Afro Fashion Week, the Afro Fashion Association’s flagship event, celebrated its tenth edition during the MFW womenswear blitz.
Afro Fashion Week, the Afro Fashion Association’s flagship event, celebrated its tenth edition during the MFW womenswear blitz. MODES came out to support the project, teaming up with Vogue Italia to host a party and turning the displays of its Milan hub over to four BIPOC designers, hand-selected by Afro Fashion founder Michelle Francine Ngomno. The mission: to promote the work of emerging talent – and to get their creations in front industry leaders, creating sustainable contacts. It’s the second time MODES has collaborated with the organization, and according to owner Aldo Carpentieri, it won’t be the last: “we have a duty to support the new voices infusing Italian creativity with the diversity that makes it so unique and strong,” he told Vogue following the launch. (MODES and Afro Fashion Week have already announced the next event, scheduled for February 2024.)
This season, guests were introduced to work by brandZenam founder Paul Roger Tanonkou, who combined bamiléké elements from his native Cameroon with Italian Murano tradition; exquisitely detailed shoes by Morocco’s Karim Daoudi; Laba Douala’s upcycled sustainable creations considering best practice solutions for West African denim disposal; and Step Out, a streetwear-focused brand exploring reusability in the urban landscape. Installations at MODES were presented for two weeks, giving producers and buyers plenty of time to come explore the designs. For those who still missed it – photos below.
