Thursday 24th of April 2025

Nairobi, Kenya

Tag: FashionWeek

Fashion Designers at New York Fashion Week Embrace Nature with Fresh Perspectives

Posted on by Fashion Tribe Influencer

As New York Fashion Week unfolds, several designers are taking inspiration from nature in a way that goes beyond the usual floral prints or botanical motifs often seen in spring collections. Labels such as Collina Strada, Libertine, Christian Siriano, Rachel Antonoff, and Susan Alexandra are showcasing an amplified connection to nature, highlighting flora, fauna, and the joy of natural surroundings in innovative and thought-provoking ways.

Collina Strada’s Spring 2025 show, led by creative director Hillary Taymour, stands out for its explicit connection to the environment. Held outdoors at Marble Cemetery in the East Village, models walked through grass wearing prints inspired by nature, with some playful touches like a lawn mower and a model carrying a dog. Taymour’s show notes revealed the inspiration behind this naturalistic presentation: “In the intensity of this global election year, I found myself yearning to reconnect with the essentials—the simple, foundational elements that ground us and bring us comfort and joy… Ground yourself. Touch grass.”

The sentiment of finding joy in nature was echoed by other designers throughout the week. Rachel Antonoff and Susan Alexandra teamed up to celebrate the unconditional happiness that animals, particularly dogs, bring into our lives. Their collaborative show was themed around a playful “Best in Show” concept, reminding attendees of the happiness and comfort that pets provide, whether inside or outside.

Libertine’s Johnson Hartig took a more localized approach, using his Spring 2025 runway to champion the preservation of the beloved Elizabeth Street Garden in Soho, which is under threat of closure. In an ode to the garden, models walked through pebbles while carrying gardening tools, with guests receiving flowers and seed packets—a reminder of the significance of preserving green spaces in urban environments.

Christian Siriano, known for his whimsical and theatrical designs, brought a dreamy, fantastical interpretation of nature to the runway. Inspired by fairy tales and folklore, his Spring 2025 collection featured bold, romantic pieces surrounded by lush greenery. “This season felt like falling into an evening fantasy dream, centered around the idea of dark, romantic glamour,” Siriano explained in his show notes. His collection balanced elements of power and elegance with an enchanting escape into nature, drawing on stories like *Hansel and Gretel* and *Rapunzel*.

Collectively, these designers are offering more than just fashion—they’re providing a reminder to reconnect with the natural world. Whether it’s through a runway enveloped in greenery or a nod to the simple pleasures of a garden, they’re urging us to step away from screens and back into the elements that nourish our souls.

Content Courtesy of  Fashionista & NFH Digital Team

The Parthenon Hall In Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, Hosted Swahili Fashion Week 2022, Showcasing Brilliant African Designers.

Posted on by Fashion Tribe Influencer

Over 50 fashion designers, largely from Swahili-speaking nations and beyond, descended on Tanzania’s port city of Dar es Salaam for the opening night of Swahili Fashion Week, the continent’s yearly fashion event.

The international fashion industry, as well as its clients, saw the fashion and accessory designers’ skills and originality on display.
“Models like me have a great opportunity thanks to Swahili Fashion Week.
Thank you for honoring me with an award tonight “As the 15th edition of the Swahili Fashion Week and Awards 2022 got underway over three days, Rio spoke after receiving a prestigious award.

The public voted for the winners of 29 fashion categories, and an auditing firm verified the results. Rio was one of the winners. “This is only the beginning of a long road leading to the fashion industry for me. I’m excited to take part in all fashion shows both domestically and overseas and win more accolades.”

The Swahili Fashion Week is a fantastic chance, especially for emerging designers to be able to present their work, according to Mboko Uswege, a young fashion designer who was taking part in the event for the first time.

The originator of the Swahili Fashion Week, Mustafa Hassanali, stated that the goal of the event is to inspire talented designers to use it as a launching pad into the fashion industry.

“Celebrating 15 years of Swahili Fashion Week,” according to Hassanali, has been the leading creative forum for designers from Swahili-speaking nations and beyond who present their collections to a global audience.

Kedmon Mapana, the executive secretary of the government-run National Arts Council, pleaded with people to support the fashion sector. “The local talent needs to be developed to become internationally renowned brand names.”

In 2008, renowned Pan-African designer Mustafa Hassanali of Tanzania founded and developed the platform known as Swahili Fashion Week.

The Swahili Fashion Week logo is a graphic representation of the African continent in reverse, called the kipepeo (the Swahili name for a vibrant, colorful butterfly)
The crisp models lend a glossy air to the “Fashion is Business” and “Made in Africa” ideals. The representation of Africa is similar to the face of an African woman wearing her distinctive head wrap.

The wings represent the direction that is intended to bring the international market of the Eastern African fashion industry.
With an eye toward becoming the most sought-after and favored fashion venue in Africa for the global market, Swahili Fashion Week

Content courtesy of Swahili Fashion Week & NFH 

African Fashion: Lagos Fashion Week 2022 Featured 5 Noteworthy Shows.

Posted on by Fashion Tribe Influencer

The fashion market in Africa is expanding significantly. Inspiring collections that highlight their brands’ aesthetics are released by designers in the continent’s major fashion hubs every season.

The African fashion industry is about to go worldwide, with events like Lagos Fashion Week, Glitz Fashion Week, Hub of Africa Fashion Week, and more. In Lagos Fashion Week, we observed models walking down the runway in outfits created by imaginative designers from all over the continent.
For three gloriously beautiful days, fashion enthusiasts from Nigeria and around the world gathered in Lagos, probably Africa’s largest fashion hub, to celebrate the continent’s industry and take in the new season’s collections from designers.

