In her own right, Diana Opoti (pictured) is quite the young woman. With a large social media following, her own PR firm, and experience behind and in front of the camera, she is well on her way to becoming an African fashion juggernaut. If her work with some of the continent’s top magazines and lifestyle shows hasn’t catapulted her to the fore already, her new #100DaysOfAfricanFashion campaign has cemented her as one of the continent’s leading voices on the industry and its potential.
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The initiative, launched in June, is aimed at showcasing the diversity in design, aesthetic, and signatures of the numerous African designers. Set to culminate in September, the 100-day-long campaign will see Opoti dress in different fashion brands from diverse designers across the continent in a move to try to sell African designs to foreign markets.
Opoti says, “I started the fashion campaign to promote awareness of African fashion brands. What we’ve managed to achieve so far is incredible. The exposure has been amazing. I have had the privilege to showcase brands from among other African countries South Africa, Zanzibar, Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya for top designers, such as David Tlale, Mina Evans, Doreen Mashika, and Kiko Romeo.”
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With each flawless image, she includes info about the designer, a few shout-outs, and some description of how the outfit was put together. It’s all done in a very visual style, paying attention to the traction it could generate on everything from Instagram to Facebook to Twitter.
There is a purposeful element to the campaign beyond gaining an international audience — it is designed to show the everyday consumer that designer brands are accessible to them. “The whole idea of this initiative is to show designer brands in an everyday setting, away from the runway and glamourous look books, to show how this can translate in to a consumer’s wardrobe and for bodies curvier than models.” Opoti said.
Be sure to check out #100DaysOfAfrica on Twitter or visit her website to see the looks.
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