The next edition of Portugal Fashion, from 12 to 16 October, brings you a partnership between African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and ANJE (National Association of Young Entrepreneurs) to present 20 designers from several African countries to showcase their collections with the objective of connecting with the European market through Portugal; so as to diversify through international markets, and to develop their capacity through brand incubation.
This partnership is part of Afreximbank’s Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) Programme, aimed at facilitating investments in Africa’s creative and cultural economy through financing, capacity building, export and investment promotion, digital solutions, promotion of linkages and partnerships, as well as policy advocacy.
There are 8 designers who will participate in the fashion shows – 3 in BLOOM and 5 in the main platform, with the remaining 12 brands represented in BRANDUP- the showroom of Portugal Fashion, which returns in this edition.
With the objective of deepening trade and investment flows between Africa and Portugal, a conference dubbed PORTUGAL – AFRICA INVESTMENT ROUNDTABLE, that will also serve to formalize the three-year partnership between Afreximbank and ANJE will take place on 12 October 2021.
The program intends to promote around 40 African designers each year who will benefit from networking with national and international industry specialists as well as retailers and manufacturers who are competitive in the Portuguese market.
Paths such as sustainable fashion production, the importance of circular economy in the fashion industry, the role of responsible design for new generations are the main targets that Portugal can offer to African designers who will present their collections at the next edition of Portugal Fashion (October 12-16, 2021).
The brand Anissa Aida, with Tunisian and Parisian roots, kicks-off this showcase of design with African roots (13 October at 15h), on the Bloom platform, and on the same day, on the main platform, we will have the opportunity to meet the proposals of creators Doreen Mashika, (Tanzania – 17h), and Mafi Mafi da (Ethiopia – 21h).
The line-up continues on October 14, when the brands Anyango Mpinga (Nairobi – 12h) and Odio Mimonet (Nigeria – 15h30) show their new collections.
Proposals coming from Cameroon and South Africa are presented on October 15, at 17:30h and 20h respectively, by the designers Maison D’Afie and Rich Mnisi.
This edition in partnership with the CANEX program ends on October 16 with the collection of Mozambican Taibo Bacar (20:30).
PROGRAM – CANEX PRESENTS AFRICA AT PORTUGAL FASHION
LOCATION: ALFÂNDEGA DO PORTO
12 OCT
14H00 INVESTMENT ROUNDTABLE
20H00 OFFICAL OPPENING – CANEX PRESENTS AFRICA AT PORTUGAL FASHION
13 OCT
15H00 ANISSA AIDA PWD BY CANEX
17H00 DOREEN MASHIKA PWD BY CANEX
21H00 MAFI MAFI PWD BY CANEX
14 OCT
12H00 ANYANGO MPINGA PWD BY CANEX
15H30 ODIO MIMONET PWD BY CANEX
15 OCT
17H30 MAISON D’AFIE PWD BY CANEX
22H00 RICH MNISI PWD BY CANEX
16 OCT
20H30 TAIBO BACAR PWD BY CANEX
13 – 16 OUT
BRANDUP – SHOWROOM & MARKET
14H – 20H
Fashion – Sarayaa – Paradise Fashion – Silk and Sleek
Bags – Kumesu – Hamethop
Shoes – Heel The World – Shekudo
Jewellery – Rokus London – Inzuki – Adele Dejak
Homeware – Tzandza weaving – Johanna Bramble
Next Tuesday, October 12th, Portugal Fashion will host the initiative PORTUGAL – AFRICA INVESTMENT ROUNDTABLE – “Closing the Investment Gap: Building Resilient Africa – Europe Textile Value Chains Post Covid”.
This is a day of reflection, debate and networking dedicated to business, investment, exports and partnerships between Portugal and Africa in the textile and clothing sector. Divided into thematic panels, the event is part of the program of the 49th edition of Portugal Fashion and includes, among its institutional guests, the presence of the Secretary of State for Internationalization, Eurico Brilhante Dias.
For the president of ANJE, Alexandre Meireles, the initiative PORTUGAL – AFRICA INVESTMENT ROUNDTABLE “will gather a critical mass of excellence in a reflection on the economic relations that the textile and clothing sector can provide between our country and the African continent. The fashion industry and the creative industries in general hold good opportunities for business, investment and partnerships between Portugal and Africa. It is, therefore, important to create platforms that enable the match between creatives/brands and investors, in order to convert into economic value the potential of creativity applied to textile and clothing. That is what we are doing with this initiative“, he concludes.
Moreover, the interventions of high representatives of public institutions, business associations, financial institutions and business groups, both from Portugal and Africa, are foreseen. Examples of these are the CEO of AICEP, Luís Filipe de Castro Henriques, the President of the CIP, António Saraiva, the President of ANJE, Alexandre Meireles, the President of ATP – Textile and Clothing Association of Portugal, Mário Jorge Machado, the vice-president of the Porto City Hall, Filipe Araújo, or the CEO of TMG Textiles, Manuel Gonçalves.
These Portuguese speakers are joined by international guests such as the President of the African Export and Import Bank (Afreximbank), Benedict Oramah, the CEO of the African Textile and Cotton Industry Federation, Emmanuel Mukua, the Vice President of Africa Finance Corporation, Mohammed Usman Abdul-Razzaq, the CEO of Pan African Capital Holdings, Chris Oshiafi, the CEO of Heritage Apparels, Abisade Adenubi, the President of Orango Investment Corporation, Paulo Gomes, the Farfetch’s Commercial and Sustainability Director, Giorgio Belloli, among others.
