AFI fashion week celebrates 15 years at Sandton City

African fashion designers from all walks of life came in numbers to celebrate 15 years of Africa Fashion International (AFI) which featured an exhibition at the diamond walk in Sandton City.

With upcoming and big-name designers showcasing their work to the masses from November 18 to 20, fashionistas could not resist attending the prestigious event from start to finish.

From Miss Universe 2019 Zozibini Tunzi, to Skeem Saam actor Mokgofe Moagi in attendance for the Day 1 show on November 18, the event was truly every designer’s and model’s dream.

Day 1 of the show featured House of Nala which went with the theme of orange and green for their showcase, Kaylaamiel Creations, Woke Studios and many more. To say the least, participants were more than thrilled throughout.

“Fashion is the identity of an individual and seeing all of these great works from African designers just shows that we are heading in the right direction of understanding our cultures. It was my first attending a fashion show and it won’t be the last, the Africa Fashion International Joburg fashion weekend did amazing,” said one of the participants, Phumlane Ndlovu.

The following day (November 19) key prominent figures of the fashion world shared their thoughts with a small number of participants discussing the impact of current trends and sustainability.

Trend analyst Bronwyn Williams kick-started the discussion with the focus on the negative effects of fast fashion through both the environmental and economic perspective.

The event ended with a panel discussion with fashion designer Gavin Rajah taking the lead. Rajah spoke with guest speakers Anna Ngann Yonn and Felipe Mazibuko, who have been great influencers of African fashion for over decades.

Through their discussion, each individual touched base with the influence of African fashion in a global perspective and also on cultural appropriation.

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