Global Fashion Roundup: Nigerian Fashion Festival, Homecoming, Partners With Browns, New York Fashion Week Set To Hold, And Many More

This week in fashion news from around the world, Nigerian fashion festival, Homecoming, partners with London-based fashion outlet, Browns, New York Fashion Week is set to hold, and many more.

Nigerian Fashion Festival, Homecoming, Partners With Browns

Homecoming is a Lagos-based festival that uses the medium of sports, music and fashion to take the world to African and Africa to the world. The festival, which has gained a reputation for putting talented up-and-coming creatives on the map via its pop-up shops, workshops, and live shows, had to put those physical shows on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To keep the show going, Browns, a London-based fashion outlet has helped take the initiative digital. As the celebratory festival’s 2020 partner, the Browns East location has been taken over by Nigerian and international brands from Homecoming-aligned labels.

“Obviously, there’s so much focus on Africa, but I think it’s really important to learn from those who have experienced the culture firsthand rather than the U.K. or elsewhere deciding what Africa is,” Grace Ladoja, CEO of Metallic Inc. and co-creator of Homecoming, said. “A continent with 1.3 billion people, 54 countries, 200 million Nigerians, over 50% under 30, has so many stories to connect with globally. They are going to be in charge of the narrative. They’re the future.”

Despite the pandemic, Homecoming will still be able to use its platform to promote exciting new designers from across Africa. The online event will start with a virtual pop-up featuring 15 up-and-coming labels from the diaspora including British-Nigerian designers Mowalola and Tokyo James and Lagos-based skate crew Motherlan.

As part of the festival, there will be a series of panel discussions, which will feature industry experts like Angelo Baque, the Awake NY Founder and Creative Director, and Virgil Abloh. The discussions will be on the importance of Nigerian and African cultures.

Additionally, Browns and the Homecoming community have launched an e-zine titled Ni Agbaye in collaboration with photographer Ruth Ossai and stylist Ola Ebiti. It explores the influence and exchange that Afro culture has on the world. The e-zine is a beautiful depiction of African culture, through photography, writing and fashion, and offers an education on why more attention needs to be paid to Africa.

A specially curated edit of some of Africa’s hottest brands, such as Kenneth Ize and Mowalola can be found in Browns East and on brownsfashion.com. You will also find exclusive Homecoming-themed goods from Ambush, Maki-Oh, Heron Preston, Off-White, 3.Paradis, Casablanca, Orange Culture, Patta, Places + Faces, Post-Imperial and Tokyo James. 

New York Fashion Week Set To Hold

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many fashion shows had to be cancelled entirely or put on hold. The New York Fashion Week that features the newest collection from hot designers in the city had been given a go-ahead by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. 

As the city recovers from the effects of the pandemic on everyday life, the show will happen with protective measures in place. The governor announced that shows will go on from September 13 to September 17 but all events must be held in strict compliance with the state’s coronavirus regulations. 

“New York City is the fashion capital of the world and New York Fashion Week celebrates the ingenuity of this city and our unmatched creative talent,” Cuomo said in a statement on Tuesday. 

According to his announcement, no outdoor events will be permitted to host more than 50 people at a time, and indoor events will be capped at half capacity. This means that this year there will be no spectators at the event.

Attendees at events will also have their temperature screened at the door, and face masks are mandated at all times. This year’s schedule will rely more on virtual and live-streamed programming, according to a statement.

Vegan Fur Coat Maker Apparis Raises $3Million To Expand Cruelty-Free Fashion

Apparis, a cruelty-free fur winter coat company has just raised $3 million to expand its vegan clothes online, both within and outside the U.S. The clothier intends to make use of the $3 million to launch their fashion line in 20 European retailers across 12 countries, from France to Croatia.

The seed funding was led by Third Kind Ventre Capital, with a major investment from Exor Seeds, the venture fund associated with the Angelli family. Angel investors involved in the funding include supermodel-entrepreneur, Karlie Kloss, Italian director and photographer, Francesco Carozzini and New England Patriots MVP quarterback, Cam Newton, a hardcore vegan who got on board with Apparis after visiting a New York City pop-up store. 

The funding aims to support Apparis’ plans to establish a digital direct to consumer strategy and to continue to grow the business in the US and internationally. 

