Don’t Miss The #BNSDigitalSummit: #MadeinAfrica: Exploring Africa’s Potential As A Global Fashion Manufacturing Hub

Be a part of the BellaNaija Style Summit #BNSDigitalSummit – Harnessing Africa’s True Potential on the 14th of August 2021.

BellaNaija Style‘s Head of Content Mary Edoro will lead this opening conversation titled #MadeinAfrica: Exploring Africa’s Potential As A Global Fashion Manufacturing Hub with keynote speakers Omoyemi Akerele, the Founder and Executive Director of Style House Files, and Simone Cipriani, UN Officer and Founder of Ethical Fashion Initiative. These industry leaders will discuss the dynamics of the textile industry in Africa, proffer solutions on how we can create more commercial value internationally for our locally produced fabrics, and advance the process of industrialization of their production.

Meet the Panellists

Simone Cipriani

Simone Cipriani founded and manages the Ethical Fashion Initiative, a flagship programme of the International Trade Centre, a joint agency of the United Nations and of the World Trade Organization. In addition, he chairs the secretariat of the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion. 

Simone Cipriani has made it his mission to build a more responsible and sustainable fashion industry, by transforming it into a vehicle of poverty reduction and of empowerment of women, throughout the developing world. The Ethical Fashion Initiative (EFI) is a large supply chain that enables artisans who live in marginalised conditions, in Africa (Burkina Faso, Mali, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and DRC), the Caribbean (Haiti) and Asia (Afghanistan and also in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), to become regular suppliers of international fashion and lifestyle brands, thus reducing poverty and empowering large numbers of women artisans.  

Since its inception, the initiative has also evolved into an accelerator to work with emerging African designers to promote their talent at an international level and thus to support more forms of Made in Africa production. 

Today, through his work at the Ethical Fashion Initiative, Simone Cipriani has become a key spokesperson at the forefront of the growing global movement for ethical supply chains in the fashion industry. 

Omoyemi Akerele

Omoyemi Akerele is the founder and executive director of Style House Files, a fashion business development agency that primarily focuses on the Nigerian and African Fashion Industry. Omoyemi Akerele is widely regarded as a driving force behind the burgeoning Nigerian fashion industry. A pioneering agency in image consultancy and creative direction within the West African country, Style House Files works with Nigerian brands on brand positioning and retail strategies. Omoyemi also helps brands gain essential international exposure through presenting showcases at Pitti Immagine in Italy, and through Lagos Fashion and Design Week.

In 2011, Omoyemi launched Lagos Fashion and Design Week, the show runs a four-day schedule featuring a select list of talented up and coming designers and fashion entrepreneurs, partnering with the British Fashion Council, the show has been instrumental in raising the profile of the Nigerian fashion industry, and has drawn international attention and acclaim from journalists as well as attracting a host of international buyers.

Mark your calendars and stay tuned to @bellanaijastyle and follow the hashtag #BNSDigitalSummit on Instagram as we unveil the different panels and interviews as well as announce the incredible lineup of speakers we have for the day!