Every week in the month of March, BellaNaija Style will host important, interactive conversations with female industry leaders in the fashion, beauty and lifestyle space on the Clubhouse app. So mark your calendars for the ultimate !
Africa Designers’ Connect will be jam-packed with mind-blowing, transparent discussions between leading and established fashion brand owners and rising/upcoming women in the same field. Be sure to expect these fashion entrepreneurs to share their stories and dish out what they do differently to stand out and create a niche for themselves, all while building a successful and sustainable fashion business on the continent.
Follow the conversations on Instagram with and .
Meet The Speakers
Lisa Folawiyo
Lisa Folawiyo is a Nigerian fashion designer who is best known for marrying Ankara and traditional African fabrics with modern tailoring techniques. Her fashion brand is arguably one of Africa’s most sort after brands – from its delicately detailed Ankara pieces to its hand-beaded accessories, among others.
Her collections have been showcased on various fashion platforms around the world, from Lagos to Milan. So it comes as no surprise that a host of international celebrities such as Gigi Hadid, Issa Rae and more, rock pieces from her iconic brand. Lisa has also become a style icon in her own right, having been featured in style bibles Vogue and ELLE a good number of times.
Teni Sagoe
Teni Sagoe is the Creative Director & Founder of Premium ready-to-wear fashion brand CLAN and Executive Director of Operations, & Creative Director for top Nigerian womenswear brand Deola Sagoe. With 7 years of industry experience in creative conceptualisation and brand management, Teni’s brilliance shines through in how she effortlessly yet deliberately creates work that shatters western expectations of what African fashion looks like.
The results include needle-crafting of minimalist and distinct cosmopolitan pieces through the use of authentic techniques. With its first international showcase at the Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week in 2014, CLAN has since gained international acclaim and traction for the superior quality and minimalist aesthetic of its clothing.
Didi Akinyelure
Didi Akinyelure is an award-winning British/Nigerian journalist, Media Entrepreneur and Creative Director of London-based contemporary womenswear brand April & Alex. Didi has been featured in Forbes Africa magazine and included in a list of the most influential business journalists in the world. Growing up, Didi was inspired by the fashion choices of her grandmother and by her mother who owns a corporate tailoring business.
April & Alex is driven by a mission to create contemporary womenswear that emphasizes boldness and shines a light on the empowerment of women. The brand describes its ideal woman as bold, edgy, independent, fearless, daringly innovative, creative, extroverted, outré. April & Alex has been featured in Vogue Italia, Vogue Czechoslovakia, Elle, Marie Claire, Harpers Bazaar, WhoWhatWear and more.
Ejiro Amos Tafiri
Ejiro Amos Tafiri is the Creative Director & Founder of Ejiro Amos Tafiri (E.A.T) brand. Ejiro established her brand in 2010 and by 2015, a collection of her work tagged “The Madame” was showcased at Native & Vogue Port Harcourt Fashion Week, Dakar Fashion Week and Kenya Fashion Week. Ejiro has been featured in several top-tier publications such as CNN, Aljazeera, MarieClaire and a host of others. Ejiro Amos Tafiri has shown its collections on international platforms across Africa such as Lagos Fashion Week, Gtbank Fashion Weekend, Dakar fashion week, FIMO, Togo Fashion Festival whilst being among the 100 African owned fashion brands featured on ‘Black Parade’ by Beyoncé.
The E.A.T brand is fueled with a vision to become a global brand associated with crafting unique and delicate garments whilst channelling sustainability and preservation of culture for the discerning global citizen, a confident and self-aware woman who is utterly feminine and romantic at heart.
Yvonne Odhiambo
Yvonne Odhiambo is a Kenyan Fashion entrepreneur cum model and founder of AfroStreet Kollektions having launched her career in 2013. Her unique approach to designing lively and colourful prints has earned her a good number of following from notable personalities who have recognized her for her celebration of African prints. Her signature designs, ‘Attitude and Elegance’ draw inspiration from fabrics with a traditional touch and western aesthetics.
Sumaiya Dzietror
Sumaiya Dzietror is the co-owner/creative director of the renowned Ghanaian fashion house, Pistis Ghana. Pistis is a company that currently stands at the frontline of the fast-growing African fashion industry while making major strides in the international markets.
The brand is adept at infusing traditional styles with the much more modern creations ending up in awesome and breathtaking pieces. Pistis is popular for its workmanship which is at the centre of every masterpiece made for each client. Naomi Campbell, H.E Mrs Rebecca Akuffo-Addo (First Lady of Ghana, Mrs Samira Bawumia (Second Lady of Ghana), Bozoma St.John, make up a list of popular women who have been styled by Pistis.
Search “BellaNaija” on the Clubhouse app and join our club to be a part of this conversation.
You can also click HERE to add this to your schedule now.
Date: Saturday 20th, March
Time: 5 PM (West African Time)
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Source: BellaNaija
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