This year Guaranty Trust Bank Lagos Fashion and Design Week (GTBank LFDW) launched Lagos Fashion and Design Week Fashion Focus (LFDW Fashion Focus), a year-long initiative aimed at developing the Nigerian fashion industry.
In partnership with, Frallain Inc and Istituto Marangoni, LFDW Fashion Focus will offer fashion designers opportunities to be participants at targeted workshops and networking sessions between 2014 and 2015. They will also have a chance to exhibit their collection in front of a select audience at Guaranty Trust Bank Lagos Fashion and Design Week October, 2014.
15 participants; Michael Shumaker, Olivia & Sylvia Enekwe, Mimi Habibah, Franklyn Uchechukwu, Titi Belo, Jumoke Ademilua, Temitayo Nathan, Oluwatobi Akintoye, Abimbola Oye, Oyindamola Omolale, Adeju Thompson, Babatunde Oyeyemi, Omowunmi Owonifari, Lamipo Somoye and Ugonna Ibe were selected out of over One Hundred competitive applications by the LFDW Fashion Focus judges; Wadami Amolegbe (LFDW Fashion Focus, Creative Director), Kehinde Okunoren ( Designer, Okunoren Twins), Dimeji Alara (Genevieve Magazine Editor) and Oluwabunmi Alake (Project Co-ordinator, British Council)
As part of phase One activation, Fashion Focus hosted a comprehensive 3-Day workshop for the 15 designers in partnership with various institutions and prestigious industry leaders from Nigeria and the United Kingdom.Facilitators included Mrs. A.B Lemon (HOD, Industrial Design department, Yaba College of Technology), Mrs. Adejuyitan (Head of Fashion Section, Yaba College of Technology), Mr. Adeyemo (Screen Printing, Yaba College of Technology), Mr. Benjamin Akano, (Chief Lecturer, Department of Industrial Design, Yaba College of Technology), Nike Awoyinka ( Head of International Development ,Ravensborne, UK), Elena Corchero (Lost Values, UK), Iain and Andrew Foxall (Foxall Studios, UK).
Wadami Amolegbe, Creative Director LFDW Fashion Focus stated ‘Fashion Focus is aimed at developing the Nigerian fashion ecosystem by nurturing the very best of talent through intensive workshops and classes delivered of international standards. This will ensure that our designers can compete in fashion industries locally and globally.’
Temitayo Ilesanmi Nathan, CEO of fashion brand T.I Nathan and one of the 15 finalists stated ‘I enjoyed every part of this experience. I learnt the ethics of fashion trade and how we could work with hands to make fabrics and accessories. I also learnt how we could to mix wearable technology with fashion, how to tackle retail spaces with technology and basically boost customer service with technology. I also learned the importance of branding and brand identity. It was an awesome experience generally’’.
Lagos Fashion and Design Week is title sponsored by Guaranty Trust Bank plc.
Other sponsors include Style House, British Council, Maybelline Nigeria and Fayrouz Nigeria.
Media Partners – Haute Fashion Africa, Genevieve Magazine, Wings Magazine, Ono Bello, Style Vitae, Spice TV and The Style HQ.
Meet the Top 15 Finalists:
Temitayo Nathan
Temitayo Ilesanmi Nathan, a student at the University of Lagos where he is currently studying Cell Biology and Genetics, He is also the Creative Mind behind the menswear label T.I Nathan. Nathans approach to life is Minimalist in its interpretation and this clearly reflects in his aesthetic as a designer. The T.I. Nathan Label has its design philosophy knitted around a more contemporary take on Minimalism. With a debut collection bashed by the fashion press under the label name NATTAYO, the young talented designer interned at the Lagos Fashion and Design Week in 2012 where he was able to Learn and Garner, Harness and Channel the Knowledge from his experience to refine his craftsmanship and rebrand his label. In 2014 he debuted “Solace” under the label T.I Nathan as a part of its 2014 collective and it was well received and reviewed by some of fashions finest crowd. In the same year, Nathan was the head designer on the winning team for the Fayrouz L’originale competition (TEAM ELAN).
Michael Shumaker
Michael Shumaker (born Michael Olomoro Shumaker, 18th December 1993) is a Nigerian fashion designer and illustrator based in Nigeria. He is the head designer and creative director for the luxury fashion house Michael Shumaker.
He attended the university of Lagos, Lagos state Nigeria, where he studied Adult education and community development in the department of Adult Education and community development (2010/2012), whence which he started his fashion label ” Michael Shumaker”, he is also a self thought fashion illustrator and artist.
Gozel Green
The twin sisters, Sylvia and Olivia Enekwe are the fresh brains behind the budding Label, Gozel Green, established in the year 2010. Growing up in the eastern part of Nigeria, Enugu, they found nature at door steps; the hills, the wonderful alluring weather, the cultural and diverse people, the spectacular red earthen, beige, burgundy colours of the sand, the healthy trees. Their art-loving parents, a Fashion Institute of Technology New York Alumni mother and a theatre arts giant father tremendously inspired them.