Lagos Fashion Week 2022 came to a thrilling conclusion with a premiere party, an after-party, public shows, and private ones.

Although some designers, including Dye Labs, Eki Kere, Sisiano, Iamisigo, Banke Kuku, Lagos Space Programme, Imad Eduso, and Andrea Iyamah, held private viewings off-site, the public exhibition of more than 30 established and up-and-coming designers were held at the Balmoral Hall of the Federal Palace Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos.

Long braids, bold eyeliner, heavy makeup, Afro hair, patched denim jackets and pants, corsets, long and short dresses, crop tops, cargo pants, high-soled boots, cliques of twos and threes, brightly colored hairstyles and piercings, and camera personnel peering through lenses for perfect shots were just a few of the eccentric looks we saw.

The runway promised a completely different experience from the street style and its immersed culture, as designers produced their best collections yet, including expertly designed suits, loose-fitting shirt dresses, classic textiles, knits, tasselled purses, and even hand-beaded apparel. I discussed the collections with some of the designers.

TJ Who
TJ Who eloquently spreads the gospel of luxury through their attire.
The company was established and is creatively driven by the outstanding Taju Ibrahim. Its approach is based on structures, minimalism, and astute comfort, giving its users a subtle sensation of strength.
They used textiles like cotton-bonded scuba, a blend of cotton, polyester, and viscose materials, to make jaw-dropping designs for their SS/23 collection. The stage included cuffed pants, divided sleeves, and subtle yet noticeable details in the threading.

According to Ibrahim, “this collection has been two years of experimental idea refining, rethinking, and revision, and this collection was us showing the world the number of designs we’ve diligently worked on over the years.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CWJVR1Lrh0l/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

We kept to our avant-garde, sci-fi, and ageless aesthetics with this collection, but we also discovered ways to incorporate our African roots and hand-embroidery techniques into them. They debuted in womenswear during this season.

Elie Kuame
The Ivory Coast-based Elie Kuame womenswear brand bears his name. After establishing the company in 2016, Kuame has continued to release clothing that is motivated by the love and encouragement he gets from the women in his life.
The majority of his creations are done by hand, and he gives each one a beautiful finishing touch while feeling a surge of love and joy. The designer has dressed royalty and graced the cover of the Ghanaian magazine Debonair Afrik.

The Elie Kuame brand’s SS/23 “This Is Couture” collection, which was inspired by African heritage, served as evidence that the continent was capable of producing much more. Models paraded wearing heavy, opulent clothing and traditional caps worn by queens. There were also visible details like hand beading, gold decorations, and indigenous materials.

“We aim to demonstrate through our roots that fashion is possible in Africa. All of the pieces were produced by hand and beaded, according to Kuame. “We want to use this collection to demonstrate that we can meet international standards as well,”

Jermaine Bleu
Based in Accra, Ghana, Jermaine Bleu is a rapidly expanding menswear and womenswear brand. In order to portray insightful tales about the African continent through the eyes of Africans, Jason Jermaine Asiedu started it in 2015. The brand has so far changed directions and graced the digital pages of publications like Teen Vogue and i-D.
The Jermaine Bleu brand returned to Lagos Fashion Week this year with the “Harmony” collection, which was motivated by duality, fluidity, and self-love. The collection is about crafting calming, peaceful narratives or travels.

According to Asiedu, this year, “we’re sharing stories about how we’ve been put in so many boxes by society that we forget who we are, and it drives us to tension, chaos, anxiety, and feelings we don’t even understand.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkbE2KvjwG2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

This is our way of advising folks to take a deep breath, relax, and not take themselves too seriously.
They interpreted this concept through tangible components like color explosions as well as a design methodology and fabric selection.

JZO
Joseph O. Ike and Olamide E. Akindeinde founded the Nigerian company JZO. The two are creating a new type of menswear company that adds a whimsical element to African design by utilizing their backgrounds and abilities. Pieces have a strong brand voice, which makes them easy to recognize.
They build, then dismantle before rebuilding.

The fabric selection is perfect, and the styling and silhouette are flawless, always current, and unmistakably noticeable. Their SS/23 collection, “Pan-The-On,” is inspired by ancient African deities.

“We haven’t created or illustrated any of our own African pantheons. What, really, are gods to us? Says Ike. “This is our interpretation of that tale or the first in a series of tales along those lines.
What would they resemble? In order to create this collection, the color scheme, drapings, shapes, and everything else were taken into consideration.

Rick Dusi
A high-end clothing brand called Rick Dusi creates minimalist silhouettes. Their selection of textiles and color schemes is solely focused on the kinds of narratives they hope to tell and the sources of inspiration.
The company, which was founded by Eromosele Patrick Eidusi, has styled celebrities like Tim Kubart, a two-time nominee for the Grammy Awards and one-time winner. It has also contributed to the creation of some of our favorite fashion events, like Lagos Fashion Week and GTBANK Fashion Weekend.

Rick Dusi looked into the depressing past of the creative director to produce a collection for SS/23 that was a symbol of hope and light. A few months before the collection emerged, the designer, who had recently lost his father, produced looks that were influenced by the event. These looks included brilliantly colored lipsticks, metallic and checkered textiles that glittered, glittering accessories and neckpieces, and bold cosmetics.

According to him, his collection was inspired by a dark past and a hopeful future. This is one of the explanations for my choice of sparkling colors. It serves as a reminder that we are not defined by the past but rather are looking forward to what is ahead.

