Pan-African runway in Durban, South Africa. On Saturday, 20 November African Fashion International (AFI) in partnership with Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) will promote the business of fashion in a world-class runway staging that will spotlight the imagination of ten Africa-based designers.
AFI, as an exchange partner to CANEX, will exhibit Afro-centric fashion during the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2021). The introduction of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has propelled the continents fashion industry into economic discourse, due to its significant potential for diversifying cross-country trade and job creation.
Designers on the line-up include Senegal Collective and House of Fabrosanz, who recently showed collections at AFI Fashion Week Joburg, as well as other AFI affiliates Masa Mara, Loayo Art and Loin Cloth and Ashes. The show will also feature designers presented by CANEX, who are returning from a showcase at Portugal Fashion week. These designers include Maison d’Afie, Doreen Mashika and Anissa Aïda.
“The fashion industry is powered by people along the supply chain. Since AFI was established in 2007 we have used the platform to encourage investment in African creativity. Africa already has strong retail channels but there is greater capacity for local production. The business of fashion is something to be taken seriously because it simultaneously enables growth in manufacturing and agricultural industries,” says Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe, the founder and chief executive of AFI.
The Afrexim bank’s CANEX Programme at IATF2021 is a consolidated platform for the creative and cultural industries throughout Africa. It aims to facilitate investments into the creative and cultural industry through education, trade, industrialization, and the provision of critical infrastructure to support the transformation of the African economy.
The IATF2021 will bring together continental and global buyers and sellers to share trade, investment, and market information. They will also exchange finance and facilitation solutions designed to support intra-African trade and the economic integration of the continent.
To confirm in person attendance kindly register https://www.intrafricantradefair.com/en/user/register
ABOUT AFI
African Fashion International is a pioneer in the pan-African luxury market, curating African brands and making them accessible to a global audience. Our selections of chic and timeless fashion and lifestyle collections has served discerning customers around the world since 2007.
The brainchild of Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe, AFI entered the scene with a clear vision to create a platform where the best, most globally relevant and contemporary African designers will be discovered. AFI has since groomed and propelled local designers into global household names.
