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#MBFWJ17: Highlights from Fashion Week
African Fashion International (AFI) held its Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at the Mall of Africa, from 17-19 August, to launch its Spring/Summer ‘17 collections on the runway, putting African excellence under the international spotlight.
Fabiani Womenswear
Some of the highlights from the shows and installations included 44 designers from South Africa, Senegal, Nigeria and Kenya.
AFI Privé, an in-house brand, employed two previous AFI Fastrack finalists as its design team and launched a ready-to-wear Spring/Summer collection that was well received. The AFI Privé brand will be available at the Mall of Africa, in a beautifully curated pop-up store in the Crystal Court.
Fabiani’s first foray into womenswear included a range of dresses in royal blue, black and gold. Ruff Tung debuted its Inclusive Collection, a range designed for women of all sizes, from 32-42.
Launch of Xperience AFI
Another first was Xperience AFI (XAFI), a three-day fashion and lifestyle festival held in a parking bay at the Mall of Africa. XAFI gave fashion-savvy millennials a unique space to enjoy all the thrills of Fashion Week, while expressing their individuality through fashion. The Threaded Man, a social media and fashion platform, was invited to consult and work with the AFI team in curating XAFI.
Along with a live-stream of the Fashion Week catwalk and local entertainment, XAFI-goers enjoyed a live showcase of collections from nine talented African designers, including Swanker, Innani, La Familia and OhYesLord. Those who could not attend can check out the hashtag, #RootedinStyle on Instagram and Twitter.
Swanker
Trending Masterclass session
The Fashion Week experience also included an AFI Africa Trending Masterclass session, which took place on Saturday 19 August 2017, and was attended by over 85 industry stakeholders. The Masterclass shed light on the latest trends in fashion and retail across Africa, represented by trend analyst, cultural strategist and ‘Africanist’, Nicola Cooper, as well as Dave Nemeth, owner at Trend Forward and one of South Africa’s top creative influencers. The Masterclass offered valuable insight into the world of trends, how they come to be and the impact they have on customer experience.
CEO nominated for fashion award
While AFI celebrated its 10-year anniversary, and the conclusion of a 6-year partnership with title sponsor Mercedes-Benz South Africa, the announcement that CEO and founder of AFI, Dr Moloi-Motsepe, had been nominated for the Fashion 4 Development Franca Sozzani Award was an affirmation that African fashion is moving in the right direction.
The international award, commemorating the late Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Italia, Franca Sozzani, will be held in New York in September, during the United Nations General Assembly. Dr Moloi-Motsepe was nominated for her efforts in connecting, creating and promoting African fashion designers and opening up new avenues for disadvantaged women.
“I am honoured to receive the award on behalf of all the designers, producers, fashion journalists, models and other stakeholders who have been part of our journey in taking African fashion to a global arena. I hold Franca Sozzani in high esteem for her work in the fashion industry, in particular her work in profiling African designers and her passion for our continent’s creatives. With this award, I hope to work with others to further propel African Fashion and make it globally relevant and commercially successful,” says Moloi-Motsepe.
Supporting Women’s Month
Dr Moloi-Motsepe, a supporter of women and women’s rights, leveraged the fashion platform to create an inclusive campaign in recognition of Women’s Month. She invited iconic, celebrated men and women in business, sports, and media to walk the ramp in T-shirts bearing the award-winning author’s, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie essay, ‘We Should All Be Feminists.’
AFI excited crowds with this call to action, with South African personalities Thuli Madonsela, Phuti Mahanyele, Philisiwe Buthelezi, Boity Thulo, Ayanda Thabethe, Thembi Seete and football stars Anthony Laffor, Zakri and others.
“With the privilege of owing a platform like AFI, comes the responsibility to use the platform to send meaningful messages and uplift the woman who work towards propelling the fashion industry in Africa,” concludes Moloi-Motsepe.
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