Summer 2023: Passion, heritage, and community

As the Summer season draws to a close, I’ve been reflecting on some of the fun highs. It’s been quite a full-on one… Let’s go! ???

July

The UK Black Business Entrepreneurship Conference: July started with the second edition of The UK Black Business Entrepreneurs Conference . A jam-packed day full of discussions on the barriers facing Black founders and entrepreneurs in the UK and insights into the strategies to overcome these hurdles.

I spent the day supporting the event organising team with logistical event tasks i.e. shuffling speakers from the media room to the conference centre and being on hand for ad-hoc tasks that usually crop up at conference events.?

It was great meeting Eric D. Collins , Founder of Impact X Capital Partners LLP following his session on the importance of investing in underrepresented founders and how these investments can help erode societal inequalities and economic disparities. His book 'We Don't Need Permission: How black business can change our world' delves deeper into this topic area and I’m glad I grabbed my signed copy.?

Milltown Partners x We Are Black Journos : My organisation, Milltown collaborated with the wonderful We Are Black Journos team to host a session for journalists and media professionals on how to strengthen relationships with PR agencies.?

Hannah Ajala, Founder of We Are Black Journos kicked off the event with opening remarks and shared some insights into how utilising PR/personal branding has supported her career growth as a journalist. Following that, we had a segment from Nicola Millington, Founder of FP Comms on her journey in PR and the importance of building legacy businesses founded on solid values.

Maria Bradford / Shwen Shwen x Fortnum and Mason: This event ignited all my foodie senses… Fine dining with Sierra Leonean/Afro-Fusion flavours? Yes, yes and yes again. Absolutely loved this evening and meeting the head chef for the night, Maria Bradford. The evening was a real teleportation to the heart of Sierra Leonean food culture. It made me appreciate old-school culinary traditions and the beauty of gatherings with like-minded people. If you aren’t aware, earlier this year Fortnum and Mason opened their 3rd-floor food and drink studio - a space dedicated to hosting extraordinary food and drink experiences through masterclasses and intimate dining events. It certainly didn’t disappoint. Maria’s debut book, Sweet Salone is out now, live and ready to purchase - so do grab a copy if you’d like to recreate this magic in your own kitchen! [cc: Hatty Cary ]

August

Labrum London x Guinness Nigeria Summer Capsule Launch: Jumping from food to fashion, the Labrum London x Guinness summer capsule launch was a blast. Guinness partnered with trailblazing British fashion brand Labrum to launch a limited-edition summer capsule collection to pay homage to the joyful communion the UK shares with those who have emigrated from Sierra Leone, Western Africa.

I met two creative talents that I’ve admired from a distance for a while: British Nigerian artist Yinka Ilori and co-founder of GUAP magazine, Ibrahim Kamara. It was a great night!

The collection is now available to purchase on labrumlondon.com.?

The Fashion Souk - London: Probably one of the best pop-ups I’ve attended in a while? The Fashion Souk was a two-day weekend event at 117-120 Piccadilly, featuring Nigeria's most creative fashion and beauty entrepreneurs. It was a true fashionista and shoppers delight (although quite the temptation in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, but I digress…)

I fell in love with all the bright prints, colours and garments across the three floors filled with stalls of agbada pieces, oversized shirts, asoebi material and iro and buba sets. One for the books. ????

[cc: Yewande Zaccheaus , Fisayo Beecroft , EVENTFULNIGERIA , Eventful Nigeria , Mobos Fashion , MOBOS FASHION , Omobowale Afilaka-Biobaku , Ayotomi Rotimi ]