Temple Management Company, a global full-service talent and events management agency headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, is collaborating with Insider, a US-based PR Firm as well as the U.S. African Development Foundation, an independent federal agency established to support African-led development, to stage the first ever Africa House at the South By South West (SXSW).
The Africa House program will take place at Parker Jazz Club Saturday, March 10, through Sunday, March 11, 2018, in Austin, TX. The platform is devoted to catalyzing partnerships between entrepreneurs and investors looking to do business with special focus on Best in African Entertainment, Technology, Innovation, Fashion, Art, and Design.
TMC, alongside collaborating organizations, have developed a showcase featuring compelling speakers and panels focused on the technology, art, design, and music of Africa.
Speaking on the event, Aubrey Hruby, co-founder of Insider identified African innovation as the future global growth. He explained, “Africa House will give entrepreneurs, founders, artists, and designers a platform to promote themselves globally while also providing prospective investors the opportunity to learn about the latest innovations Africa has to offer and how the continent’s tech boom is reshaping the business, culture, and economic trajectory of many of its countries.”
Terfa Tilley-Gyado, Director of Communications, TMC also added, “This is a unique opportunity to represent Africa at this major event. This is a boom time for African talent and Temple is uniquely positioned to have conversations across these varying spectrums.”
Pioneering African artistes in attendance will include Bisola Aiyeola, a Nigerian actress, singer, MC, and presenter; Chris Akinyemi, who has a blazing new single out and Mr Lab, the virtuoso producer, among others.
In addition to workshops, immersive panels, and networking happy hours, Africa House will also present a pop-up shop featuring work and products by Sonia Mugabo (“SM”), a Rwandan fashion brand that employs local artisan talent to make high quality clothing that captures the essence of global trends with an inspired edge that is purely African; UNIFORM, a fashion styling subscription service designed by Chid Liberty, Liberian co-founder of Liberty and Justice, Africa’s first Fair Trade-certified apparel manufacturer; ENZI, an Ethiopian premium footwear brand seeking to challenge global perceptions of Africa through design, and YouNeek Studios, a creative character-based storytelling and entertainment company that produces animation, comics, graphic novels, film, and other media featuring eclectic characters inspired by African history, culture, and mythology.
Due to popular demand, ARISE Fashion Week (AFW 2018) will return from March 30th to April 2nd at the Lagos Continental Hotel(formerly known as Intercontinental Hotel). It is destined to be an Easter extravaganza like no other.
11 years ago, Africa’s fashion industry became truly global with the birth of ARISE, the synonym for “Africa Rising”. ARISE Fashion Week helped to put Nigeria firmly on the global fashion map, showcasing and promoting African designers on the runways of the world, from London’s famous Royal Albert Hall, to Washington DC’s Kennedy Center, to the legendary triple appearance during New York’s iconic Fashion Week, to Lagos, to Johannesburg, to Cape Town and Paris.
The AFW runway has seen global fashion icons and leading models such as Naomi Campbell, Alek Wek, Liya Kedebe, Oluchi Orlandi, Grace Bol, Georgie Badiel, Millen Magese, showcase the best of Africa.
The event has also seen internationally acclaimed designers such as Gavin Rajah, Oswald Boateng, David Tlale, LaQuan Smith, Lanre DaSilva, DEOLA, Jewel By Lisa, Ituen Basi, Odion Mimonet and more fly the African flag.From March 30th to April 2nd at the Lagos Continental Hotel, ARISE Fashion Week 2018 will once again showcase the best and brightest fashion designers from around the world.
Still the most prominent fashion show in Africa, ARISE Fashion Week 2018 continues to hold its prestigious place and it is where the global fashion elite will once again converge and where international and African fashion collections are shown to a global audience of buyers, financiers, retailers and media – whilst creating memorable fashion moments through authenticity, innovation and style.
The AFW runway 2018 event in Lagos will feature 45 designers from 14 countries such as South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal, France, Morocco, the United Kingdom, the United States , the Caribbean and Nigeria. The best of these will be selected to showcase during NYFW in September this year.
“We are excited to bring world class fashion back to Lagos in the real sense of it. The bar will definitely be raised once more with strong collaborations, innovation, and creativity.”, says Co-Producer Ruth Osime
The official designers for this year’s fashion showcase will be unveiled this week.
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