The Beat of Africa fashion show took place on Tuesday the 15th of July in Rome as part of the city’s AltaRoma fashion week. Organized by the International Trade Centre (ITC) Ethical Fashion Initiative, some of the hottest African designers right now showed off their latest collections: Duaba Serwa (Ghana), Mina Evans (Ghana), Lisa Folawiyo (Nigeria) and as special project Stella Jean (Haiti/Italy).
If the logo of the event looked like something an NGO would produce, the fashion show definitely didn’t. The show was super professional and the designs breath taking and fashion forward. My favorite collections were by Duaba Serwa and Lisa Folawiyo – formerly known as Jewel by Lisa. And one gown by Stella Jean who pictured Haitian women was another favorite that many visitors kept on talking about after the show.
Check-out some of the images below. Which designer does your heart beat for?
Duaba Serwa
The brand by designer Nelly Aboagye has been one of my favorites for quite a while due to its chic, trendy elegance.The collection she presented was very wearable. Perfect pieces for office to evening transition outfits! Great news for everyone who wants to get a piece of Duaba Serwa in their closets: Nelly is working on opening a store in Accra (Ghana) this year.
Lisa Folawiyo
Lisa’s SS 2015 collection opened the show with a bang. Formerly known as Jewel by Lisa but now moving forward using her own name, the designs continue to be innovative, elegant, stylish and cool. I loved the color combinations and the elegant print and fabric mixture. The silhouettes were body conscious with some playful asymmetric elements. There were at least 2 pieces I would want in my closet asap! Lisa will also be part of New York Fashion Week in September so mark your calendars!
Stella Jean
Protégé from Giorgio Armani and a lot talked about, Stella Jean continues to stick to prints to create fashionable collections. Moving away from Ankara only her designs mix stripes, dots with Africa-inspired prints and other print motives. Definitely the most colorful collection of the day and as I already stated above, I loved the white gown with the imprint of the Haitian women!
Mina Evans
Soft, flowy dresses in bright colors with short or longer capes and wooden statement necklaces introduced the collection from Mina Evans-Anfom. Nice outfits for chic evening events in the Summer. My favorite was the salmon colored coat with the blue inlay and the long pink dress.
I love all of these!!! So beautiful. Your blog is the BEST.
Krystal K.
The Feisty House