On August 11 and 12, the Freemason’s Hall in London was overflowing with eye-popping African fashion designs as celebrated fashion designers showcased their best African-inspired pieces and inimitable creations at this year’s Africa Fashion Week London (AFWL).
Close to 10,000 people are reported to have attended the two-day event, which included 60 catwalk shows and daily exhibitions from over 50 handpicked African fashion designers and brands.
The exhibitions offered a rare opportunity for attendees to examine and purchase authentic African fashion items from the world’s finest designers.
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Fashion models at this year’s AFWL. Photo credit: Media Congo
Some of the African countries represented in this year’s edition of Africa Fashion Week London included Ghana, Kenya, Congo, Mozambique, Togo, South Africa, Uganda, Cameroon, Tanzania, and Senegal.
Creativity, Pleasure and Glamor
Among the top designers showcasing their latest work at AFWL was George Adesegun – a renowned Nigerian-British fashion designer – whose intricate women’s wear collection represents evolution primitivism contour. He is inspired by different traditional African symbols.
Next in line was Leona Green, a self-taught African-British fashion designer known for her daring fashion trends that are primarily made from recycled materials. She usually gets her materials from charity shops and secondhand stores in London. She then packages them in different fascinating patterns that are largely based on traditional fashion trends from Ghana.
The entire event was a mishmash of creativity, glamour and decadence as the splendidly dressed male and female models took to the stage, one by one, to showcase the best of African designs.
A fashion model at the Africa Fashion Week London. Photo credit: AFWL
Top Annual Fashion Highlight
Africa Fashion Week London is an annual fashion event born out of the desire for change and to offer a perfect platform for renowned and upcoming fashion designers to showcase their African-inspired creations.
Since its inception in 2011, AFWL has held seven catwalk events and contributed to over ten events hosted by third-parties such as Africa Center Summer Festival and The Mayor of London’s Black History Month festivities.
Models at the 2017 Africa Fashion Week London. Photo credit: Glam Africa
So far, the platform has showcased more than 800 upcoming fashion designers and exhibitors from Africa, U.S., and Europe to close to 70,000 visitors, who include retailers, direct consumers, influential industry players, and the media.
The event is now a major highlight on the international annual fashion calendar, attracting individual and corporate sponsors from all over the world.
