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R EP ORTAGE<br />
There is need to<br />
establish fashion training<br />
Academies<br />
- Ronke Ademiluyi<br />
By - Yemisi Suleiman<br />
Creative Director: Nelly Mesik<br />
Photography: Aham Ibeleme<br />
Makeup: Zaron Cosmetics<br />
Fuelled by desire to provide adequate retail space and start-up funds<br />
for emerging designers and a quest to bridge the gap between African<br />
fashion and the West, Princess Ronke Ademiluyi founded Africa<br />
Fashion Week London (AFWL) six years ago. The show, held in London<br />
every year, has gained global recognition and has become the<br />
unparalleled platform for UK and non-UK designers to showcase in<br />
London. The success of AFWL gave birth to Africa Fashion Week Nigeria<br />
(AFWN) in 2014.<br />
For Ronke and her team, it was time to take her passion and vision<br />
of discovering talents to her roots. Three years after, the graduate of<br />
Law from Thames Valley University, London, with her brand, has successfully<br />
continued on her mission to giving African fashion a global<br />
voice as well as giving opportunities to designers, models, textile and<br />
fabric makers and more to excel...<br />
With the third edition of the Africa<br />
Fashion Week<br />
Nigeria(AFWN),the biggest<br />
catwalk show for emerging designers in<br />
Nigeria and Africa, set to hold from July<br />
1-3, 2016 at the EkoHotels & Suites, we<br />
spoke with the brains behind the success of<br />
theannual event which has grownto<br />
becomethe most outstanding platform<br />
that celebrates and showcasesthe best of<br />
Africa’s creativity.<br />
This is the third year for AFWN. How has the<br />
show changed from the first year?<br />
This is actually the sixth year of Africa Fashion<br />
Week London as the maiden edition was in August<br />
2011 and the third year of Africa Fashion Week<br />
Nigeria; the maiden edition was in May 2014. For<br />
Nigeria, the venue has always been Eko Hotel just<br />
as in London, now, we have finally settled down at<br />
the London Olympia.<br />
In terms of change, I can assure you that the<br />
platform has matured. We are fast becoming a<br />
household name, both in London and in Nigeria.<br />
We are also fast becoming sponsors’ favourite,<br />
a great platform for organisations to partner with<br />
for their CSR initiatives - as we are all about<br />
empowerment, driving awareness to emergent<br />
fashion design talents and turning them into<br />
entrepreneurs.<br />
Our platform, both in London and in Nigeria,<br />
has launched and sustained over 400 careers in<br />
fashion. We are fast gaining recognition by the<br />
governments of African countries as well. Last<br />
year, we had the Government of South Africa<br />
sponsor more than 20 designers from the Kwa-<br />
Zulu Natal Fashion Design Council to showcase<br />
at AFWL. This happened because they saw that<br />
we are a platform that can offer international<br />
networking to their designers whom they are<br />
promoting.<br />
What’s on for this year?<br />
This year, we have upped the game a lot<br />
more by including a fashion business symposium,<br />
where true entrepreneurs are going to highlight<br />
the business potentials within fashion. The theme<br />
is: “Making Nigeria the Textile and Garment<br />
June 19, 2016 / 7
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