GOING by the world encyclopedia, fashion is a distinctive and often habitual trend in the style in which a person dresses.
Obviously, people nowadays are getting crazier in the current prevailing styles, and the newest creations of textile designers.
This has given birth to a fashion week, a fashion industry event,
lasting approximately one week. This is normally held in the four
fashion capitals of the world: Milan, Paris, New York and London.
The week put together by the World Fashion Organization (WFO) allows
fashion designers, brands or “houses” to display their latest
collections in runway shows, and buyers and the media to take a look at
the latest trends.
Most importantly, these events keep the industry as well as the people
abreast of what is “in” and what is “out” for the season.
Nigerian designers are no doubt drawing their inspiration from years of
cultural fashion history and refitting it for modern-day life, creating
apparels that can actually sell at home and abroad.
In 2011, African Fashion Week was hosted in London tagged; African
Fashion Week London (AFWL). This was borne out of the urgent need to
support young and emerging African inspired designers in the UK.
Owing to the success of AFWL, the Africa Fashion Week in Nigeria
(AFWN), Nigerian Fashion Week and other Fashion shows were created to
give platform for talented young and emerging designers, who have not
been privileged with the opportunity to showcase on an international
platform.
The Founder, Nigerian Fashion Week, Mr Lexy Mojo said the event gave
Nigeria a platform to associate with the World Fashion Organization,
which in turn provided opportunity for the country to showcase its
culture and fashion potentials to the whole world.
Mojo disclosed that the upcoming world fashion week for African
continent, featuring about 40 designers would provide wide exposure for
up coming designers, who had a lot of creativity, but are yet to be
discovered. He said for creativity to grow, there is need to be a
platform that celebrates and supports it, hence contributing to its
growth.
Therefore, it will not be out of place if one thinks of tapping into
the abundant potentials in fashion industry to make a living.
It is on this premise, the WFO proposed a collaboration with the
federal government of Nigeria to tap into the country’s fashion
industry, to create wealth in the society, while generating job
opportunities for citizenry.
The partnership brought to fore, when the WFO delegation paid a
courtesy visit to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and National
Orientation, Chief Edem Duke, was to intimate the government on the
forthcoming world continental fashion week that will be taken place, in
July, in Nigeria.
The minister expressed government’s readiness to collaborate with World
Fashion Organisation (WFO) to create wealth, while empowering women and
youth economically, using fashion industry.
To this effect, Saturday Vanguard gathered the two bodies are planning
to establish garment manufacturing plant in Nigeria, in addition to the
proposed World Fashion University.
Duke told the delegation led by WFO President, Paco De Jaimes, in Abuja
that the desire of government to promote culture and fashion was borne
out of its struggle to take the country beyond oil.
“For too long, we have been depending on mono product, which is oil; we
have come to the realization that oil is producing wealth, but not
employing people.
“The fashion value chain which you have proposed today will find a
fertile ground in Nigeria. The innate creativity and talent in the
Nigeria fashion industry are inexplicable,” he said.
The Minister however made it clear that the government would focus on
professionalism, competence and putting right policy in place, to
ensure that exploring fashion potentials in the country would not affect
negatively the culture of the Nigerian people.
He promised to promote the ideal among other agencies of government,
while urging designers in the country to creatively design style that
would promote the diverse cultures of the people.
Earlier, the President of WFO, Paco De Jaimes said the aim of the World
Fashion Week was to showcase the country as leader of African fashion
in the continent, adding that, it would contribute to education and
economic empowerment for the people.
He said they would explore all avenues to bring the World Fashion
University to Nigeria to promote self reliance among the populace.
Also speaking, The Patron of World Fashion Organization Africa, Mrs
Merit Gordon Obua said Nigerians are passionate about their culture and
the way they dressed.
According to her, the diversity in the Nigerian culture makes its
unique among the cultural potentials of the world. Obua maintained that
if the culture and fashion potentials of Nigerians were properly
harnessed, it could bring about total-turn-around of the country’s
economy.
She noted that Nigerian women and youth were creative, the only thing
they needed was the platform that would not only build them, but also
bring out the ingenuity embedded in them
