A rainbow of creativity

The Africa Fashion Week is a prestigious annual fashion fiesta that brings together top international designers and models to showcase their latest designs. FERDINAND MWONGELA was in Johannesburg and brings you all the sizzling details

Kenyan international supermodel Ajuma Nasenyana stepped out of the dim, subtly dark end of the catwalk into the light.

Amidst the throb of flashing cameras and murmuring crowd, she sashayed down the catwalk, all the eyes in the hall on her, her elegance and the Bunmi Koko design — a practical orange number she was in — wowing the crowd.

This was the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg South Africa as fashion came calling in Jozi. The event? The Africa Fashion Week.

Treated to eye candy

Ajuma, among other supermodels, who included Ethiopia’s Liya Kebede were modelling clothes from designers from across the African continent and the world, both renown and upcoming.

Here, colour and creativity fused to create a show stopping fashion fiesta in the rainbow nation put together by Africa Fashion International.

From the crowd to the designers and models, Johannesburg was in the throes of fashion — elegant, flashy, eccentric, name them.

Ranging from upcoming to established designers, these were three days of one of the best fashion showcases on the Continent. Drawing together London-based Nigerian born Bunmi Olaye, she of the Bunmi Coco Design House, Lola Faturoti, LaQuan Smith, Madam Wokie and Maki Oh to name but a few. The designers were drawn from as far as Egypt, Ghana, London, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and the United States.

Apart from the top-end ramp shows, with many designers on the continent gearing their collection for potential business with the rest of the world, local and international media, trend influencers, retail-industry specialists and fashion industry insiders descended on the Africa Fashion Week for seminars on fashion development as well as the concurrent Africa Fashion Trade Expo.

A Kenyan would probably have been drawn to Tanzanian designer Mustafa Hassanali’s opening with a couple of men clad in Maasai shukas.

The three-day fiesta co-sponsored by South African Tourism Board set the standards high.

Egyptian designer Soucha was at hand with his middle-eastern inspired collection.

Practical designs

Evidently a South African fashion heartthrob, South African Thula Sindi’s had his designs received with much applause, a testament to the, mostly South African, crowd’s knowledge of their designers.

My personal favourite would have to be Bunmi Koko with her practical designs; little wonder she is a big name in her own right. With her collection aptly named ‘the allure of the sirens’, she was arguably among the big names there.

The London based designer of Nigerian heritage specialises in ready-to wear bridal and evening designs that have made a mark in the celebrity world with the likes of Mel B and has previously worked with world renown brands such as Prada and Louis Vuitton.

The fashion fiesta was capped with an awards show that saw Ajuma take home the model of the year crown, standing out from among others Atuai Deng, Candice Swanepoel, Grace Bol and Nyasha Matonhodze. Last year the award went to American-born Sessilee Lopez.

The coveted designer of the year (International) award went to London based designer of Ghanian descent Ozwald Boateng. "By creating a platform that is relevant and credible both in Africa and internationally, the Africa Fashion Awards are positioned to be the authority on African fashion excellence to a global industry," said Dr Precious Moloi Motsepe, African Fashion International Executive Chairperson.

Fashion world

AFI, a fashion events and promotion company prides itself in ‘taking Africa to the world’. They did exactly that as African designers based on the continent and beyond proved that they can hold their own in the fashion world. The likes of Soucha, Bunmi Koko and Mataano, the label of Somalia born, New York-based twins Ayan and Idyl Mohalim attracted significant attention.

Inside and outside the auditorium, the event was a hit on the micro-blogging sites with the hash tag handle #afw getting quite a few mentions.

One tweet read; "Africa Fashion Week taught us that fashion on the continent is much bigger than we imagined."