Tag: Fashion Store

Atlanta, Georgia — In a landmark event highlighting African innovation and entrepreneurship, President William Ruto officially opened Vivo Fashion Group’s first U.S. store at Atlanta Station Mall on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. This historic occasion marked a significant milestone for the Kenyan retail fashion giant as it expanded its footprint beyond Africa for the first time.

President Ruto, in his speech, celebrated the achievements of Vivo Fashion Group and its co-founder, Wandia Gichuru. “This is not just a win for Vivo, but for Kenya and Africa as a whole. It showcases the global potential of African brands and the entrepreneurial spirit that drives our continent forward,” he remarked. “The powerful story of Vivo Fashion Group demonstrates the impact of visionary enterprise and spotlights the role of women in leadership, business, and entrepreneurship.”

Wandia Gichuru, the CEO of Vivo Fashion Group, co-founded the company 13 years ago. President Ruto praised the company for its remarkable journey and growth, stating that it is now one of East Africa’s largest fashion brands. “The bold colors, striking patterns, vibrant textures, and meticulous designs that surround us reflect the diversity and rich history of Kenya and the African continent. Your designs beautifully merge traditional and modern African styles and symbolism,” Ruto added.

Vivo Fashion Group designs and manufactures all its products in Kenya and operates 25 outlets throughout the region, employing more than 380 individuals. Ruto also highlighted Vivo’s successful participation in the Nairobi Securities Exchange Ibuka Program. “Through the program, Vivo should find it easier to access various equity or debt capital markets to finance business growth and further development,” he stated.

The grand opening in Atlanta was a vibrant affair, attended by a diverse audience of dignitaries, business leaders, and fashion enthusiasts. The store’s entrance was adorned with Kenyan flags and vibrant African patterns, creating an atmosphere that paid homage to Vivo’s roots while embracing its new international chapter.

Wandia Gichuru expressed her gratitude and excitement at the event. “To see our brand, which started in my living room in Nairobi, now opening a store in Atlanta, is truly a dream come true. This moment is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and passion of our entire team and the support of our loyal customers,” Gichuru said, her voice filled with emotion.

Guests at the opening were treated to a showcase of Vivo’s latest collection, which seamlessly blends African style with contemporary fashion trends. The new store features a wide array of clothing and accessories, emphasizing Vivo’s commitment to quality, comfort, and affordability.

President Ruto’s state visit to the United States, at the invitation of U.S. President Joe Biden, is the first by a Kenyan president in two decades and the first by an African leader in 16 years. The President’s visit began at the Atlanta University Center and will continue in Washington, DC, where he is scheduled to meet with President Biden to discuss trade and security partnerships, including Kenya’s pledge to lead a multinational mission to restore order in Haiti.

The opening of the Vivo store in Atlanta is not just a business expansion; it symbolizes the breaking of barriers and the forging of new paths for African enterprises on the global stage. As Vivo Fashion Group continues to grow, it remains rooted in its mission to empower African women through fashion and to bring the vibrancy of African culture to the world.

Photos by Nesh Maina, Office of the First Lady, Republic of Kenya & NFH Digital Team

Africa Fashion The Journey To Success, African Creatives Shaping And Redefining The Global Fashion Landscape.

The red ground and blue-roofed homes are given a lovely glow as dawn breaks through Canchungo. Last winter, while bringing school supplies to the neighborhood kids, the stylist Wilow Diallo came discovered this community in the coastal area of Cacheu, Guinea-Bissau.
In addition to the vibrant color scheme, he was mesmerized by the residents’ unique sense of style and the sight of several generations gathered under the morinda trees.
He determined that this would be the ideal setting for a photo session exhibiting the “talent, innovation, and diverse perspectives of black creatives who are shaping and redefining the global fashion landscape.”

Africa has a population of more than 1.4 billion people, thousands of societies, and more than 2,000 languages; the borders between its 54 countries, as well as everywhere else, can hardly contain its multitudes.
According to Dr. Christine Checinska, the curator of the recent V&A exhibition Africa Design (now on display at the Brooklyn Museum through October this year), “The beauty of African fashion is that it is as varied as the continent itself.” “The aesthetic vocabulary of people is varied.

Global Africans have a respect for the skill that goes into creating a garment, print, or piece of weaving that has perhaps been lost in the global north. And there is a collective strength among designers, as they desire to enlist others in their quest for success.

The ways that black creatives incorporate African customs into their work particularly affect Diallo, who was reared in Senegal and now resides in Paris. He mentions the Cameroonian dancer and fashion designer Imane Ayissi, who transforms traditional Burkinabe woven fabric Faso Dan Fani into cocktail dresses and Ghanaian Kente fabric into cocoon coats. He cites the Nigerian company Emmy Kasbit, which is well-known for using fabrics from the Igboland region called Akwete, and Lagos Space Programme, winner of this year’s Woolmark Prize, whose collections feature lace and brocade motifs applied to clothing using the resist-dyeing method known as Adire, which has its roots in Yoruba culture.