Last year, Apparis collaborated on jackets with fashion icon Diane von Furstenberg. With the fresh funds, the company hopes to partner with more legacy fashion houses and expand sales through social media. Through the upcoming launch of its first knitwear, home and gender-neutral lines, Apparis is setting its sites on becoming the top vegan and cruelty-free brand for colder weather. 

Fibre2Fashion Retail Launches Anti-Viral Masks in India

Fibre2Fashion Retail Pvt Ltd has launched Wiseprotec anti-viral face masks in India. The technology from the European company Wiseprotec is proven to reduce 99.5 per cent of SARS-CoV-2 on contact with the mask.

“By combining a variety of the latest innovative technologies, we were able to create and launch the best social mask available on the market. Our unique fabrics are impregnated with special antimicrobial agents that provide safe and extremely powerful protection from viruses, bacteria and fungi,” said Wiseprotec co-founder Jorge Machado.

Wiseprotec line comprises a set of cleverly designed masks for the general public. These masks will allow them to have a strong layer of protection when resuming their daily activities. All technologies and components used in the range are certified to be as efficient as claimed by the owners, are individually registered in the EU and are compliant with all European Union norms and regulations.

“The Wiseprotec anti-viral face masks are created with the purpose of adding an extra layer of protection to our daily life without compromising on comfort. They are designed to be used for long periods of time with comfort and safety,” Chahat Shah, Chief Business Officer at Fibre2Fashion Retail said. “The facial protection system is made with a technology that repels water particles and other organic materials – such as viruses – creating an invisible layer that helps keep us protected. In addition to the anti-viral masks, we have also launched two other Wiseprotec variants with additional properties—Breathe Better Masks and Skin Care Masks—in the Indian market.” 

The Wiseprotec anti-viral masks are engineered to self-sterilize in less than 24 hours. The base properties of these masks have an anti-viral capacity, moisture and temperature control, and high filtration capacity. The masks are said to be washable and reusable, for up to 50 washes, non-toxic and safe.

The Breathe Better Masks are designed for consumers with congestion problems and serve as a relieving tool for their respiratory conditions. While the Skin Care Masks are designed for people with sensitive skin, who suffer from continuously using lower quality masks and need additional care.

Informa Markets Fashion Launches Fashion for Change Incubator Program

Informa Markets Fashion, in partnership with NuORDER, announced on Thursday the launch of Informa Markets Fashion for Change (IMFC) Incubator Program, a new initiative aimed at elevating and better supporting new design talent within the Black fashion community. 

The program will support these design talents through complimentary inclusion in Informa Markets Fashion’s upcoming digital event. It will also include mentorship, marketing promotion, digital selling tools, and editorial features. The launch of this program is the first step that Informa Markets Fashion is taking to reduce barrier-to-entry and further equal opportunity within the fashion industry.

As part of IMFC’s ongoing program, 10 up-and-coming brands will receive a complimentary digital showroom page and access to digital wholesale market tools via the NuORDER platform, editorial features and marketing promotion, as well as individualised mentor and leadership guidance, as overseen by IMFC’s Advisory Board. 

The brands which are selected by the IMFC committee members, which consists of 11 executives from across Informa Markets Fashion with backgrounds in branding, marketing, social media, finance, and sales, will have 2 full seasons of complimentary access to the digital event– starting with the current season and then building off this in 2021 at Informa Markets Fashion’s fall/winter digital event.

“With the Black Lives Matter movement in early June, and the resulting dialogue and introspection, we too, like many other businesses, realised we needed to do more and do better,”  Nancy Walsh, President of Informa Markets Fashion said. “Our aim is to better utilise our resources to amplify the creative work of emerging Black talent, while also giving these start-up brands access to more tools and opportunities, that are often inaccessible, especially during the critical early stages of business growth.” 

In addition to receiving complimentary virtual showroom space at the digital event, marketing promotion and editorial features, the Informa Markets Fashion for Change program also will offer brands the opportunity to be mentored by a leading fashion executive, as sourced from a pool of leadership from across the industry. Directly paired with an executive for one-on-one support, brands will receive consultative guidance tailored specifically to their business’s needs throughout the digital event.