African talent on global stage
Fashion week can propel designers to stardom, writes Nontando Mposo
ACOMBINATION of established and emerging designers are set to take part in the African Fashion International (AFI) Cape Town Fashion Week (AFICFW).
The event will happen in two parts: Wednesday is a private showcase by renowned designer Gavin Rajah, Thursday offers an interesting selection of the business fashion, hair and beauty masterclasses by industry experts at the newly revamped The Ritz Hotel, and Friday and Saturday will be the runway shows at the Salt River Studios.
The theme for this year’s Cape Town Fashion Week is #IamAfrica, AFI’s calling summed up in one concise hashtag – to celebrate and showcase exceptional African creative talent on a global stage.
The theme is illustrated fashion film featuring jewellery designer Adele Dejak, which was filmed in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.This will be the first season where a jewellery designer will be showcasing.
The show schedule includes a diverse offering of African designers from Accra, Cape Town, Casablanca, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Kinshasa, Lagos, Nairobi, Port Elizabeth, and Joburg.
I asked Dr Precious MoloiMotsepe, pictured, the founder and executive chairman of African Fashion International, what to expect for this season. What exciting new editions should we look out for?
We have a wonderful line-up with the mixture of the designers we have worked with in the past, such as David Tlale, Laduma by Maxhosa, Gavin Rajah and Khosi Nkosi, Leigh Schubert, Orapeleng Modutle Style Avenue SA. We also have a host of new designers from the continent to be excited about, who will showcase for the first time on our platform.
For the first time, the AFI platform will show a jewellery and accessory designer, Adele Dejak, from Kenya. Her designs are handcrafted, luxury fashion accessories – inspired by Africa, its tradition of adornment and its immense cultural heritage.
Other designers to look out for are Princess Bertha Logan-Owusu from Ghana (Lumiere Couture), Salima Abdel Wahab from Morocco, Sarah Diouf (Tongoro) from Senegal, Kahindo, from DRC and two South Africans, Nicola West (W35T) from Cape Town and Diana Tadjuideen (Diane Paris) from Joburg. For the first time fashion week has a theme #IAMAFRICA with a fully shot campaign in Kenya. What brought this about and what does the theme mean?
The theme #IAMAFRICA means to fully own our identity as Africans. Our identity is what helps us navigate the world. The world will love and appreciate who we are only if we do so ourselves.
In just over a decade, AFI has built a thriving fashion marketing, retail and development platform that celebrates the creativity and craftsmanship of our continent, shining a light on African luxury fashion aesthetics, in all their originality, heritage and style.
In all this #IAMAFRICA, is AFI’s call summed up in one concise theme which is to celebrate and showcase exceptional African creative talent on a global stage.
The video shot that was taken in Kenya encompasses what the #IAMAFRICA theme is all about. It beautifully shows the element of history, the struggles, the strength and the victory of African people. It also shows the breathtaking view of Kenya Hell’s Gate National Park.
The theme #IAMAFRICA and the campaign shot also show that AFI Cape Town Fashion Week is trying to move away from fashion being merely clothing but adornment, hence the accessories designer who will be part of the fashion week. Fashion weeks often come with a misconception that they are events for and attended by the fashion elite. How does AFI ensure that it reaches and educates a wider audience. Is this why there will be a series of fashion-related talks during the week?
Historically, all over the world fashion week was attended by magazine and newspaper fashion editors as well as buyers from big retail stores. The fashion shows would then be filtered down to consumers who would only be able to buy clothes seen on the ramp in 6 –12 months.
We started inviting celebrities and consumers of fashion in order to influence the market and buying patterns.
We reach a wide audience by inviting different constituencies, eg business, government (especially trade and industry, small business, etc), ordinary consumers and influencers.
We still invite mainstream media and use strong media platforms to reach those who are not able to join fashion week. We also reserve tickets for fashion students as part of our development programme.
Fashion week is a strong marketing platform where many designers get propelled to stardom through media coverage and engagement with consumers. It is also a platform where designers’ collections are bought by retail buyers and consumers.
The series of talks which we call masterclasses are part of shifting the narrative. We are dedicated to educating people about the industry. The series is set to have interactive discussions and demonstrations by industry experts on the latest trends in the world of fashion and help young fashion designers to realise their potential in the competitive industry. It will help them to understand the commercial and the business world of fashion. March 21 to March 24. The Ritz Hotel For the full designer and masterclass schedule visit www.africanfashioninternational.com
@africanfashioninternational Instagram: @afi_sa Twitter: @ AFI_sa Hashtags: #AFICTFW, #IAMAFRICA