FADAN fashion week holds November 18 & 19

The Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria (FADAN) is set to hold the 2017 FADAN Fashion Week in Lagos. With the theme: “A Stitch In Time,” the two-day event will hold on November 18 and 19 at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island.

At a recent media parley to announce the upcoming event, FADAN President Mrs Funmi Ajila-Ladipo, explained that this year’s event goes beyond the runway and entertainment, as it involves a new direction in youth empowerment.

“This two-day event will X-ray the essentials in the fashion industry through the training and sure-fire Master Class to be conducted by proven professionals and experts in Nigeria’s fashion industry. And this initiative to train young people in the fashion industry will be a quarterly affair from 2018.”

She recalled that last year FADAN staged an international fashion fair that was preceded by donations of clothing materials to 5,000 displaced children in different IDP camps across the country. This symbolic gesture, according to her, went a long way in establishing FADAN as a serious professional body that is always rising to the occasion through its social investment in different communities, as stakeholders where we see socio-economic gaps yearning to be filled.

“Our goals this year will center more on capacity building for young fashion designers who will be exposed to new trends in the industry, as we empower them to become real partners in the fashion value chain.

You will also recall how FADAN, under our administration had clamoured for production hubs across the country with a view to putting real value to our creativity through division of labour and specialisation as it is done in several parts of the world. We have, on several occasions presented our case to the federal and state government in this regard. We must work hard to promote Made-in-Nigeria goods beyond word of mouth.”

While calling on corporate and individual Nigerians to support FADAN’s effort to empower the youths who have demonstrated interest in fashion design, and whose dreams may be truncated due to lack of exposure and inadequate funding, she added.

“Funds received from sponsors and partners will be used majorly for purchasing state-of-the-art sewing machines for over 500 trainees, some of whom will benefit from this year’s event; and others identified through our partnership with colleges and universities offering fashion design in their curriculum.”About 25 designers are expected to grace the runway at the two-day event that is sponsored by Da Viva, Lagos State Government, Fan Milk and CMC Connect among others.