WHERE IS THE CREATIVITY WHEN CUTTING & GLUING AFRICAN PRINTS ON SHOES?

Where is the creativity when all you are doing is cutting and gluing African prints on shoes and charging a ridiculous amount for them?

WHAT AFRICAN DESIGNERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FASHION SHOWS.

For years Africa has relied on the left overs from the western world, from clothes, food, medicine, transport etc the list is endless. I have always believed in trade not aid, but for some reason I have a strong feeling that aiding will be something Africans will forever need instead of standing on their own two feet.I always ask myself for how long will Africa depend on others to bail them out?  This goes to African designers, now I respect the big boss Mr. Nduka of Arise Magazine Fashion Week for attempting to support African designers and others from the diaspora. However, I feel that the way they are going about with things is the wrong way. My dear friend Yemisi attended the Arise show back in March 2012 and she reported on the show with appalling feedback, although I love freebies I have been questioning whether this show is doing designers any favors. Giving such message across to designers is not a good sign, for example as big as London, NYC, Milan and Paris Fashion Week is to participate you must apply and pray to be selected, such platforms will bring on board the right buyers and press attending. Designers need to learn that if you want to take part in a reputable fashion show you have to pay for it, after all it is to help market your brand.

Secondly Africans need to learn that fashion shows are not for entertainment, although it may seem fun and exciting to be around beautiful people, clothes and good music, we must not forget that the purpose of the show is business. Unless we change our mindset and thinking it will take a long time for the western world to take us serious.

One of the most important aspect of a fashion show is having the right media, press and buyers aside good models and management, I cannot reiterate the importance of have the right media as part of an event.

Anyway let me know your honest opinion if you have attended any African fashion shows and how it went with organisation and remember that sometimes something free or cheap can end up costing you and your business

Until we write again
Shalom
xxx

GHANA FASHION FESTIVAL LOGO & BRANDING CRISIS

Personally what I hate in life is INCONSISTENCY, from boyfriends, friends, frequent relocation etc....you get my drift right. I am all for change dont get me wrong, but too much changes drive me mad, from changes of dates to venues and company logos without releasing a statement to fans and followers drives me mad. Beginning of the year, I planned to attend any fashion show in Ghana as I have never experience such events in Ghana, as I am only use to the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. In December or January 2012 I cam across this event  called Ghana Fashion Festival and the first event I learnt about since starting my blog. I initially saw this logo below

Then a couple of months ago, I saw this second logo on facebook, which automatically looks like it has been copied from Fendi

Then a few weeks later, 

THEN FINALLY I SEE THEIR LAST LOGO, THEY ARE OBVIOUSLY NOT SERIOUS

#BREAKING NEWS# GHANA FASHION & DESIGN WEEK MAKES FASHION HISTORY FOR GHANA AND AFRICA WITH VOGUE ITALIA AS THEIR INTERNATIONAL MEDIA PARTNER

Just when I was loosing hope about Ghana and its shady fashion industry then bang in my face I see this flying about on twitter, I feel like burying my head in the sand. Ghana has come a long way and I fully support this movement, I really dont think Ghanaians understand how big this news is, how come I am not seeing it on all these Ghanaian websites? Anyway am not surprise about Ghanaians they are busy with political news about Wayome, Gargantuan and unprecedented talks. I bet some of these people dont even know what Vogue is, even ARISE Magazine was not able to do this for their so called shows in Lagos. As it is an international event, I hope Ghanaian's and their slowness they will not sit around for foreigners to take all the designer slots. Anyway peeps I have a quick meeting around times square, and hopefully will be checking out flights for this gargantuan show in Ghana lol. Believe me I will not miss it for anyone. The organizers have indeed made history for Ghana and Africa.  

Accra Ghana, April 23, 2012 – Ghana makes fashion history. The organisers of Ghana Fashion and design week (GFDW) event are pleased to announce Vogue Italia as their international media partner for the upcoming event scheduled for the 5th -7th October 2012 at the Moevenpick Ambassador hotel in Accra, Ghana. The digital luxury fashion publication has joined forces with

GFDW to bring exclusive coverage of the event to the world.
This collaboration is truly one-of-a-kind – with Vogue Black Italia high readership from all over the globe, GFDW mission is to provide international journalistic coverage of the fashion event. Making history for Ghana and the African continent, such collaboration has never happened before and we hope this partnership lead GFDW commitment to the promotion of designers, ensuring international publishers are able to easily access official, sought after GFDW images, content and enabling designers to promote themselves to a global audience.
Vogue Italia will exclusively be covering the runway shows, with special backstage features and interviews. It is with great pleasure to add Vogue Italia to GFDW list of global partners, including luxury brands such as L’Oreal and Porsche. This partnership provides participating fashion designers, models and sponsors with brand coverage in key markets; allowing them to be discovered by new contacts globally.

About Ghana Fashion & Design Week
Ghana Fashion & Design Week® is a contemporary international platform envisioned to direct, lead and promotes both emerging and established designers to a global audience.
GFDW brings together creatively talented fashion and accessories designers in Ghana, and in the Diaspora alongside international designers, to showcase their collections to local and international retail buyers, Africa’s neo-fashion consumers, influential press, media, and fashion savvy celebrities. The event incorporates outstanding display of fashion shows and a creative Exhibition hub that gives fashion and creative businesses in Ghana, and across the globe the opportunity to exhibit their collections and related creative business services
alongside the catwalk shows.

