Four African designers, Lukhanyo Mdingi (Cape Town, South Africa), WUMAN (Lagos, Nigeria), Margaux Wong (Bujumbura, Burundi), and JIAMINI (Nairobi, Kenya), have been selected among hundreds of applicants from all over the continent to take part in the first edition of the Ethical Fashion Initiative Accelerator Programme. For this, Pitti Immagine Uomo Connect has partnered with EFI to provide designers with e-commerce entry and a global audience.
After receiving mentoring and business support from a panel of experts, including United Arrows’ Hirofumi Kurino, Ethical Fashion Initiative’s Susi Billingsley and activist and actress Dakore Egbuson-Akande, the four brands are participating in Pitti Uomo 99 and debut with a special digital presentation on Pitti Connect, culminating with the online release of their fashion shows on February 9, 2021.
Lukhanyo Mdingi
Since its inception in 2015, the eponymous label has held a profound interest in considered and sincere design, the spirit of collaboration yields the LUKHANYO MDINGI label in creating meticulously made pieces. The intention is to ensure a pragmatic and mindful approach to product development; looking into human ingenuity as the provenance in creating design that is honest, steady and strong.
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WUMAN
WUMAN is a contemporary African fashion-art brand founded in 2013 by Ekwerike Chukwuma. The womenswear/menswear brand draws inspiration from the female form which Chukwuma fell in love with during his early university days. The garments by WUMAN unify culture, heritage and African art with cross-disciplinary affinities to anatomy, poetry, architecture etc.
At WUMAN, garments are seen as storytellers and are created within moments of grace unique to Chukwuma and the times. The garments are art made to speak to and engage its wearer and audience, as well as become a tool of change.
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Margaux Wong
Margaux Wong is an innovative sustainable brand which practices the amazing transformation of rare cow horn and brass into luxurious, beautiful wearable art. Margaux Wong represents an African opulence which is unmatched in today’s world of fast fashion. Each piece of jewellery is hand polished to the finest finish using tedious traditional techniques and gently enhanced by a modern design perspective. We are constantly working to produce the most prized artisan jewellery in the region.
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JIAMINI
JIAMINI is a family-run, Kenyan based Fashion Accessories Brand meaning believe in yourself in ‘Swahili, founded in 2016, on the belief of preserving its Traditional African Heritage. Jiamini’s vision, through its innovative designs and use of renewable resources, seeks to combine timeless traditional technique, craftsmanship and heritage with a touch of modernity, manipulated in the construction of its delicate beaded embroidery and weave. Each piece is developed around the idea of comfort, complementing the body’s feminine form and grace.
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Read more on www.uomo.pittimmagine.com