African Fashion Weeks

Fashion Weeks have been around in the West for as long as one can remember! People within the fashion industry eagerly wait for the big moment, while most people on the outside wonder what the hype is all about!

A fashion week is a fashion industry event which usually lasts for a few days, normally less than a week, wherein fashion designers or fashion brands display their latest collections to prospective buyers, general admirers and of course the media.

Let’s just say it’s an ‘exhibition’ or the ‘trade fair’ for the fashion world. It showcases the latest trends, talent, and above all provides opportunity for fashion designers to get noticed! These events influence the trends for that particular season or year in the fashion industry.

In Africa, Fashion Weeks go beyond only fashion. It’s a cultural event with power, voice and influence. With the advent of the South African Fashion Week (the oldest fashion week in Africa) in 1997 by Lucilla Booyzen, fashion weeks have since become the driving force behind fashion in Africa.

Lagos Fashion Week arguably being one of the biggest since its inception, has brought together buyers, consumers and the media to create a massive platform for young creative minds to thrive whilst training budding artisans and supporting every step of the value chain.

Now we know fashion weeks are really beautiful events that gives a platform for the striving brand to be heard and known. But is it all about clothing? After all, fashion isn’t clothing alone. Swahili Fashion Week for example, gives fashion accessory designers a platform to showcase their brands. So why can’t the other fashion weeks emulate it? Swahili Fashion Week, owned by Mustafa Hassanali of Tanzania remains the biggest and largest annual fashion event in the whole of East and Central Africa. It has all Swahili speaking countries and beyond, participating in order to showcase their talent, market, and creativity while networking with clients and the international fashion industry. The concept was created in 2008 to emphasize to the region that fashion is an income generating creative industry, while aggressively promoting a Made in Africa concept.

Promoting the Made in Africa concept is not something that can be done by only one man. Nor is it something to be ignored because the younger generation of upper middle class Africans are gradually losing touch with their heritage. They need to be shown the beauty in their homeland Africa.

To promote the Made in Africa concept and announce to the world the great beauty of the African continent, the organizers of various Fashion Weeks across the different countries of Africa could join forces with the other players of the fashion and beauty industry, outside of fashion designing. Industries such as the skin care industry, hair care industry, fragrance and perfumes industry, color cosmetics industry etc. are all part of the African fashion world and therefore should be made an integral part of the fashion weeks.

 Since fashion weeks are the most effective retail platform in the fashion industry that brings retailers, designers and consumers to a common platform, it is of utmost importance for all other stakeholders of the fashion industry to effectively participate in them.

In today’s global village where everything is digitized, and the gap between the ‘seeing’ and ‘buying’ has been brought closer through trending social media, a fashion week is the perfect opportunity to connect with an audience and make customers.

It can be a platform for both big and small brands to be launched and be more accessible. With women’s fashion being more dynamic than men’s fashion in Africa and more females contributing to this vast pool of retailers, the fashion weeks are actually a great income generating opportunity for women in Africa.

Apart from showcasing to consumers and retailers, fashion weeks also showcase their products to the media. Photographers, videographers, social media professionals, fashionistas, fashion influencers like bloggers all help to spread the word. So as a participant, you get into the spotlight and connect with possible promoters and distributors.

 Even though the initial concept of fashion weeks was to present the designers’ collections to fashion editors and potential buyers, now the scope has become much larger.

If you are a lover of African fashion and beauty, here are the reasons why you need to actively promote the development of fashion weeks in your country:

1. Generate sales leads for designer clothes, fashion accessories, skin care items, hair care items, color cosmetics etc.

2. Build business relationships that take you beyond your state or your country, to another continent perhaps!

3. Get you the latest trend and dynamics of the global fashion industry and thereby increase your personal awareness of possibilities.

4. Locate potential investors who can transform you from a regional player or a national player to an international player!

Now you agree with me that it’s just perfect!

It’s is the best bet to stand out and make a name for your brand in the ever increasing competition in the fashion and beauty world.

 Looking forward to the Swahili Fashion Week, Soweto Fashion Week, Lagos Fashion Week, South African Fashion Week getting into the big league!

New York, Milan, London and Paris, here we come!