The annual event celebration of Ghana’s Fashion and Creative business industry is set to epitomize the fashion scene in Ghana, with platforms that celebrates Ghanaian and international designers. The organisation is structured with an aim to develop and educate emerging talents in Ghana through its mentoring platforms and inspirational industry seminars to involve internationally. GFDW is strategically placed to support and strengthen the fashion, textiles and apparel manufacturing industries in Ghana.

CONTACT
Email: show@ghanafashiondesignweek.com
Website: http://www.ghanafashiondesignweek.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Ghanafashionweek
Twitter: @ghanafashionwk #GFDW
Blog: http://ghanafashionweek.wordpress.com/
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/GFDWTV
####

Source:http://ghanafashionweek.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/ghana-fashion-design-week-makes-fashion-history-for-ghana-and-africa-with-vogue-italia-as-their-international-media-partner/

GHANA FASHION & DESIGN WEEK ANNOUNCES EVENT DATE, VENUE AND LAUNCH OF A NEW WEBSITE

Accra, Ghana (12th March, 2012) — Ghana Fashion & Design Week (GFDW) today announces event date, venue and launch of its new website. The three-day event will be the most innovative and the first of its kind to take place on the global fashion calendar in Accra, Ghana.

GFDW will launch the first Ethical Fashion platform in Ghana under its umbrella themed – ETHIKHA™ during the three-day international fashion and educative seminar event scheduled to take place in Accra, the capital city of Ghana on the 5th -7th of October 2012 at the Moevenpick Ambassador Hotel. The event aims to empower Ghanaian designers, highlighting their contributions to the industry and branding Ghana as a global player in culture, fashion and tourism.

GFDW has launched its new official website www.ghanafashiondesignweek.com, the newly designed website boasts a modern, creatively designed portal as its main online point of reference for all information relating to the upcoming event. Designers, models, press, buyers, sponsors, and the global audience will be able to access quality information relating to the GFDW event.

This is a major step forward as preparation takes place for the first ever Ghana Fashion & design Week, with educative seminars about the business of fashion and creativity. GFDW vision is reinforcing its already powerful message, an aim to develop and educate creative talents in Ghana through its mentoring platforms.

Application for catwalk showcase and exhibition are available online atwww.ghanafashiondesignweek.com  All Applications will be reviewed on an on-going basis to determine eligibility based on Designer specifications. The application deadline is 30th of June 2012.

CONTACT: info@ghanafashiondesignweek.com
For media materials, press releases and more please visit our online pressroom at; http://www.ghanafashiondesignweek.com/press-media

Vision. Creation. Education

GHANA FASHION FESTIVAL TO TAKE PLACE 13th - 16th June 2012

Ghana Fashion Festival is an ALL NEW annual premier fashion event taking place in the city of Accra. The city of Accra will come alive through a program of dynamic, interactive, creative and popular fashion events. The Festival aims “to celebrate, nurture and promote all aspects of African fashion and style”. With ticketed and free-to-public events, there will be something for everyone.

AKWAABA FASHION WEEK ......THE LAST THING GHANA NEEDS?

Here we go again, as much as I like to see Ghana move forward, I find it heart breaking to see individuals with no knowledge in the industry abusing the little designers we have left. Aside Christie Brown and Duaba serwa we dont have any designers in Ghana that can compete internationally. The rest are just what I call "I AM TRYING" designers, everything they make is just boring and lacks creativity. In my next post to come I will be zooming in closely to the work of so called ghanaian designers and I shall critically dissect their work in my own opinion yes I said it, my own opinion. Anyway, this Akwaaba fashion week show is worrying, who calls  a show Akwaaba, I smell ugliness coming through Ghana yet once again, Have they not be watching the Nigerians? Lagos Fashion & Design week, Arise etc who the hell comes out with a wacky ducky name for a show as that. To make matters worse check their logo below, a teddy bear WTF ....Ghanaians will never learn KMT

Mrs Edwina Banda Take Heart ......Who Made This Woman Upset?

JOYCE ABABIO VOGUE STYLE SCHOOL OF FASHION AND DESIGN TO BUILD A BIGGER SCHOOL & ADD MORE COURSES TO THEIR CURRICULUM

Good news for Ghana and its fashion industry, with the likes of Christie Brown as ex graduates of the school, I believe more great designers will come of this school institution. Check out the video below:

MODEL CASTING CALL IN ACCRA FOR GHANA FASHION DESIGN WEEK

With Ghana Fashion & design Week approaching, the organizers are looking to cast both male and female models to walk during the upcoming fashion week runway shows in autumn 2012. Willing participants must have open availability for show dates, in autumn which specific dates and venue in Accra is yet to be confirmed. For any model who is looking to strut their stuff down the runway, here are all the details below:

---

WHEN: MONDAY 9th, TUESDAY 10th or Wednesday11th (11.00am-4:00pm)

WHERE: The Regus Centre, 5 Roman road, Roman Ridge, off Borstal avenue, Accra, Ghana

TIME: 11.00 am – 4.00pm

Important Notice: 

We advise that Models who do not live in Ghana email us with their Photos and statistics Information if they have not already done so (Please see below requirements) to be considered in the process, and only attend if it is feasible for you to do so, as travelling to Ghana may incur cost for you . We aim to review all Models applications in the casting process and happy to feature Models should they fit the criteria and passionate to walk the runway.

Please bring with you:

• Pair of high heels (to see you walk)

And for all you fashionable people who are looking forward to attending official Ghana Fashion & Design Week 2012 in Autumn in Accra (dates and venue are yet to be confirmed)