In conversation with .. 3!

Nigeria has the biggest economy in terms
of nominal GDP on the continent and OG
Supermodel Naomi Campbell has been
a big supporter of Lagos’s Arise Fashion
Week. She extended her support of Nigerian
talent walking the Kenneth Ize show
in Paris. The young designer focuses on
reinterpreting Nigerian craftsmanship.
With a community of weavers, textile
makers and artisans across the country,
he is producing luxury pieces that doesn’t
steer away from nurturing existing cultures
and bring the aesthetic to the future
forefront. To be accepted on the official
Paris Fashion Week Calendar is already a
validation of quality.
The continent is having a resource boom,
there is no doubt that the in-equality gap
has grown, but with a generation connected
online, we are witnessing a creative
boom as well. Coincidence or not,
Africa has the fastest growing population
under 30. Each African country will follow
its own growth path, but as a continent,
it is looking as a think tank of cool. The
feminist movement might not be making
as much noise, but it exists, and Africa
will gain 10% to its GDP if women enter
the workforce at the same rate as men according
to the Economist.
Vogue Italia “Who’s On Next Dubai” 2015
winner Sindiso Khumalo focuses not only
on sustainable clothing with an emphasis
on African history but also is inspired by
her activist mother. This motivated her to
bring values of social equality and female
empowerment into her brand and into
her Cape Town atelier where she takes
the time to also train women in her signature
textile prints and embroidery with
fair and equal pay. Africa and women
empowerment is part of the brand DNA
as each pieces tells a story about it from
history.
Kenneth Ize FW20 Adwoa Aboah photos by Shoji Fuji
@kennethize
agugu
By controlling the whole supply chain and
manufacturing, like many independent
designers, she is putting the critical issues
of distribution infrastructure in her own
hands. If materials are supplied reliably,
then technically there are no problems to
make this system work except for delivery.
Will African fashion get the structure that
it needs? E-commerce is growing not just
with more brands to buy online but future
consumers. Having this new market also
means that many designers are taking the
time to gain creditability through sustainability
in the emerging market where luxury
is a consumer that consumes wisely
whether its custom-made, eco-friendly,
upcycled, rent or swap.
Kenneth Ize FW20 Naomi Campell photos by Shoji Fuji
@kennethize
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