Fashion Week Organizers from Across Africa Assemble in Ghana to Forge A Cohesive Plan For The Continent

The TechStitch programme, orchestrated by the British Council Ethiopia in collaboration with Ethiopia’s premier fashion event, Hub of Africa Fashion Week, has united young creatives from the leading fashion capitals across the African continent, including Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Ethiopia.

These emerging fashion designers are converging in Ethiopia for a transformative experience, delving into exploration, craftsmanship, and collaboration. As they immerse themselves in Ethiopia’s vibrant cultural tapestry, they’re embracing traditional hand-woven techniques and tapping into the country’s colorful array of materials. Through hands-on workshops in weaving, spinning, natural dye techniques, and embroidery, these designers are reimagining age-old traditions through a contemporary lens. The culmination of their journey will be a dazzling fashion showcase, where they’ll unveil their unique creations, seamlessly blending their design aesthetics with Ethiopia’s rich cultural heritage.

The outcome of this will be a grand fashion showcase, where designers will unveil their creations to a live audience as seen on the flier below.

But that’s not all! A pivotal aspect of this gathering is the coming together of fashion week organizers from across the continent. Esteemed figures such as Nana Addo Tamakloe from Accra Fashion Week in Ghana, Mustapha Hassalani of Swahili Fashion Week, Omoyemi Akerele from Lagos Fashion Week, Lucilla Booyzen of SA Fashion Week, and Mahlet of Hub of Africa Fashion Week (Ethiopia) are among those participating.

This collective of fashion week organizers is convening to engage in constructive dialogue aimed at enhancing the experience and development of designers across the continent. They’ll also collaborate on creating a more comprehensive and coordinated fashion week calendar. While each fashion week has seen tremendous growth within its respective region, this gathering aims to analyze and identify strategies to further strengthen the ecosystem, fostering a more robust and interconnected creative landscape for African fashion designers.