Content courtesy of Mail Guardian & NFH 

African Fashion GAFW22: Highlights from Ghana’s 2022 Glitz Africa Fashion Week

Posted on by Oscar Alochi

The greatest fashion event in Ghana, Glitz Africa Fashion Week, celebrated its 10th edition from October 19 to October 23, 2022, and featured a range of events for the industry.

October. 19 – It began with an influencers’ brunch sponsored by Glitz Africa at the Treehouse in Nyaniba Market, Osu, where several social media influencers were in attendance. Influencers’ contributions to fashion’s originality and sustainability were discussed.

October. 20 – The next day, the Beauty Forum, which was hosted at The Under Bridge in East Legon, featured live cosmetics and hair demonstrations as well as an open discussion with speakers and visitors on beauty and aesthetics. The winner of the GHC 10,000.00 cash award in a creative beauty pitch competition organized in collaboration with Pitch Better Africa was Eyifah Beauty.

The following individuals spoke at the forum: Melody Owusu, founder of MelzBeauty Lashes, Mya James, CEO of Thrive 7 Wellness Corp., Mybritt Aidoo, owner of Beauty bar NLD, Asare Prince, makeup artist for Asare Prince Beauty, Akai Kotei, creator of beauty content, Vincentia Ocloo, founder of Viola Beauty, Emily Bodom, owner of Enhance by EB, Angela Attoh, of Fulfilled (Co-owner, Nuhair).
The hosts were Mami Gyamfua Yeboah, founder of Oh My Hair, and Andria Asare Adjei, founder of Kannis Beauty in the UK.

October. 21 – The Sustainable Fashion Show, which featured sustainable designs by designers like Hazza, Al Woman, Zakiyya Mahama, Amin, Kofi Maako, and Ajepomaa Gallery, was held the next day at the Nubuke Foundation.

October 22 – The Business of Fashion Seminar was held at the Grand Arena, Accra International Conference Centre. Three-panel discussions on brand marketing in the digital age were moderated by Chrystal Kwame-Aryee, a professional MC and broadcast journalist, and featured Stefania Manfreda (Founder, Lokko House), Daniel Sarpong (Global Sales Coach), and Owusu Marfo (Head of Uber Experience & Marketing, Hubtel).
With Helen Appiah-Ampofo (TV & Radio Broadcast Presenter) serving as the moderator, there was a second conversation with Deladem Ephraim-Etsey (Fashion Consultant) and Percy Nii Okine (Founder & Creative Director, N3D Studios) on the subject of “Digital fashion: is this the biggest trend?”

The third panel, which covered the subject of “Psychology of fashion – how to gain brand loyalty,” was moderated by journalist and TV host Dela Michel and featured Kwasi Kyei Darkwah MA, AVP (Media, Brands & Culture Expert), Mellisa C. Kpobi (Sales Strategist), and Elikem Kumordzie (Fashion Designer).

Kofi Adjei, the product manager for Hubtel, also had a Hubtel moment during which he instructed the in-attendance guests on how to utilize the Hubtel app.
Design Shark, Reeya Swim, Aviella et Mondroit, Clemas, Kwelaku, Elikem Kumordzie, Pills & Pozin, Moon By Me, Jants Collection Mades Luxury, Mariya Sanusi, Ejiro, Attoh Andoh, Sima Brew, Telvin Nwafor, Nyonuvi, Konye, and Ugo Monye were among the designers who displayed their collections at the main GAFW show.

Oct. 23 – The evening with Nigerian bespoke designer Atafo Official at The Lotte, Cantonment, where guests were treated to an exclusive presentation of his line, marked the conclusion of the event.

An after-party called Fashion Night Out took place at Front Back to cap off Glitz Africa Fashion Week 2022.

Content courtesy of Glitz Africa Fashion Week & NFH

African Fashion: Heineken Lagos Fashion Week Is Eventually Scheduled To Return In October 26th to October 30th 2022

Posted on by Oscar Alochi

The official dates for the return of Heineken Lagos Fashion Week are October 26th–30th 2022
This season, Lagos Fashion Week is renewing its focus with a sustained resolution to demonstrate dedication to funding, capacity building across retail and manufacturing, and navigating the circular economy and education.
This season, Lagos Fashion Week is renewing its focus with a sustained resolution to demonstrate dedication to funding, capacity building across retail and manufacturing, and navigating the circular economy and education. Collaboration, co-creation, and community remain the driving force.
The Lagos Fashion Week Swap Shop, Workshops for women-owned businesses with Sunlight Nigeria, FBS with Cross-Boundary, Runway shows (Onsite and Offsite), Presentations, and After Parties were among the events that kicked off this year’s jam-packed schedule at the Press Cocktail hosted at Art Hotel.

Lagos Fashion Week will adopt a hybrid model with both online and physical runway displays. Ajobi, Gto, Orire, BABAYO, Pepperrow, and more up-and-coming designers will be among those showcasing their new season’s collections, which will be seen by fashion buyers, customers, and media from all over the continent and beyond.
To witness the new season’s collections from up-and-coming designers like Ajobi, Gto, Orire, BABAYO, Pepperrow, and others, fashion buyers, customers, and media from all over the continent and beyond will reconnect. There will also be digital presentations showcasing up-and-coming designers from all around Africa as well as a special exhibition of the collections of the chosen designers.

Lagos Fashion Week has played a significant role in fostering impact-driven interactions with important stakeholders since its start. On October 27, Lagos Fashion Week, in partnership with Cross-boundary, will host a diverse panel of professionals who will come together for a private debate on financing the African fashion sector.
Lagos Fashion Week will present Swap in order to fulfill its ongoing commitment to promote fresh discussions and intellectual exchanges about sustainability in fashion in Nigeria and Africa.

