5 MINUTES WITH ORODE IMEVBORE
The programme will impact creative skills, business acumen and life changing mentoring to selected designers. In addition to this, these designers will be given grants with conditions attached to ensure funds are properly spent to build their businesses. Funds will also come with a banking mentor and a brand accelerator.
COORDINATOR ARISE FASHION MANAGEMENT AND MENTORING PROGRAM
Orode Imevbore is the Lead Consultant of Direct Impact Consulting. She is also the Coordinator of Arise Fashion Management and Mentoring program. To give an added edge to designers, Arise Fashion Week decided to raise the bar in terms of development and growth. Not only has AFW given the designers who participated this year, ample presence on the global stage, AFMM is going a step further to financially empower some of them. The selected designers will be chosen based on being a Nigerianbased brand. It will pay a pertinent role in the growth of such recipients. AFMM has been developed as an initiative to propel designers to raise the standard in their aesthetic, execution, quality and finish of their garments. Orode explains how the program works.
Can you enlighten us on the Arise Fashion Management and Mentoring program?
The Arise Fashion Management and Mentoring Programme, an initiative of Arise Fashion/ THISDAY Newspaper is a platform to support indigenous African Fashion designers.
It is designed to grow Africa’s next generation of global brands providing a fantastic growth opportunity of a lifetime for upcoming designers.
The programme will impact creative skills, business acumen and life changing mentoring to selected designers. In addition to this, these designers will be given grants with conditions attached to ensure funds are properly spent to build their businesses. Funds will also come with a banking mentor and a brand accelerator.
What banks are partnering with Arise Fashion Week on this venture?
Access Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank and Zenith Bank are our banking partners on the programme. They will provide funding and banking mentoring.
We also have Financial Derivatives Company, LBS and FSDH providing us with resource people, training and advisory services for the programme.
What incited this step to be taken with Arise Fashion Week?
THISDAY/ Arise has a long tradition of promoting and supporting Africa’s Fashion industry and it’s players. It’s Arise Fashion Week has always attracted keen international interest and has played a significant role in putting African designers on the international center stage. This initiative is another platform following in that tradition. Arise has taken things to the next level with this programme in seeking to ensure that African designers are adequately empowered and positioned to compete internationally.
How does the program work?
The AFMMP will give designers the opportunity to hone in their creative and business skills through a series of professional high impact training and mentoring sessions that will teach them all they need to know about running successful fashion brands. They will also in the course of these sessions be required to start and finish a business plan which will form the basis for expenditure after they have received the grants.
How do participating designers become eligible for the programme?
Designers will be selected from those who participated in the Arise Fashion Week. Organizers will be inviting designers based on their fashion creativity, high quality finishing of their garments and overall execution.
How much is this seed money?
Designers that can successfully defend their business plans will receive 10million Naira each.
Designers will be required to open accounts in the designated banks. Funds will be given on a very low interest basis and will be closely monitored by the banking partners to ensure that they make the desired impact on the businesses. Business plans will be presented in the course of the programme and approved by our resource people while banking mentors will supervise expenditure. Funds allocated to each designer will be expected to fund the business plans.
Will there be a supervisory body to ensure the money is being used properly?
The banking mentor will be largely responsible for ensuring money is judiciously spent.
What do the designers need to do to make them eligible for this investment?
Participation in the Arise Fashion Week is the first step and then the creativity of their designs and the drive to move to the next level in their careers is another essential precondition because this will drive them to crest and execute work that is presentable anywhere in the world. These are the kind.s..ocfodnestignnueerds tfhraotmwilllabset iwnveitekd to join the AFMMP.
Is the program a one-off venture?
It is an ongoing programme which Arise plans to sustain.
What effect do you think this will have on Arise Fashion Week long term?
It will certainly attract more designers to participate in the Arise Fashion Week and definitely impact on the quality of the designers output. The knowledge that they have the opportunity not just to display their creativity but also attract much needed funding is additional motivation for designers to put their best foot forward.
What did you think of the recent Arise Fashion Week a few days ago?
It exceeded expectation especially in terms of exposing African designers to the world. The results of thus exposure is already being felt by the designers. A number of models have been chosen by international scouts, and also some designers, to participate in other very visible international fashion projects.