Coming to the Goutte d’Or this #PFW: A cultural powerhouse of stylists and artists from across Africa.
Ethical Fashion Initiative and Le 360 Paris Music Factory have partnered to bring together Ethical Fashion Days, a three-day event featuring exclusive film screenings, musical performances, and a series of panel discussions on the African fashion industry.
Ethical Fashion Initiative and Le 360 Paris Music Factory are joining forces for a three-day event from the 4th- 6th March, dedicated to the African creative industries. The programme, open to the public, will include a fashion exhibition, the screening of two short films, a series of round tables exploring sustainability and entrepreneurship including ‘Horizon Voices’, a panel highlighting female opinion leaders and creators in Africa.
Five ready-to-wear brands from the EFI Designer Accelerator – Laurenceairline, Kente Gentlemen, Lukhanyo Mdingi, Katush and Hamaji- will feature in an exhibition across the event showcasing artisanally produced looks that embody how they are defining and shaping the future of ‘Made in Africa’ in the industry.
The events begin on March 4th with a presentation by Lukhanyo Mdingi in connection with the French Institute of South Africa, featuring an open discussion with the Casa93 fashion school. A panel on professionalisation and training courses in the fashion industry follows Mdingi’s presentation, and a concert by Ivorian artist Kandy Guira will wrap up the day’s activities.
Events on March 5th begin with an exclusive screening of the short film, Flight of the Dreamer, directed by Nigerian-American Walé Oyéjidé. The film, proudly produced by Ethical Fashion Initiative, explores the theme of irregular migration through the story of a Burkinabé boy that migrates to Northern Italy for work, who, after heartbreak, slips through time in the hopes of regaining all he has lost. EFI social enterprise partners Lai Momo (Italy) and CABES (Burkina Faso) form the backdrop for this film that places artisanal craft at its centre.
Later, two panel discussions will explore different aspects of the African fashion industry; circularity, entrepreneurship, fashion, social impact, and community development, amongst others. ‘Horizon Voices’, will highlight powerful female voices in African fashion industry, from Nigerian actress and beauty entrepreneur Dakore Egbuson-Akande, founder of Dakore Beauty, Tunisian entrepreneur Hasna Kourda, founder of Save Your Wardrobe, Fatouma Sawadogo Maiga, Representative of CABES (Commerce et Artisanat pour le Bien-Être Social) in Burkina Faso, and Akébéhi Kpolo, founder of Côte d’Ivoire-based jewellery brand OHIRI. A second round table will look at ‘how to create a virtuous economy that works for both designers in Africa and the diaspora, and will feature designers from the African diaspora, including Imane Ayissi, Parisian haute couture calendar designer, Amah Ayivi, founder of Marché Noir, Emmanuelle Courrèges, author of Swinging Africa, Laureen Kouassi-Olsson, founder of Birimian Ventures, and Victoire Satto, co-founder of The Good Goods.
A concert performed by Senegalese jazz guitarist and singer Hervé Samb will conclude the event’s agenda on March 5th, and the Ethical Fashion Days programme will come to a close with a musical brunch held on Sunday 6th.
The series of events takes place from March 4th to March 6th, 2022 at Le 360 Paris Music Factory, partner of the event, located in the 18e arrondissement of Paris at la Goutte d’Or. The events are open to the public and tickets can be found through this link.
The Programme:
Friday
16.30: Round Table on professional training for the fashion industry in Paris
18.00: Lukhanyo Mdingi in conversation with Olga Palm on the True Fashion Project
20.30: Kandy Guira in Concert
Saturday
15.00: Flight of the Dreamer Film Screening
16.30: Round Table: ‘Horizon Voices’: Women entrepreneurship, sustainability, and social capital in Africa today
18.00: Round Table: African Design: How to create a virtuous economy that works for both designers in Africa and the diaspora.
20.30: Hervé Samb in Concert
Sunday
13.00: Brunch & Music @ 360
ABOUT EFI
For the Ethical Fashion Initiative, lifestyle choices impact livelihoods. EFI creates and strengthens social enterprises in emerging economies, connecting discerning international brands in fashion, interiors, fine foods and the arts with talented local artists, designers, artisans and micro-producers. Savvy investors, pro-poor champions and mindful consumers find value in a virtuous circle that creates not just premium products, but also stable, dignified work, and creative and resilient women, men and communities. Active in ten countries worldwide, EFI is a flagship programme of the International Trade Centre, a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization.
ABOUT LE 360 PARIS MUSIC FACTORY
A unique concept in the heart of Barbès, imagined by Saïd Assadi in 2011, the 360 Paris Music Factory is a space for exchange. This transcultural establishment is a meeting point of artists, audiences and local residents. Incorporating a performance hall, restaurant, recording studio, artists’ residence, and business incubator, people come here to talk, sing, taste, and share their time and ideas. Since its opening in January 2020, this popular cultural destination has supported emerging cultural projects by promoting the values of openness and diversity, with the mission of strengthening social cohesion and making culture accessible to all.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION
This event is the result of a collaboration with EFI’s Identity Building and Business Sharing Initiative, funded by the European Union (EU). The programme showcases creativity and talent in cultural sectors like art, photography, cinema, and music. EFI works together with leading private sector players to strengthen culture sectors and increase cultural exports. More than any other product, culture reflects a people’s uniqueness, value and heritage. Strengthening culture sectors builds social capital and reinforces identities, as well as generating trade and business opportunities. The EFI Accelerator programme is supported by the European Union and ACP.