During the weekend of October 27–29, shop at Global Fashion Exchange.
The Green Access finalists Adaora Soludo, Themba Paulos Shezi, Nneji Akunne, Lu Adesola, Kwaku Kyere, Akoth Otieno, Peter Oshobor, Peter Acha, Essrhir Scheherazade & Sipho Lushaba will walk the runway following months of rigorous seminars on circular processes for fashion design.

The runway presentations for Lagos Fashion Week will begin on October 27 and run through October 29 at Federal Palace Hotel at 6 p.m. Off-site exhibitions will run from October 27 through October 30.

We’ll soon disclose the ticket details.
Title sponsor Heineken and partners Bestseller Foundation, TECNO, Lush Hair, Sunlight Nigeria, Austrian Lace, MAC, and Lagos State are behind Lagos Fashion Week 2022. Style House Files produces Lagos Fashion Week only.

Media partners include Pulse, Okay Africa, Guardian Life, Business Day, BellaNaija Online, Bella Naija Style, BellaNaija Style, and Culture Custodian.

Campaign Photo Credits:
Photography: Stephen Tayo
Produced by: Style House Files
Hair: Lush Hair Nigeria
Makeup: Cass Koncept
Designers: This Is Us, Pepperrow, Ywande Lag, Emmy Kasbit
Jewellry: Shop Raenna, Raya Jewellery
Models: Beth Model Africa, Few Models

Content courtesy of Business Day , Industrie africa & NFH

DFW 2022 Themed “Celebrating Culture & Fabric Manipulation”: How Delight Fashion Week Unfolded at Delight Tailoring Fashion Design School In Nairobi

Posted on by Oscar Alochi

Delight Fashion Week (DFW) is one of the Kenyan biggest fashion events.
Held in October each year, the event celebrates emerging Kenyan fashion designers’ and models’ collections, showcasing them to the world, this year’s theme was “Celebrating Culture & Fabric Manipulation”
DFW is also a hotspot for celebrities, who are spotted attending runways for inspiration, the event was hosted by Azeezah Hashim and Co-Host  by Jemimah Nempiris
This year, October’s DFW ran from October 3 – 7. Receiving over 50k online mentions during the event, this year’s Delight  Fashion Week has been the most discussed since 2020. So, what got fans talking?

Designers & Models

A total of 60 students participated in Delight Fashion Week 2022, showcasing and modeling one item from each of their individual designs.
The list of student designers from Delight Fashion and Design Tailoring School who debuted their collection on October 7, 2022, below is the list of designers and models.

Delight Fashion Week 2022: Student’s Single Piece Presentation as per the categories.

Designers & Models Group A
1. Rose Alinda
2. Joyce Mwangi(Mudafa)
3. Stancey Norah
4. Juventer Awuor
5. Sharon Muriithi
6. Joy Nyaga
7. Janis Koki
8. Jheria Mohammed
9. Emelda Akinyi

Designers & Models Group B
1. Lucy Ndanu
2. Jeanette Nyapela
3. Stacy Agnes
4. Stecy Jane
5. Regina Wothaya
6. Sarafina Julius
7. Ashley Nereah
8. Sylvia Nduta

Designers & Models Group C
1. Moreen Oroma
2. Mercy Nga’ng’a
3. Teresia Kirika
4. Amy Mbinya
5. Rosemary Munguti
6. Oreu Nadupoi
7. Gladys Wambui
8. Cynthia Kimaiga

Designers & Models Group D
1. Grace Waithera
2. Celine Sangwa
3. Teckla Mukami
4. Keziah Githinji
5. Jacqueline Alivizda
6. Sephora Naruba
7. Mercy Wangoi
8. Grace Baraka

Designers & Models Group E
1. Sandra Kalama
2. Amina Arif
3. Trizah Akoth
4. Nyandeng’ Priscilla
5. Vicky Mumo
6. Elizabeth Adhieu Makuach
7. Jedina Nyarinda
8. Stella Amwayi

Designers & Models Group F
1. Lucy Ngolo
2. Nyibol Mary
3. Maggy Kibe
4. Maureen Akinyi
5. Sylvia Mwagongo
6. Joyce Chepkorir
7. Joyce Kinuthia
8. Risper Msembe
​​​​​​​
Designers & Models Group G
1. Richard Mwangi
2. Samuel Poisa
3. Peter Kariuki
4. Abdinoor
5. Sammy Finest
6. David Dimba
7. Jaebet Twite

Miriam Kanama talks about sustainable and eco-friendly fashion and “recycling”, The collection by Demitu Toje, Raissa Ipollo, and Brenda Lemama focused on East African culture.

Global cultures were the focus of Joyce Wanja and Brenda Mwendwa’s collection.

The Invited Guest Designers

Crocheted items are made by Stickning Creations, and pieces made of bamboo and bottle caps are made by Ottyman Arts (Dan).

The Celebrities Guests.