CANEX PROJECT SUPPORTS AFRICAN CREATIVES
The initiative PORTUGAL – AFRICA INVESTMENT ROUNDTABLE is part of the inaugural edition of the CANEX Presents Africa at Portugal Fashion project, which will take place during this fashion event, from October 12 to 16, in Porto. Under the CANEX project, eight African designers and fashion brands will hold individual fashion shows at the 49th Portugal Fashion and benefit from an intensive mentoring program, held in collaboration with the Portuguese textile industry and several national and international experts in the sector.
The CANEX program (acronym for Creative Africa Nexus) is the result of a partnership between ANJE, through Portugal Fashion, and Afreximbank, aiming to promote the African textile and clothing industry in our country. In this sense, CANEX seeks to empower the creative and cultural sectors of Africa through public and private investments, initiatives to promote internationalization, training and mentoring programs, technical and technological partnerships, digital modernization actions, among other business and human capital qualification activities. For all this, CANEX has a support fund for creative industries worth 500 million dollars (about 460 million euros).
O Portugal Fashion acolhe na próxima terça-feira, 12 de outubro, a partir das 14h00, na Alfândega do Porto, a iniciativa PORTUGAL – AFRICA INVESTMENT ROUNDTABLE – “Closing the Investment Gap: Building Resilient Africa – Europe Textile Value Chains Post Covid”.
Trata-se de uma jornada de reflexão, debate e networking dedicada a negócios, investimentos, exportações e parcerias entre Portugal e África no sector têxtil e de vestuário. Divido em painéis temáticos, o evento integra o programa da 49.ª edição do Portugal Fashion e conta, entre os seus convidados institucionais, com as presenças do Secretário de Estado da Internacionalização, Eurico Brilhante Dias.
Para o presidente da ANJE, Alexandre Meireles, a iniciativa PORTUGAL – AFRICA INVESTMENT ROUNDTABLE “vai reunir massa crítica de excelência numa reflexão sobre as relações económicas que o sector têxtil e de vestuário pode proporcionar entre o nosso país e o continente africano. A fileira moda e as indústrias criativas em geral encerram boas oportunidades de negócio, investimento e parcerias entre Portugal e África. Importa, pois, criar plataformas que possibilitem o match entre criativos/marcas e investidores, de forma a converter em valor económico o potencial da criatividade aplicada ao têxtil e vestuário. É isso que estamos a fazer com esta iniciativa”, conclui o mesma responsável.
De resto, estão previstas as intervenções de altos representantes de instituições públicas, associações empresariais, instituições financeiras e grupos empresariais, tanto de Portugal como de África. São disso exemplo o CEO da AICEP, Luís Filipe de Castro Henriques, o Presidente da CIP, António Saraiva, o Presidente da ANJE, Alexandre Meireles, o Presidente da ATP – Associação Têxtil e Vestuário de Portugal, Mário Jorge Machado, o vice-presidente da Câmara Municipal do Porto, Filipe Araújo, ou o CEO da TMG Textiles, Manuel Gonçalves.
A estes oradores portugueses juntam-se convidados internacionais como o Presidente do Banco Africano de Exportações e Importações (Afreximbank), Benedict Oramah, o CEO da Federação Africana das Indústrias Têxtil e de Algodão, Emmanuel Mukua, o Vice-Presidente da Africa Finance Corporation, Mohammed Usman Abdul-Razzaq, o CEO da Pan African Capital Holdings, Chris Oshiafi, o Diretor Executivo da Heritage Apparels, Abisade Adenubi, o Presidente da Orango Investment Corporation, Paulo Gomes, o Diretor Comercial e de Sustentabilidade da Farfetch, Giorgio Belloli, entre outros.
PROJETO CANEX APOIA CRIATIVOS AFRICANOS
A iniciativa PORTUGAL – AFRICA INVESTMENT ROUNDTABLE insere-se na edição inaugural do projeto CANEX Presents Africa at Portugal Fashion, que vai decorrer durante este evento de moda, entre 12 e 16 de outubro, no Porto. No quadro do projeto CANEX, oito designers e marcas de moda africanos vão realizar desfiles individuais no 49.º Portugal Fashion e beneficiar de um programa intensivo de mentoria, realizado em colaboração com a indústria têxtil portuguesa e diversos especialistas nacionais e internacionais do sector.
O programa CANEX (acrónimo de Creative Africa Nexus) resulta de uma parceria entre a ANJE, através do Portugal Fashion, e o Afreximbank, com o objetivo de promover a indústria têxtil e de vestuário africana no nosso país. Neste sentido, o CANEX procura capacitar os sectores criativo e cultural de África, através de investimentos públicos e privados, iniciativas de promoção da internacionalização, programas de formação e mentoria, parcerias técnicas e tecnológicas, ações de modernização digital, entre outras atividades de qualificação de negócios e capital humano. Para tudo isto, o CANEX dispõe de um fundo de apoio às indústrias criativas no valor de 500 milhões de dólares (cerca de 460 milhões de euros).
