This week in global fashion news; reports have revealed that the fashion industry contributes about N2trn to the Nigerian economy, Beyoncé’s Black parade Catalog has helped boost sales and visibility of Nigerian and other African fashion brands, and many more.
Fashion Contributes Nearly N2trn To Nigerian Economy
A report by the Federal Government’s Post COVID-19 Initiative Committee on the creative industry has revealed that the fashion sector contributes nearly N2trn to the national economy.
The minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed on Thursday, gave an insight into the report recently submitted to the government by the committee led by ace comedian, Ali Baba. Mohammed said that the recommendations by the committee which was set up to advice the government on how to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the creative industry were revealing.
“Before now, we did not know that the fashion industry accounts for almost N2 trillion revenue, that the hospitality and tourism industry accounts for about N1.2 trillion,” said Mohammed in a statement. “The publishing and printing industry accounts for almost N1 trillion and about N720 billion worth of books and paper enter the country annually. The film industry accounts for about N140 billion, the music industry revenue is over N300 billion while the comedy industry accounts for about N17 billion.”
According to him, the report also revealed how many people are employed by each sector with the beauty and hair care industry accounting for 30,000 professionals and selling 15,000 pieces of hair and beauty care products every month in Nigeria.
He disclosed that an implementation committee will be set up on Tuesday to determine which of the recommendations will be sent to the Federal Executive Council for policy decisions and National Assembly for legislation.
The minister noted how the social distancing rules have affected the ability to go out to shoot, produce and distribute films while the lockdown affected musical concerts and invitation of musicians to social functions.
“The same goes for the fashion industry because there is nothing to trigger the demand for hair and beauty care products,” he said, “Of course, when there are no parties and with the face masks the people are putting on, the demand for the products has gone down.”
Mohammed also pointed out that the report has revealed gaps in some industries, such as the lack of enforcement especially in the area of protection of intellectual property. He commended the committee members for the selfless and detailed work in mapping and giving value to the industries and assured that the report would not be swept under the carpet. (NAN).
COAJ Media Launch Africa’s First Global Fashion Hub
COAJ Media, one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing media houses has launched ‘The Afrocentrics’, an Africa’s first global fashion hub aimed at making African fashion, fashion designers and fashion models more easily and readily accessible to the world.
“The Afrocentrics is your one-stop hub for the most elegant African fashion, creative fashion designers, and the most beautiful and talented fashion models, showcasing the depth of African beauty, talent, and creativity,” the organisation said in a statement. “With The Afrocentrics, people all over the world can now easily purchase trendy and quality fashion wears and pieces made by some of the most creative fashion designers in the continent and have them delivered anywhere in the world. They can also contact the fashion designers, for customised and bulk orders.”
According to them, individuals and brands can also directly book fashion or commercial models for both local and international projects and events, taking out high agency fees to get a model that fits the profile. To get in touch with models, all clients have to do is visit their website or follow @dafrocentrics on social media platforms to make direct contact with the model(s) that fits the profile they want.
CFDA Appoints First Black President
The call for diversity and inclusion in the fashion industry has been an ongoing fight for many Black professionals in various sectors. This week, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) has announced that it has appointed CaSandra Diggs as the organisation’s new president.
This appointment makes Diggs the first Black president of the organisation. As president, Diggs will be responsible for “developing strategy and making decisions that further the CFDA’s purpose to champion, educate, and support its membership and the fashion industry at large.”
“CaSandra is an innovative thinker with a strong understanding of organisational and business operations,” CEO Steven Kolb said in a statement. “Expanding her role will provide the CFDA with more opportunity to meet the needs of the membership in a broad and diverse way. It is a critical time for our industry, as she is the right person to help lead CFDA into the future.”
“CFDA remains a vital pillar of the fashion community,” Diggs said. “I am delighted to join Tom Ford and Steven Kold as we continue to evolve the CFDA into a modern, forward-thinking organisation that is reflective of our times.”
Beyoncé’s Black Parade Route Catalog Gives African-Owned Businesses A Boost
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A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on Jun 19, 2020 at 6:47pm PDT
The Black Parade Route is a directory of Black- and African-owned small businesses curated by Beyoncé and Zerina Akers. The directory highlights brands and businesses across different industries, including fashion, restaurants, beauty, arts, and design from different countries in Africa.
Akers is Beyoncé’s stylist and the founder of Black Owned Everything, a compilation of businesses across various fields run by Black entrepreneurs.
The directory was released alongside a song titled “Black Parade” on Juneteenth. The June 19 holiday celebrates the end of slavery in the United States. It’s the anniversary of the day in 1865 when news of their emancipation reached slaves in Galveston, Texas.
“Happy Juneteenth Weekend! I hope we continue to share joy and celebrate each other, even in the midst of struggle. Please continue to remember our beauty, strength, and power,” Beyoncé wrote on Instagram at the time. “‘BLACK PARADE’ celebrates you, your voice and your joy and will benefit Black-owned small businesses.”
Since the directory came out, various fashion business owners like Anyango Mpinga of the eponymous fashion brand Anyango Mpinga and Edwin Okolo of Studio Imo have seen a spike in customer engagement and orders.
Anyango Mpinga is a Kenyan designer that specialises in designing and producing re-imagined white shirts, bold prints, jewellery, and leather bags while Edwin Okolo is a designer who specialises in making hand-knitted dresses and jumpsuits.
“It brought a wider audience to my platform. What has happened is that I’ve been getting a lot more requests from people asking how they can get the pieces from my collection, people wanting to make orders,” Mpinga explained to CNN.
“I was not expecting it at all because I am a small brand, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had been featured,” Okolo told CNN. “A lot of people are showing interest. I have already gotten new commissions and more people have ordered from the online store. I don’t know how that will play out in the long term but just being recognised has been very good for my brand,” he added
PnP Collaborates With Young SA Designers To Create Limited Collections
Pick n Pay Clothing, the second-largest supermarket chain in South Africa, is launching limited, exclusive collections in collaboration with promising young South African designers. This project is the result of a partnership between the retailer and award-winning fashion designer, Gavin Rajah, who will mentor the designers and help them create exclusive collections for PnP Clothing in the coming months.
These collaborations are set to support local talent and make designer clothing more accessible to more South Africans at affordable prices. Pick n Pay Clothing noted that the collaborative partnership will fully celebrate local design and manufacturing, from the designer’s inspiration to the production and creation of the ranges.
“South Africa is home to many talented local designers but not all have the platform to grow their brands commercially,” Hazel Pillay, general manager for Pick n Pay Clothing said. “Through these collaborations, our goal is to deliver great value fashion which captures the latest style and trends. We can promote local designers to support them in growing their range to a greater audience.”
This is a welcome development in the African fashion space as there are many up and coming designers that have a lot ot offer if given the right platform to showcase their designs.