  1. Carol Ng’ang’a Founder and Creative at Crafts With Meaning.
  2. Ashok Sunny CEO and Founder at Ashok Sunny Tailored.
  3. Lucy Rao Founder and Creative Designer at Rialto Fashions.
  4. Mercy Wilson Director at JW Show.
  5. Brightstar Kasyoka CEO Of Star Tailored Designs.
  6. Bevern Oguk CEO and Creative Designer at BOGUK.
  7. Musa Oyoo Founder at Terra Models Management Mombasa.
  8. Royd Bosire Founder at Entrepreneur Fashion Week.
  9. Branice Mayienga Head of Membership Services at Kenya National Chamber Of Commerce & Industry.
  10. Purity Manga Director at Pureza Beauty PALOUR.
The Round-Up
As with most live events, such as Delight Fashion Week, there is always a lively discussion going on online.
Brands may benefit from providing coverage of live events in order to gain exposure in a widely publicized conversation.
Furthermore, influencer marketing is more popular than ever. Brands can increase the impact of their campaigns with a much larger audience by utilizing influencers who have an engaged fanbase.
Don’t miss out on the next Delight Fashion Week which will be held on 13th-19th October 2023 marked your calendar and stay tuned for more of the talents from Delight Tailoring Fashion Design School.

About Delight Tailoring Fashion & Design School
The Peak of Sartorial Excellence: Preparing the Next Generation of Elite Tailors, The highest standard for training tailors By educating aspiring tailors to the greatest standards possible, the School seeks to safeguard, promote, and expand the value of bespoke tailoring.
For those looking to get the advanced knowledge, expertise, and experience necessary for work in reputable tailoring companies throughout the world or to start their own businesses, the School offers a singular chance. Graduates of this program will be equipped with the knowledge and abilities necessary to find a satisfying job in the tailoring industry.

Additionally, the school provides group Master Classes and Professional Workshops, which are perfect for people looking to improve their tailoring abilities in specific areas.

The School’s curriculum emphasizes the ancient techniques of soft-structured hand-craft tailoring, as well as cutting and fitting in accordance with body shape for style, elegance, and comfort. It is provided by highly educated Master Tailors.
For inquiries, call us at +254 722 533 771.

Content courtesy of Delight Fashion Week & NFH 

Lagos Fashion Week And Africa Fashion Week Nigeria Make A Triumphant Return.

Posted on by Fashion Tribe Influencer

As two Nigerian powerhouses, Lagos Fashion Fair Exhibition and Africa Fashion Week Nigeria join forces to host their events together in September at the prestigious Eko Hotel and Suites on the 7th to the 9th of September, fashion lovers, designers, industry experts, and enthusiasts are in for a special treat.

Ayo Olugbade, CEO of Lagos Fashion Fair, and Princess Ronke Ademiluyi, founder of Africa Fashion Week Nigeria, have joined forces in this historic cooperation to jointly stage their events. This unprecedented collaboration is expected to transform the way that fashion shows are conducted in Nigeria. For their eighth edition, both brands are making a spectacular entrance.

The Lagos Fashion Fair Expo powered by Atlantic Exhibition seeks to provide the ideal platform for fashion enthusiasts to interact with fashion suppliers from throughout the nation.

The Lagos Fashion Fair will bring together fashion suppliers and merchants to develop new avenues of distribution for the industry.

In order to highlight the best of Nigeria’s and Africa’s up-and-coming creative design talent, Africa Fashion Week Nigeria was established as a sister event to Africa Fashion Week London, the largest festival of African fashion in the United Kingdom (UK).

This year’s event promises to be at the forefront of promotion of African indigenous textiles, colors, and design with the sole goal of exposing African creatives on a worldwide platform as African fashion continues to dominate the global fashion landscape.
The LFF and AFWN joint event this year will provide fashion consumers, industry experts, trendsetters, stylists, models, and designers with the opportunity to shop at discounted prices, forge business connections, and build networks with domestic and foreign firms.

Some of Nigeria’s top up-and-coming designers, including AdirestylesNG, Ego by Ego, Fashion by Ashani, HardleySeen,

Nivaldo Thierry from Mozambique, YawsCreations from The Gambia, and Hortense Mbea Afroplan from Ethiopia are among the designers joining us this year on the Pan African catwalk in addition to KaffyKreate, PnJofficial, Dushin Craft, and Max Chidera Official.

Additionally, adire workshops by Adire Oodua Textile Hub and celebrity designer Kunle Afolayan displaying his Kunle Kembe Adire line will be included during the three-day event, which will take place at the Eko Hotel from September 7 to 9.

Exciting attractions that have been thoughtfully packaged for the guests anticipated to congregate in Lagos for this year’s event are lined up to light up the fashion runway and exhibition.

Attendees at this year’s event will enjoy a series of non-stop fashion moments, including a masterclass session by serial entrepreneur Toyin Lawani, who will offer a refreshingly different fashion experience to all fashion lovers and enthusiasts yearning for a breath of fresh air in the Nigerian fashion space. The event also serves as a platform for emerging fashion designers to grow their businesses and connect with a global market.

Content courtesy of Business Day & NFH

Milan Fashion Week Returns in Full Swing With IRL Events

Posted on by Fashion Tribe Influencer

Camera Della Moda officially unveiled the rich schedule for September, which will see 173 appointments, 125 of which to be held in person.

MILAN — “Energy” was a recurrent word during the press conference Italy’s Camera Della Moda president Carlo Capasa hosted on Tuesday to officially present the Milan Fashion Week schedule.

Capasa particularly expressed his satisfaction over the return of physical events, which will account for 125 of the 173 appointments scheduled for show week, which will run from Sept. 21 to 27.

“We’re inverting the trend compared to the last couple of [mainly digital] editions, which is something that gives us a powerful injection of energy in this moment,” said Capasa.

The schedule features 42 IRL shows out of 65 in total. For instance, Roberto Cavalli, under the creative direction of Fausto Puglisi; Moncler, and Boss, the sister collection of Hugo Boss, are returning to the calendar and set to host physical events. For the first time, brands such as MM6 Maison Margiela, HUI, and Vitelli will stage runway shows in Milan.

