Afro Fashion’s event Meet Our Designers returns after three years

After a three year hiatus, the event Meet Our Designers originally created by Afro Fashion’s Michelle Francine Ngonmo finally made its return this week with a two-day celebration and presentation hosted by l’Accademia del Lusso in Milan. The event was first created in 2016 with the intention of promoting BIPOC Italian designers and showcasing their collections to a wider audience. During the event each participating designer was given their own space to present their never-before-seen Fall Winter collections. «We are very proud to have created this partnership as we fully support the message of the Afro Fashion association: to push young talents and multiculturalism as winning assets to build a new and more inclusive fashion system. A strong message that our prestigious spaces in Via MonteNapoleone 5, in the heart of the Milanese quadrilateral, have conveyed with a beautiful exhibition,» commented Maurizio Gonnella, General Manager of the Accademia del Lusso. 

Photo Credit Boopathiraja Periyasamy / Afro Fashion Association

Photo Credit Boopathiraja Periyasamy / Afro Fashion Association

Photo Credit Boopathiraja Periyasamy / Afro Fashion Association

Photo Credit Boopathiraja Periyasamy / Afro Fashion Association

Photo Credit Boopathiraja Periyasamy / Afro Fashion Association

Photo Credit Boopathiraja Periyasamy / Afro Fashion Association

Photo Credit Boopathiraja Periyasamy / Afro Fashion Association

Photo Credit Boopathiraja Periyasamy / Afro Fashion Association

This year the lineup featured a selection of seven designers: Zineb Hazim and her namesake brand, who presented a lineup of colourful gowns and garments; Paul Roger Tanonkou and his brand Zenam, who showcased  African iconographies and prints with Italian tailoring; Alvine Demanou’s Maison ALVINE Demanou, crafting tales of African traditions and prints in her clothes with the utmost elegance; Balde Milano by Balde Mamadou, who with his garments and silhouettes bridges the conversation between fashion and architecture with the use of tailoring;  Romy Calzado and her namesake label, bringing to life the spirit of her hometown Havana with a European aesthetic; Airin Tribal by designer Irene Eddie, who offers handmade accessories and clothes with a futuristic aesthetic that references the past, and Nana Brenu, fashion designer and creative consultant.

Photo Credit Sarah Tarves / Accademia del Lusso

Photo Credit Sarah Tarves / Accademia del Lusso

Photo Credit Sarah Tarves / Accademia del Lusso

Photo Credit Sarah Tarves / Accademia del Lusso

Photo Credit Sarah Tarves / Accademia del Lusso

Photo Credit Sarah Tarves / Accademia del Lusso

Photo Credit Sarah Tarves / Accademia del Lusso

Photo Credit Sarah Tarves / Accademia del Lusso

Photo Credit Sarah Tarves / Accademia del Lusso

Photo Credit Sarah Tarves / Accademia del Lusso

According to founder Michelle Francine Ngonmo, «it is essential for us to work to facilitate the creative leadership of BIPOC profiles and non-traditional energies. Putting skills, talents, creativity and fashion into a system is a major opportunity for change and progress. From the beginning, the association has always worked to promote the talent of BIPOC designers and create opportunities to be known by companies, Italian producers, the local press and the public. Events like Meet our Designers build bridges with commercial distributors. This is essential for the growth of the designers we have selected over the years, as their collections are presented to the market and the public.»