2012 MTN Lagos Fashion and Design Week announces Finalists for Young Designer of the Year & Young Creative Entrepreneur Awards

The MTN Lagos Fashion and Design Week (LFDW) will take place in October 2012. In addition to showcasing the best of the Spring/Summer 2013 collections from Nigeria’s premier designers, the week will once again present The MTN LFDW Awards where cash awards will be given to the Young Designer of the Year, Young Creative Entrepreneur of The Year and the Young Model of The Year.

With the success of last year’s events still fresh in everyone’s minds, the MTN LFDW team couldn’t wait to start the journey to this year’s LFDW! Travelling to different parts of Nigeria to screen candidates for each category played a huge role in setting LFDW apart from other fashion events. This year, judges travelled the country again looking for the future stars of the fashion industry. Port Harcourt, the Treasure Base City, was host to the first screenings.

Held at the Le Meridien, Ogeyi Place on the 8th of August, the city welcomed the team with open arms. The LFDW Port Harcourt judges included Akpos Okudu, a MTN Lagos Fashion & Design Week 2011 finalist; Ijeoma Arugba from British Council; Kester Osahenye from MTN and Wadami Amolegbe of HauTeFashionAfrica.com.

Abuja, the capitol of Nigeria was the second city and second stop for the MTN Lagos Fashion & Design Week Awards screenings. The LFDW team arrived on the 10th of August, 2012. Denis Hotel was the venue and the “Center of Unity” was full of fashion creatives who brought their A game! The judges were Sephora Imomoh from British Council, Melvin Awolowo of XLR8 & Oyinkansola Momoh from Style House Files.

Lagos, the budding fashion city was the last stop for the screenings. As expected, the metropolitan did not disappoint! By far the most attended screening, the crowd gathered on the 13th of August at the British Council, a LFDW sponsor and the perfect venue for the “Center of Excellence”.

The judges for the Lagos screenings were MTN’s Bukola Kajero and Ibobo Chukwuma; Ojoma Ochai from British Council; Veronica Odeka-Ebie of Vanestyle, and fashion designer Lanre DaSilva-Ajayi.

Each day of screenings went smoothly, with participant after participant, impressing the judges… and leaving them with very difficult decisions to make! Picking models, designers and those being considered for the Young Creative Entrepreneur category was not easy but the judges finally reached an agreement and nominated (in no particular order):

2012 MTN Lagos Fashion and Design Week Awards – Young Designer Category – Finalists

• Agu Anumudu
• Ponmile Olawoye
• Karen Jacobs
• Jennifer Adighije
• Kehinde Osotimehin
• Wana Sambo
• Uju Offiah
• Wisdom Anaba
• Orange Culture
• Buchi Okoro
• Joshua Udiminue
• Kopho Jomo

2012 MTN Lagos Fashion and Design Week Awards – Young Creative Entrepreneur Category – Finalists
• Ogo Atariete
• Olajide Okerayi
• Isoken Ogiemwonyi
• Yusuf Kolawole Kuddus of Kola Kuddus – who was the 1st finalist for the YCE awards in Lagos, and took home the Blackberry 9230, a gift from MTN LFDW Official Technology Partners, RIM Blackberry.

2012 MTN Lagos Fashion and Design Week Awards – Prizes
• MTN British Council Young Designer of the Year (YDE), which includes a cash prize of N4,000,000, business mentoring and capacity building working workshops
• MTN British Council Young Creative Entrepreneur of the Year (YCE), which includes a cash prize of N2,000,000 and a tour of the London Fashion week
• MTN Young Model of the Year which includes a cash prize of N1,000,000

Photos from the Screening