Prada, Fendi, Giorgio Armani, Versace, Missoni, Salvatore Ferragamo, Marni, Max Mara, Jil Sander, Alberta Ferretti, Etro, and MSGM are among the established names slated to present their collections in-person, while Emilio Pucci, Dsquared2, Antonio Marras, GCDS, and Philipp Plein are some of the brands sticking to the digital format this season.

As reported, Gucci will head to Los Angeles to present its next collection on Nov. 2, coinciding with the LACMA Art+Film Gala taking place on Nov. 6, for which the fashion house is the founding and presenting sponsor. Yet the brand will host a special event dubbed “Vault” during Milan Fashion Week, the details of which are still under wraps.

Moschino and Bottega Veneta are missing from the Italian schedule as the former will showcase its women’s spring 2022 collection as part of New York Fashion Week, while the latter, after decamping to London and Berlin, will stage a show in Detroit on Oct. 21.

In addition to Gucci, other events on the Milanese calendar will include the “The Way We Are” exhibition marking the 40th anniversary of the creation of the Emporio Armani brand and to be staged at the Armani Silos venue, as well as cocktail parties celebrating the 20th anniversary of Pomellato’s “Nudo” collection, the 50-year career of Chiara Boni and the 60th anniversary of the Marcolin eyewear company.

As for the annual “Green Carpets Fashion Awards,” this year Camera Della Moda will forgo the event that traditionally wrapped the city’s fashion week in September. Having ended the collaboration with Livia Firth and the Eco-Age agency, the Italian fashion chamber will reprise the event next year under the new name, “CNMI Sustainable Fashion Awards.” More details will be unveiled on Sept. 22, when the organization will host an event, but Capasa said that the concept will remain the same and continue to acknowledge the work of those who stand out for their application of sustainability principles in fashion.

Shows at Milan Fashion Week will officially kick off on Sept. 22 with the We Are Made in Italy (Black Lives Matter in Italian Fashion Collective) digital presentation, offering five new talents who are people of color the chance to display their collections in a video filmed by Antonio Dikele DiStefano, the writer, and filmmaker behind the Netflix series “Zero.”

The Milan schedule will also mark the debut on the official calendar of labels including Colville, Andreadamo, Defiance by Nicola Bacchilega, Roberto Di Stefano, Iuri, Traffico, Radica Studio, and Airin Tribal, among others.

All physical events will be accessible upon the showing of the “Green Pass” as per the Italian government’s decision. The pass enables citizens to enter schools, bars, restaurants, cinemas, and other indoor venues by certifying they have been vaccinated, read negative to a test, or recovered from COVID-19 in the previous six months.

Capasa himself strongly appealed to everyone to get vaccinated as “this is the only weapon we have against the virus” and underscored the beneficial effects the vaccination campaign had on the economy since the Italian fashion industry’s sales significantly rebounded in the first half of 2021, registering a 24 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Projections for sales generated by the fashion industry and categories such as jewelry, beauty, and eyewear combined show 20.9 percent growth to 83.1 billion euros in 2021 compared to the 68.8 billion euros in 2020. In 2019, sales generated by those industries were 90.2 billion euros, so the positive projection elaborated by Camera Della Moda would still not mark a return to the pre-COVID-19 level.

“If the Christmas holiday season and relative sales will go well and this projection is confirmed, we would recover 15 billion euros out of the over 22.5 billion euros we lost last year. We wouldn’t make up for all the losses but we aim to recover the rest in 2022, if not even grow next year. I think there’s great attention on Italian fashion right now, and data on our export performance confirm this,” said Capasa.

Exports are expected to increase 24.5 percent to almost 70 billion euros by the end of 2021 compared to the previous year.

In the first five months of the year, exports of Italian fashion goods grew 27.6 percent. Top destinations included Switzerland, France, Germany as well as the U.S., and China, where exports were up 31.9 percent and 93.9 percent, respectively, compared to the same period last year.

As for Milan Fashion Week’s attendance, Capasa said that European and American buyers and members of the press are expected, while fashion operators from China won’t be present due to travel limitations.

The international appeal of the event will be boosted by many initiatives Camera Della Moda has included in the schedule.

These comprise the sixth edition of “Budapest Select,” spotlighting four Hungarian brands, and the first effort of the “Fashion Bridges” project it launched with South African institutions and South African Fashion Week earlier this year. Four former students of Polimoda were paired with young designers of the SAFW to develop capsule collections that will be unveiled during Milan Fashion Week, before traveling to Johannesburg Fashion Week at the end of October.

To further support young talents, the seventh edition of Milano Moda Graduate will showcase nine talents hailing from different Italian fashion schools, while emerging brands Amotea, Des Phemmes, Federico Cina, Froy, and Traffico will be promoted at Rinascente as part of the “Milano Fashionable Project” initiative developed by the retailer with Camera Della Moda.

Content courtesy of WWD & Nairobi fashion hub 

 

Founder of Pan-African Clothing Brand ‘BSR’ Advocates for Reverse Brain-drain to Develop Africa

Posted on by Fashion Police

Black Star Revolution, a fashion brand owned by US-based Ghanaian businessman, McAaron Keli Ketor-Tay has been officially launched in Ghana with a call on African leaders to spearhead an agenda to accelerate the continent’s development through reversed brain-drain.

Speaking in an interview with Lord Kweku Sekyi, Mr. Ketor-Tay, said, Africa’s renaissance must be backed by a comprehensive agenda to harness its own human capital to its own advantage rather than exporting scholars abroad.