Cinnamon & Pearl
As a child, it was watching her mom develop a clothing line for which she created her own prints that sparked Ugonna’s interest in fashion. Soon after, her artistic interests spread to sketching and painting using acrylic and oil. Now mostly a portrait painter; she is currently exploring the creativity in abstract painting. When she’s not entranced by fabric shopping, Ugonna enjoys practicing her Yoga positions, recreating healthy versions of dishes from her favorite food shows (which is just about all of them!) and of course sharing a bottle of Red with her best girls. Ugonna Ibe is very passionate about building a sustainable African fashion company.
L’emiral
Oyindamola omolale born 4th October 1987 is a Nigerian fashion designer based in Nigeria. She is the head designer and creative director of the fashion house L’EMIRAL. Over the years, she has collaborated on a variety of fashion and art-related projects and has showcased on different Runways both Locally and internationally, E.g. Africa fashion week London 2012, (AFWL), Nigeria Television fashion show (NTFS) etc, she was also featured in the October 2012 issue of British vogue.
Oyindamola is a graduate of computer engineering from the prestigious University of Lagos, Lagos Nigeria. She started fashion at the tender age of ten; she started by making purses with her mum and dad’s old leather bags. She started her brand while in school but officially launched L’EMIRAL 2011.
She loves traveling and writing, Reading, and spending time with family.
Reni Smith
Bimbo Oye spent her early years growing up in Lagos. Her grandmother was a seamstress thus giving her an early taste of the world of design and fashion. Beginning her formal training at Instituto di Moda Burgo where she got a diploma in fashion styling, she then entered the exciting world of fashion by establishing the Reni Smith brand.
Her design aesthetic is architectural in concept, flowing in nature, dimensional, practical and comfortable.
O’milua
Jumoke Ademilua is an art enthusiast and the creative director of the contemporary fashion brand O’milua. Her love for art since childhood made her choose fashion as a career. Jumoke graduated with a Bsc in Industrial Mathematics from Covenant University and went on to study fashion at London College of Fashion. She did a short course in 3D fashion at Central Saints Martins after which she went on to intern at Donna Karen New York (DKNY) at their menswear London office. After returning to Nigeria Jumoke officially launched my clothing line in 2012 and have since been growing her brand.
Her aesthetics as a fashion designer is to create prints that are inspired by her rich culture and heritage together with strong silhouettes that are inspired by cubism and geometry.
Titi Belo
Self-named fashion brand, Titi Belo is a budding fashion label, which started in 2012. The creative mind behind the brand is Titilayo Shotile-Belo. Titilayo is a graduate of Architecture from the prestigious University of Lagos.
Her undying love for fashion has contributed tremendously in providing garments that makes today’s woman a modern icon of strength, beauty who is also a versatile young woman that isn’t intimidated by adventure and can switch between looks and trends whenever needed.
Miliadro
Creative Director of Miliadro, a UK based fashion house & Fashion Editor for The Northerner Magazine.
T16 World of Fashion
Oluwatobi Akintoye began her career as a tailor, but because of her humble beginning, passion for fashion and drive to be successful, this helped facilitate her rise through the ranks, first as a tailor and now as a designer. In her sojourn into the beautiful world of fashion she had the opportunity to be mentored by the likes of (Mai Atafo, Lanre Da Silva. while learning to be a designer TOBI acknowledge education to be very paramount and so studies GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING side -by-side in the school of 1st choice university of Lagos. All this gave birth to the brand T16 world of Fashion. She specializes in woman clothing. The brand is an effortless, timeless and wearable Line that reflects the kind of woman she is herself, which is strong, bold, fun, unique and fearless. TOBI hopes to be an inspiration to the younger generation behind her in the nearest future.
Rayo By L.Somoye
Armed with an Associates of Arts in Fashion Design and a Bachelors of Science in Business Management from the Fashion Institute of Design and Mechanizing, Los Angeles, Lamipo Somoye moved to back to her home town Lagos, Nigeria in 2012. After years of soul searching and market research Rayo by L. Somoye was born with high hopes of creating an international brand that would have positive economical impact on her country. In addition to working with her own brand, Lamipo Somoye recently began working with The Della Lifestyle Brands, Alter Ego and ADA by Alter Ego.
Mo’Fari
Omowunmi Owonifari- The founder / creative engine behind the “regal” fashion label Mo’fari couture, a well trained Fashion Designer who has a Diploma in Fashion Designing from the Prestigious Nobel Afrik Training and Dressmaking school. Mo’fari is an aspiring growing brand in the Nigerian fashion industry which was founded in June 2011. The brand represents a modern woman sense of beauty who is sophisticated , sure of herself and enjoys good quality of life with pieces that highlights a woman’s silhouette. Mo’faris creation are well- crafted, exacting and exquisite from the inside out.
She was also trained at Fate Foundation business school on entrepreneurship.
Adeju Thompson
Babatunde Oyeyemi
& Frank Aghuno
… close out the Top 15 2014 GTBank Lagos Fashion & Design Week Fashion Focus Finalists.
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