflects the diversity of Africa’s contemporary urban landscapes, minimalist design aesthetic, and artistic vibrancy.

Most of the fashion, accessories, and homewares available were handmade by local artisans based in South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Morocco, and Cote D’Ivoire.

In addition to operating as an online concept store, The Folklore also provides wholesale services to African designer brands interested in penetrating the global retail market. Our wide range of services help brands reach new audiences and significantly enhance profits. The Folklore works as an intermediary to facilitate positive and rewarding wholesale business relationships between brands and retailers.

The combination of goods and services provided by The Folklore helps enhance the visibility and financial success of Africa’s garment industry while exposing a global customer base to exclusive designers and styles, some of which were previously unavailable to shop online or outside of Africa until now.

Content courtesy of The Folklore & Nairobi fashion hub 

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