BellaNaija Style delivered an enlightening experience via its digital summit, “Mapping Africa’s Fashion Future,” which went live on Saturday, August 8th.
Under its host, BellaNaija Style Editor at Large Isoken Ogiemwonyi and Moderators Mary Edoro & Tobi Idowu, the summit was organized to inspire, educate — and yes, connect — the black beauty, fashion and lifestyle audiences with a practical discourse on the state of the global industry and promote the cross-cultural exchange of ideas.
The summit invited several fashion experts and founders to speak on a panel focused on modern trends in media and the business of fashion, including planning, social media, internships, brand integrity, brand focus, partnerships and more. Asanda Sizani, Bukky George Taylor, Dami Olukoya, Tosin Ogundadegbe, Yoanna Chikezie and Toni-Blaze were among some of the panellists who gave the audience a better understanding of the industry.
The schedule of the summit was divided into four key sessions.
See some of our top quotes from each panel. Here are some of the major highlights:
Session 1 | Fashion Education – Future-Proofing Your Fashion Business
Isoken Ogiemwonyi sat down with Veronika Odeka, founder of Vane Style and Yoanna Chikezie, founder of The Assembly, to discuss starting out in the industry. The discussion ended with the panellists speaking on the importance of getting training and internships as a fashion enthusiast with interest in a career in the industry.
Session 2 | Pitching The Press: How To Build Buzzworthy Moments For Your Next Launch
Bukky George-Taylor, founder at Robert Taylor Communications spoke about social media, influencers and way brands should communicate and put out campaigns.
Toni-Blaze, Editor-in-chief, Wonderland, talked about establishing connections between people, going in search of quality content and doubling up on skills within the workplace. While Asanda Sizani, founder of Black Editors contributed to the conversation speaking on how to be a responsible media producer in today’s socio-political climate especially with brands and influencers approaching. “You have to live the brand’s value to be credible,” she said.
Session 3 | African Brands On The Red Carpet
Fashion styling, wardrobe management and events were the main themes in this session with stylists Peju Famojure and Tosin Ogundadegbe. The panellists talked about the job of styling and understanding clothes. Tosin expanded on a few points adding that fashion is not merely about comfort, highlighting his experience of working despite the pandemic.
Session 4 | Reaching International Audiences From Africa
Kicking off the conversation, the panellists Dami Olukoya, founder at Imad Eduso, Ogwa Iweze, founder at Dzyn and Kiki Achukwu, founder at Zephans&Co talked about the blueprint of running a fashion design house. They spoke on technology and innovation as a concept which has sustained and, indeed, contributed greatly to their brands especially in this era.