He said Africa’s unfortunately negligible position in the world economy does not reflect the enormous resources at its disposal which encompass both material and manpower, adding that, foreign nations are rather tapping into African ingenuity at the expense of the continent itself.

Sharing the vision behind BSR, Mr. Ketor-Tay said he was inspired by Ghana’s founder and first president, Kwame Nkrumah, who led Africa’s first successful independence movement in 1957 and actively advocated for continental unity.

He said, akin to Marcus Garvey’s ‘Back-To-Africa’ movement, the Black Star brand signifies unity and harmony among all people of African heritage.

“It will be accomplished through knowledge, enterprise, and direct social impact projects in all African communities globally.”

Mr. Ketor-Tay said plans are underway for his company to venture into the sportswear business, which he will utilise to showcase African talents as well as unique designs to the rest of the world.

Prior to its launch, the Black Star Revolution movement, comprising a team of volunteers, embarked on a number of special charity projects in rural communities in the Greater Accra Region, including refurbishment works at Zenu Polyclinic in the Kpone Katamanso District.

Content courtesy of & Nairobi fashion hub 

Ananse Africa partners Mastercard Foundation, DHL to connect 1,000 African fashion designers, artists to global markets

Posted on by Fashion Tribe Influencer

Ananse Platform Simplifies Global And Local Transactions For African Designers, Artists, And Artisans

Africans are born storytellers, since the time of old. Ananse (/əˈnɑːnsi/) Africa is the meeting place for authentically African, independent brands to tell their stories.

Storytelling in African cultures has been a way of passing down traditions, keeping cultural practices, as well as maintaining a sense of community. The story of Ananse can be traced back to West African folklore from the Ashanti Region of Ghana. An ode to the origin, Ananse Africa is a digital platform for brands to tell their stories through our e-commerce marketplace.

Beautiful things, made by Africa, delivered globally. This is how best to summarize Ananse Africa, a startup eCommerce platform, launched today, in Johannesburg and Lagos, connecting African designers with local and international consumers. The platform showcases the rich and diverse

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tapestry of Africa’s creative talent and simplifies international eCommerce payments and logistics for creative entrepreneurs on the continent. Ananse has partnered with the Mastercard Foundation and logistics market leader DHL, to roll out the ‘most comprehensive, pan-African eCommerce platform’ to support creative entrepreneurs like fashion designers and artists to enable them to grow their businesses.

“The Mastercard Foundation partnership with Ananse will enable African fashion brands to sell over 1 million garments over the next three years with 75%   sourced from   African suppliers and 70% participation from women.

This will provide a significant boost to the creative economy sector, ” said Mastercard Foundation Country Head, Nigeria, Chidinma Lawanson.

This valuable business tool will enable artists, fashion designers, artisans, and small businesses along the fashion and art value chains, conduct trade and expand their businesses, leveraging the power of the internet in a cost-effective way.

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With countries around the world imposing COVID-19 restrictions on physical retail and international travel, consumers are increasingly switching to online shopping, resulting in a sizeable decrease in the revenues of small businesses like tailors and fashion designers.

“We are not only making it easy for consumers around the world to shop from fashion designers and artists across Africa but also making it straightforward for creatives to manage the payments and logistics functions necessary to complete an eCommerce order,” said the company’s founder Sam Mensah, a Ghanaian ex-Silicon Valley executive and fashion entrepreneur.

Ananse’s eCommerce and POS solutions are simplifying trading in both the physical and digital worlds for creative entrepreneurs in Africa. Ananse provides creative merchants with full support, including production training, quality assurance, online payments, order processing, and packaging.

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The technology solution aims to solve the key problems that prevent African fashion designers, artisans, and artists from being commercially viable and successful.

Speaking at the Ananse launch, Leendert van Delft, DHL Vice-President for Global eCommerce spoke of the company’s experience as the fashion retail and art industry’s leading global logistics partner. “For decades, we have pioneered solutions to meet the needs of artists, designers, retailers, and customers by making it our mission to provide these businesses with exceptional service that translates to a competitive edge.

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Through our collaboration with Ananse, we are delighted to offer fast and efficient international logistics solutions that have proven critical to countless startups over the years,” said van Delft. Furthermore, Ananse announced that it has also formed a strategic media partnership with Trace TV to promote the work of African fashion designers, artists, and artisans to its millions of viewers globally.

Curated content on ananse.com will enable shoppers to explore, get inspired, and enjoy the work of African fashion designers and artists in an engaging manner.

Content courtesy of Van Guard & Nairobi fashion hub 

 

With Traditional Fabrics, Nigerian Designers Fashion a New Aesthetic

Posted on by Fashion Tribe Influencer

Weaving contemporary designs into a traditional West African fabric, Nigerian Tsemaye Binitie is creating fashion he hopes can also bridge the gap between luxury and the everyday.

His material of choice is Aso-oke, a hand-woven cloth indigenous to the Yoruba people and historically used on special occasions.

Binitie, who cut his teeth as a design assistant with Stella McCartney in 2005, began using the fabric in 2017, and he infuses the yellow dresses that are his signature creations with cotton and silks to give them a post-modern feel.

“We started to use contemporary African art and culture within the threads of the collection so you see hints of it or very … obvious (signs),” said Binitie, who divides his time between Lagos and London.

“It’s sort of informed fabric, informed color, informed styling.”

Priced at between $300 and $4,000, his TB12 custom collection features Aso-oke – which means “top cloth” in Yoruba – in seven different shades.

“We are sort of preserving the culture, you know, that we’ve watched all our lives in front of us … and teaching the younger generation that it is something to be proud of, something to want to wear,” he told Reuters.

