allure 19062016

R EP ORTAGE
Manufacturing Hub of Africa”. The objective is to impart
into the consciousness of Nigerian entrepreneurs, the
fact that fashion is a no-fail area to invest in.
Beyond that, our gala show, which is usually our epic
show, will keep the audience enthralled with hand-picked
super designers showcasing, headed by Ade Bakare -
Nigeria’s own London-based designer. There will be top
notch cultural entertainment as well. We are all about
Africa and we have a bent towards tradition, originality
and grassroots. This year, we will bring all that to the fore
in a way that it has never been done before.
Then, of course, there is our main objective which is
the show for emerging designers. It is always the best
part because these are new people who you may never
have seen before.
What obstacles did you experience on your way to
making this event happen?
Funding has always been a challenge but God has
always seen us through. Having and keeping a great
team together is not easy. Everyone is working at top
pressure and the environment is always supercharged;
being the arbiter to keep everyone focused, delivering
and level headed at great personal sacrifice is not easy.
I thank God for blessing this project with a lot of favours,
especially a highly competent team.
Who takes care of the costs of the event? Do you
have sponsors or do the designers pay?
Ninety percent of funding is from sponsors! In fact,
we only take a token fee from designers in order to weed
out those who are not serious. If you merit the kind of
visibility we offer, part of the yardstick for us to know is
that you must have been committed enough at what
you do to be able to raise a token and buy yourself a
showcasing opportunity.
How do you call for designers to apply for the event
and how do you choose which ones to showcase?
It took a lot of work to build but we probably have
the highest database of emerging designers in Nigeria
today; same for Africa Fashion Week London. Most
of them are already followers of AFWL and AFWN on
various social media. Calling for designers is relatively
easy for us.
To choose the ones to showcase, we have a select
team of fashion experts (scattered all over the world;
thank God for the internet) who examine their past and
current selections online and recommend.
Currently, there is a call for Nigerians to wear
Nigerian and generally patronise our own. Apart
from the show itself, in what other way do you
intend to spread the word further?
First, by practising what I preach. As I can boldly
say that about 90% of the clothing I wear are made
by Nigerian fashion entrepreneurs. So I promote and
proudly support “BUY NIGERIA”. It is approximated that
Nigeria has a population of 170 million and counting.
Imagine an average spend of N10,000 per annum by
every Nigerian, purchasing a made in Nigeria apparel!
We also run a concession store at Lekki and
previously had a concession store on Oxford Street in
London. Our concession store stocks the products of our
designers, making these products readily available for
both local and international consumers.
With your experience over the years, would you say
the Nigerian fashion industry is where it should be?
The Nigerian fashion industry is far from where
it should be. It’s amazing how our music and movie
industries have metamorphosed into one of the world’s
biggest industries yet, fashion, which is far easier to
build an enterprise out of, is still so under-developed.
I think over-dependency on imported products, lack of
proper systems for fashion design and lack of proper
promotions for designers are responsible for this.
The fashion industry in Nigeria is a fast-growing
sector of the Nigerian economy. We have the capacity to
produce and we have the market to consume as well as
a highly expectant international export market. So, a lot
still needs to be done.
In your opinion, what solution would you proffer to
move the industry forward?
There is need to include fashion in the curriculum
of Nigerian schools. There is need to establish fashion
training academies of international repute. There is need
to establish a start-up fund system for fashion graduates.
There is need to establish more concession stores,
mentoring systems and virtual office support systems for
beginners.
Every state government should set up a permanently
running free fashion empowerment training and skills
acquisition system. Banks and financial institutions,
traders and big businesses should build teams of fashion
designers into cooperatives that will make apparels for
both local and international brands. Countries like Israel,
Thailand, Philippines, Korea and Costa Rica have been
able to achieve this. None of these countries have a
fraction of the potentials that Nigeria is endowed with.
You are also the brain behind Nigeria’s Next Top
Designer (NNTD), the first-ever fashion based reality
TV show and designer competition. What exactly
inspired this project and what do you hope to
achieve with it?
The need to continue to discover fresh fashion talents
in Nigeria and set them on the right path. The designers’
competition attracts thousands of super-talented young
people, from across the country, competing against
each other. But talent is always never enough; ninety
percent of genius is hard work, focus and commitment.
So, we subject them to rigorous audition and whittle
out time-wasters among them. What you have left is a
crop of young people so gifted and so creative that it
brings tears to your eyes! By making a show out of it, we
hope to project them into public awareness, thus setting
them on a pedestal to easily reach the apex of their
careers. The winner of the first edition of NNTD has won
a training scholarship from other platforms into a USAbased
fashion academy and is already a fast emerging
super brand.
What are your favourite looks this season?
Prints, prints and more prints!
At the end of the day, what gives you the most
satisfaction?
Being able to impact on the next generation; being an
inspiration to the next generation; being able to give back
to those who are in need and knowing that my efforts
have made the lives of others better. Also, when I see
some of the young designers, who have used the AFWN
platform as a springboard into the fashion industry, doing
very well and being able to use their creativity to sustain
themselves, it gives me satisfaction.
With AFWN done, what plans do you have for the
London edition?
Plans have started already as we have a dedicated
team in London working on this.
As this is our sixth edition in London, part of our plans
for our expo is to have 6 pavilions to represent 6 different
countries in Africa; exhibiting their fashion culture and
heritage. As usual, we will have designers who come
from different countries in Africa to showcase their
fashion culture on the runway.
Positive feedback
and seeing the
industry blossom
motivates me
Sola Oyebade is the Creative Director of
AFWNand London. He is also Chief
Executive of MahoganyProductions &
Events, an events production company
under Mahogany International
Company,which organises corporate events
and shows for some of the biggest
companies inNigeria and the UK. He brings
his wealth of experience in the
fashionindustry to host a successful show.
8
- Sola Oyebade
/ June 19, 2016
Why should we attend the AFWN?
What makes it unique?
AFWN is the biggest African
Fashion Week in Africa. It has become
one of the most attended events due
to its uniqueness in that it gives new,
emerging and aspiringdesigners
opportunity to participate in an
international fashion week. AFWN
is now attracting designers from all
overEurope and Africa. Not only is it
attracting designers, it also attracts
international models as they would be
coming from Cameroun, Ghana and
Senegal.
How many designers are we
expecting from Nigeria andacross
Africa?
In total, we are expecting to
showcase 74 designers with 64
designers coming from Nigeria and
theremaining 10 from the rest of the
world. This is truly aninternational event
and the only one of its kind in Nigeria
that attracts international designers.
What goes on behind the scenes
with the designers and models?
Behind the scenes is packedwith