Two Giant Nigerian Brands to Showcase Africa to the World this October

Mary Nnah 

To mark Black History Month in London, which is usually celebrated throughout October, two renowned Nigerian brands, Africa Fashion Week London and the Black History and Lifestyle Awards, have lined up a series of activities to mark the annual event.

Addressing pressmen in Lagos recently, founders of the two Nigerian brands, Olori Ronke Ademiluyi Ogunwusi and Folashade Balogun, respectively,  said the event scheduled to kick-start in London from October 27th to 29th will be promoting the continent’s culture, clothing, and music among others in the diaspora.

“African Fashion Week London has been in existence for the last 12 years and this year is its 13th year.  Black History and Lifestyle Awards started a couple of years ago and we have done our events in Nigeria and all that. But this time around the two giant brands are collaborating to hold a fantastic event in London. October is Black History Week in London. So, we are trying to change some narratives from this black slavery and all that. This is us showcasing our heritage, our culture, and also letting people know that black-owned businesses have come to stay”, Balogun said.

Balogun who said House of Sota will be  going on the runway with a collection called ‘Ijile’, added that awards will be given to those who have performed excellently in the industry and there would be special recognition awards for those who have supported the growth of the  Black and African creative industry.  

Olori Ogunwusi, said, “We are coming together to have a massive event. And there’s this African saying, that says when you want to walk fast, you walk alone but when you want to walk far, you work with other people.  And that’s why we have decided to do this together this year.”

Speaking further, Ogunwusi said, “I was privileged to attend her event in Nigeria last year, and that was where the conversation started. She wanted to have an event in London to celebrate Black History Month. We had an ongoing event already. So we both decided rather than her doing hers independently, why don’t we both come together, bring our forces together, bring our energies together and networking opportunities and just showcase Africa to the world? That was super fabulous.”

Olori noted further, ‘One of the things we are going to be doing is that we are going to be having celebrities walk on the runway wearing clothes made by  different designers. In addition to that,  we are launching our first UK Trade Expo this year as part of the event.  it is called the Beyond Fashion UK Trade Expo.

‘We decided to do that because we realised that over the years fashion has gone beyond just showcasing models on the runway or showcasing the designs on the runway. So we’re trying to explore the entire value chain of the fashion industry. So we’re starting on  October 27th and it’s going to be about commerce and culture”, she added.

The keynote speaker for the event, holding at the prestigious Institute of Directors in  London, will be the Imperial Majesty, Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi.