African fashion shows

I know I’ve mentioned a couple of upcoming African designers in previous posts (see “African Fashion Designers”) and they by no means cover the sheer number of talented individuals out there. 

What you might have been left asking is how people know about or find them.

And the answer is..........at various fashion shows all over the continent.

So you’ve all heard of New York Fashion Week (if you haven’t , start doing the walk of shame right now!), Paris Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week and London Fashion Week (actually, the term “Fashion Week” tends to refer to those four weeks consecutively) and possibly even Sao Paulo Fashion Week (don’t worry, you’re forgiven for not knowing that one)

Well, what’s the equivalent for Africa?

First off is the Arise Magazine Fashion week which was held in Lagos on 11^th to 13^th March. It brought together 50 top African Designers.  Five lucky designers  will then get to showcase their collections at the Arise Magazine Fashion Gala in New York on September 14^th during New York Fashion week.

So if you’re lucky enough to be there, keep an eye out for Kluk CGDT (Malcolm Kluk and Christiaan Du Toit) the South African brand which won the Arise Magazine Fashion Week 2011 Designer of the Year award, Nigerian born Bunmi Koko and Tsemaye Binitie, Jewel by Lisa (another Nigerian brand) and Pierre-Antoine Veterello, the Belgian/Ghanaian designer.

Then there’s Johannesburg Fashion Week. This year it was held from 15^th to 19^th February. This event focuses primarily on South African designers with the likes of David Tlale (who this year showed no less than 92 designs all in some way linked to Nelson Mandela’s life!), Loin Cloth & Ashes (I love that name! Also, the brand is an anomaly in that the designer, Anisa Mpungwe, is Tanzanian born and not South African) and Grapevine.

Africa Fashion Week New York is a luxury multi-day event that showcases African designers to a 2000+ strong audience (just in case you haven't figured it out - yes, in New York). It includes runway shows, vendor exhibitions and industry networking events. This year it will be held between 14^th and 16^th July.

For all you UK based Fashion Sistas – have no fear, Africa Fashion Week London is debuting 5th and 6th August 2011 at the Gibson Hall, 13 Bishopsgate London EC2N and will feature no less than 200 UK and African designers. Definitely a must see!

And those are just some of the big ones, there’s also Swahili Fashion Week, Rwanda Fashion Week just to name a few. 

If you know of any particular shows that you feel are really great for showcasing African design please let me know!