Diallo, a Senegalese native who now calls Paris home, is particularly struck by the ways in which black artists incorporate African customs into their creations. He mentions the Cameroonian dancer and fashion designer Imane Ayissi, who creates cocoon jackets out of Ghanaian Kente fabric and cocktail dresses out of Faso Dan Fani, a traditional woven fabric from Burkina Faso.
He cites Lagos Space Programme, the winner of this year’s Woolmark Prize, whose collections feature lace and brocade motifs added to clothing using the resist-dye technique known as Adire, which has its roots in Yoruba culture, and the Nigerian brand Emmy Kasbit, which is renowned for its use of Akwete textiles from the Igboland region.

Thebe Magugu of South Africa is another. Magugu has collaborated with Dior on a capsule collection since becoming the first African to receive the LVMH Prize in 2019, and she reinvented a Valentino couture gown for Vogue.
These partnerships have been crucial for visibility. It gives visitors a familiar lens through which to view African fashion, he claims. “Bigger brands are becoming more respected.

The most successful partnerships benefit both parties.
Further explanation is provided by Adama Ndiaye, the Senegalese entrepreneur and creator of Adama Paris who organized Chanel’s Métiers d’art exhibition in Dakar last December.

“When a great luxury brand like Chanel comes to us with open arms asking to collaborate, it says that African fashion is at the top of its game,” she adds of the occasion that honored regional craftsmen and craftspeople.
“It was very successful. Africa is no longer seen as a continent that has to be “helped”; we now own our story and no one else does.
Twenty years ago, Ndiaye left her banking job in Paris to launch both her brand and Dakar Fashion Week. Back then, “nowhere was showcasing African fashion,” she explains. “We invited foreign designers from all over, including Moldova and Brazil, to learn about our culture and establish a platform for their work.

Now that there are so many talented African designers, we only pay attention to their work.
The exponential rise of Sub-Saharan Africa’s flourishing garment and footwear business, which is estimated to be worth $31 billion, is reflected in events like Dakar Fashion Week and Lagos Fashion Week, which debuted a decade ago.
Ndiaye claims that a major obstacle for designers is a lack of funding. She is currently attempting to establish a fund for up-and-coming designers.
In June, the same week that he reopened his worldwide internet store, Johannesburg faced power and water disruptions.
Magugu emphasizes the critical infrastructure changes that need to be implemented.

“The African fashion industry is being truthful about the harsh realities that exist here,” claims Magugu. We are no longer presenting this idealized business of African fashion, which I adore because it means we are dealing with reality.
The African Development Bank has recognized the creative industries, including fashion, as a sector with enormous potential growth as part of its objective to invest in high-growth industries and support women’s economic empowerment. Currently, only 1.9% of the world’s manufacturing takes place in Africa.

Although they may not be based in Africa, Diallo wanted to work with fashion designers whose roots provided them with a unique perspective.

When discussing the history of the African diaspora in London, Grace Wales Bonner draws on her Caribbean heritage and her understanding of black culture, while Priya Ahluwalia’s namesake label combines elements from the designer’s dual Indian-Nigerian heritage, as seen in her SS23 Africa is Limitless collection. In honor of Africa, “a vast wonderland of cultural innovation,” as the show notes put it, her research included vintage museum blankets from Tunisia, album covers from Côte d’Ivoire with exquisite Sapeurs and beadwork from Kenya and Rwanda.

Because of its constant emphasis on sustainability and preference for handcrafted or reused materials, like Emmy Kasbit, Ahluwalia shares a bond with African designers. Meanwhile, Diallo, Magugu, and Ndiaye all discuss how clothing is lovingly passed down from generation to generation in their own communities.

“Global African creatives build their collections in a more artistic way and they evolve,” claims Dr. Checinska. They are more thoughtful and not confined by the seasons. Sustainability is the starting point for many of them.

Focus is placed on people, resources, skills, and ultimately the earth, which promotes more ethical consumption.
She comes to the conclusion that the desire to build a sustainable fashion environment, as well as how they demand and exercise agency, are what truly unify African fashion creatives.

Milanca Figuereido, Angel Da Silva, Mari Seide, and Valentina Gomes are models.
Braima Djata is casting. Tânia Mário Gomes’s hair. Melissa Righi does makeup. Adam Storm, a photographer’s helper.
Assistant to the stylist, Jordan Renou Rohel. Paris, SW Studio for production

Content Courtesy of  Financial Times  FT & NFH