Fellow Lagos designer Lisa Folawiyo specializes in a different traditional cloth, the West African wax prints known as Ankara, and her hybrid collection, called Batkara, incorporates Batik designs embellished with needle-work beadings and sequin trimmings. “We have merged what is indigenous to us with what is familiar in the West and we’ve made it ours,” she said.

That same synthesis informs the aesthetic of Alara, a Lagos store dedicated to showcasing contemporary African fashion for the Nigerian and the diaspora markets. Its Head of Partnerships, Arinola Fagbemi, says more and more people are thinking about African luxury “in terms of how we live on a day-to-day basis … not just for celebratory moments.”

Content courtesy of Malaya Business Insight & Nairobi fashion hub 

Rising label LABRUM Weaves Untold Stories of West Africa into its Clothing

Posted on by Fashion Tribe Influencer

Community-focused designer Foday Dumbaya is bridging the gap between Britain and West Africa with his culture-blurring collections

Foday Dumbaya first became aware of fashion at an early age. “In Sierra Leone, when I was young, my dad was in the police force and always dressed immaculately. He had this great authoritarian military uniform,” the East London-based designer, who was raised between Sierra Leone, Cyprus, and London reveal.

“My mother loves to dress well too. She’s more extravagant and to this day wears traditional African dress coordinating colors, a headscarf, it’s a whole look,” he adds. When it came to his parents actually allowing him to go into fashion, however, things got a whole lot more tricky. “It wasn’t always on the table in my African home. My parents were determined I chose a more stable career – as immigrants themselves, they recognized we faced an uphill battle as it was.”

Instead of heading to fashion school, Dumbaya studied information design at university, going deep into the ways in which humans interact with computer interfaces. After an internship at tech powerhouse Siemens, he dipped his toe into fashion for the first time at Nike, where he created bespoke designs for the sportswear giant. “I’m largely self-taught but fashion isn’t so different (from information design),” he says. “I create stories within a fashion that humans respond to.” After his stint at Nike, he laid the foundations for his own label, LABRUM, with the intention of exploring both West African and British heritage, and bridging the gap between the two.

Past collections have seen Dumbaya look to Sierra Leonean capital Freetown, his grandmother, and the West African diaspora for inspiration, with classically tailored suits, clean indigo denim, and slick, functional sportswear-indebted pieces sitting alongside his own takes on the agbada and other traditional silhouettes. “A lot of our pieces are an amalgamation of cultures,” he explains. “We have British tailoring in the shirt, with the addition of ruffle sleeves, which is more traditionally West African attire.”

More recently, as part of his AW21 collection at London Fashion Week, LABRUM paid tribute to “the heroes of St. Giles Blackbirds” – a community of sailors, soldiers, and former slaves that came to England from Africa in the late 1700s and ended up living in poverty, shunned by society. “We wanted to tell the story of a group of people that were downtrodden and went against the efforts made to forget them,” Dumbaya explains. “It was important that we told it now because it’s a story of resilience and migration, which feels very poignant right now.”

Inspired by the stories of figures including writer and abolitionist Olaudah Equiano, who came to the UK after buying his freedom and fought for the abolishment of slavery, Dumbaya reworked and reimagined historic dress for 2021, enlisting Dazed editor-in-chief and longtime collaborator Ib Kamara to bring the offering to life on the runway. This saw trenches with dramatic ruffled panels matched with louche, wide-legged trousers, structured coats layered over tailored, printed suits, and new iterations of his signature balloon-sleeved Mamie Bakie shirt – named after his grandmother – all on the line-up for the new season, with 80 percent of the offering crafted from offcuts and salvaged fabric.

For Dumbaya, it’s not just about the clothes, though fostering and supporting a sense of community, as well as empowering a new generation of creatives, is high on the agenda, too. Having long worked with Hackney’s Wickers Charity, which supports and uplifts disadvantaged youths in Hackney, he also founded Sierra Leone running club Labrum Athletic. In addition to donating funds and equipment to the group, he also stepped in to create the Sierra Leone Olympics kit when some of the club’s members were chosen to represent the country in the postponed 2020 games.

Working in partnership with Converse, the designer is also attempting to open up the fashion industry to a wider, more diverse demographic. Having first linked up for a creative project and collaborative runway footwear, Dumbaya’s relationship with the legendary label has evolved into something a lot more expansive. As part of Converse’s All-Star program, LABRUM has been able to access mentorship and funding that has allowed Dumbaya to grow its brand and community significantly.

With many brands – both emerging and, more dismally, established relying on low or unpaid interns to support their businesses, those from lower economies have historically been locked out of fashion. In a bid to combat this, Converse has begun funding paid placements with its All-Star designers – allowing growing businesses to thrive and young talent who otherwise might not have been able to get their foot in the door to gain experience, knowledge, and guidance.

Ahead of the AW21 season, LABRUM was one of the labels that benefit from the initiative, with a number of interns and a studio manager joining its fold.

“(The interns) were an incredible support,” says Dumbaya. “Each of them brings different experiences and energy to the team, and I really valued their input. We’re developing a platform where there is knowledge sharing between West Africa and the West – and especially London. We want the people interning to share their knowledge too.”

With Dumbaya intent on telling new stories and merging the borders of West Africa and Britain as the label grows, he’s determined to also keep the door open for the creative new gen. ”Nurturing talent is so important to me. LABRUM will continue to create and support communities linking back to Sierra Leone and London, as this is so much more important than simply designing clothes. If we’ve learned anything from the pandemic, it’s that we all need to think about each other more.”

Content courtesy of Dazed Digital & Nairobi fashion hub 

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