Building on the success of BellaNaija Style‘s inaugural virtual conference in 2020 tagged “Mapping Africa’s Fashion Future” – which included top names in the African fashion industry, #BNSDigitalSummit convened again leading experts and global thought leaders in fashion and beauty who unpacked the theme “Harnessing Africa’s True Potential” and outlined the steps that need to be taken over the coming decade to align the blossoming African industry with global goals and trends.

In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the fashion industry’s environmental impact, sparked by abundant evidence of increased worldwide clothing consumption and fuelled by increased clothing accessibility and affordability. The environment has been at the forefront of many critical discussions in 2021. On the continent, landfill sites brim with rotting clothing from fast fashion brands. The fashion industry’s continued expansion has caused a spike in landfills loaded with discarded clothing that no longer fits the trend. According to research, the United Kingdom sends 10,000 items of clothing to landfills every five minutes, with major African cities like Lagos and Accra having huge dumping grounds flooded with discarded fashion items.

From responding to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, new advances in recycled fabric technology to the promotion of African textiles heritage, Watch the video below to find out how top designers Nkwo Onwuka, Ekwerike Chukuma, Sydney Nwakanma are paving the way for a more environmentally responsible future of fashion.