There were 10 African brands present in Portugal Fashion’s official calendar, between March 14 and 18. The partnership with the Creative African Nexus (CANEX) program and the African bank AfreximBank allowed designers from all over Africa to also have access to several exhibition, business and networking opportunities throughout the event.
The designers selected to participate in this edition of Portugal Fashion brought a fusion of traditions, cultures, textures and techniques to the runway, from 9 different countries: South Africa, Ghana, Mali, Kenya, Trinidad and Tobago, Nigeria, Cambodia, Côte d’Ivoire and Mozambique.
The group of 10 designers started the fashion week with an industrial tour on the 14th, having the opportunity to meet two industrial references: Petratex and Valerius 360. Moreover, the bridge with local producers is one of the goals of this partnership, which then directs the designers to specialized partners, according to the production needs of each project. Throughout the event, their collections were exhibited in a sales showroom installed in the fashion show location. The designers will now begin a mentoring program, which covers the various components associated with the development of a fashion brand.
The partnership between ANJE and AfreximBank was further strengthened, reinforcing the support for the transfer of skills and opening windows of opportunity to the market. The program has brought several African designers with the intention of providing them with skills that will allow them to develop financially sustainable businesses with potential scale, support go-to-market strategies and design a path towards internationalization. Since the beginning of the project so far, designers from 23 different countries have been involved.
SEASIDE AS SUPPORT CANEX
or the second consecutive edition, Seaside was a partner of Portugal Fashion, supporting the CANEX platform by providing all the footwear for the parades of African designers. The footwear brand was integrated in the category of sponsorship Support Canex. It also had a cocktail dedicated to the partnership during the event, which resulted in a moment of networking and relaxation after one of the parades CANEX, Katush brand.
The international footwear brand, of Portuguese origin, has today more than 100 stores in Portugal and is present in countries like Angola, France, Luxembourg and Mozambique, having already more than 30 years of experience in the footwear and fashion accessories sector.
DESIGNERS BLOOM PLATFORM
SAVÁ (@sava___official)
Sânia Bacar is the founder of SAVÁ, a contemporary streetwear brand based in Mozambique. It offers womenswear, menswear, and genderless pieces. She is inspired by everything that surrounds her, especially nature and architecture. She likes to discover and experiment with new techniques, fabrics, colors, shapes, and prints. Her favorite fabric is timeless denim, which she includes in all her collections. The flexibility to experiment and create while having fun in the fashion industry, with its endless possibilities, is what fascinates Sania most about being a fashion designer.
YESIDE LAGUDA (@yesidelaguda)
Yeside is passionate about showing Africa to the world, through her passion for fashion and lifestyle. She is a creative with a deep love for fabrics, textures and design. She has undergone training in Tie-Dye and batik production. She continues to learn and take courses in fashion, branding and management.
BLOKE (@bloke_ng)
Bloke challenges the relationship between art, culture and fashion with its well-crafted and experimental offerings. The brand, founded by Faith Oluwajimi in 2015, is a label that introduces a distinct notion of luxury through a bridge between contemporary design and an artisanal sensibility, wrapped in a tone of self exploration. It seeks to continuously examine the possibilities of creating ethically made garments that uphold the values of inclusion and collaboration, forging a new path of cultural exploration with an avant-garde approach to textiles and knitwear.
NTANDO XV (@ntandoxv)
Ntando XV offers handcrafted clothing with unconventional design: experimental cuts, pattern engineering, unusual finishes, treated products, and controlled fits. Using both his professional experience and natural talents, Ntando Ngwenya has formulated a new genre in fashion, fusing conservative and postmodern techniques to create a representation for clothing. Using a syncopated technique in pattern engineering, by crafting intricate patterns, he introduces a new take on traditional methods, recreating popular styles in a contemporary light.
OLOOH (@oloohconcept)
A locally produced clothing line with modernist cuts made from organic materials. For Kader Diaby, creative director of Abidjan-based Olooh, a successful design is aesthetically pleasing but remains comfortable. He founded the brand in 2018 and learned to sew from his mother.
DESIGNERS PORTUGAL FASHION PLATFORM
KATUSH (@katushnairobi)
Katungulu Mwendwa’s most current collection works with artists from the Nairobi scene to dream up concepts that are interpreted into custom prints – translating artistic philosophies into modern everyday wear. Katush embraces respect for the environment, people and Africa’s history, producing pieces for the self-aware global citizen who seeks quality, versatility and original design. The brand interrogates perceptions of African and female identity and subverts preconceived notions about African design, reimagining its defining principles in a contemporary context.
ERIC RAISINA (@ericraisinafashion)
A perfect symphony between colors, textures, unique weaving patterns and silky furs. In everything he touches, Eric Raisina seeks to share the feeling of generosity, cultural exchange, and especially to inspire the young generation of Madagascar, the country where he got his inspirations before embracing other cultures. That is where her foray into design and sewing began. Natural materials such as silk, raffia, sisal, linen and cotton quickly became his trademarks.
THE CLOTH (@theclothofficial)
Exclusively Baltic linen in five colors. It plays with space and the presence of a Caribou. Young’s designs are highly wearable, from everyday wear elevated to unique silhouettes that center and reimagine an Africanist and Caribbean aesthetic. The distinctive appliqué technique he has developed is one of the most recognizable elements of this brand. The Creative Director of the brand founded in 1986 is Robert Young, who has gone on to make The Cloth a vehicle for representing the Caribbean within the global design narrative. The Caribbean is made up of the sons and daughters of the diaspora, and The Cloth creates a visual language that speaks to these displaced communities.
AWA MEITE (@awameitedesign)
Her design and creation show the consciousness of a continent, with the goal of putting people first, regardless of color or race; a continent that has suffered for centuries and is now writing its own narrative and making its voices heard; a continent full of natural and human resources that can benefit its people. Awa Meite, of Malian origin, develops and designs fashion and accessories in cotton and leather. All designs, from weaving to finished product are 100% made in Bamako, Mali, in limited editions. It creates ready-to-wear pieces in a variety of handmade silhouettes and fabrics that pay homage to its country’s rich history of craftsmanship and design, while highlighting local artisans and promoting sustainable design practices. The brand is eco-conscious and dedicated to local craftsmanship and know-how translated into modernity.
DUABA SERWA (@duabaserwa)
Founded in 2009 as a one-person business producing beads and other accessories, Duaba Serwa started her womenswear line in 2011, developing her brand of jewelry appliqué to clothing and establishing herself as a pioneering brand in the fashion industry in Ghana. This season’s capsule is a labor of love consisting of handmade, tiedye and batik pieces. Several hundred yards in fabric, carefully folded and pressed into a signature triangular origami fold, with sharp and masterful construction techniques.
