Dear BellaStylistas,

It is with great joy that I congratulate the BellaNaija Style team and our dear audience on the completion of the 2nd edition of The BellaNaija Style Women’s Month. Our team worked tirelessly to create a series of digital activations in line with current trends and challenges facing women in our generation. The support you have shown us this past month through your likes, comments, and participation – we do not take it for granted.

As I pondered on what this year’s International Women’s Day theme “Break The Bias” meant to me, my team, and our #BellaStylistas, I drew inspiration from the conceptualization stage of #BNSWomensMonth, the reason we started this annual festival and why March is such a significant month for us.  I realized we are doing just that – breaking the bias! Through the power of our community, we have the opportunity to hold hands with the next woman, share her story and uplift her as we uplift ourselves. What we’ve done is set aside 4 weeks to amplify women – women like ourselves, our sisters, our mothers, our wife and sincerely create opportunities for elevation.

#BNSConvos

Over the years BellaNaija Style has become an authority in Africa’s fashion, beauty, and lifestyle industry. Through the annual BNS Digital Summit and #BNSConvos which we launched in 2021, we connect leading experts across our industry with our mega audience to deliver practical advice, virtual conversations, and, immersive experiences to power major improvement in fashion in Africa.

Cuppy Otedola in conversation with BellaNaija Style’s Sandra Omoregie

BNS Weekly Shoutouts

As usual, we are keen on amplifying the work of fresh talents and rising leaders in African fashion and beauty. We invited our audience to shout out their favourite female-owned, African-based fashion labels, female influencers, female-owned beauty products, and African female entrepreneurs through the weekly #BNSShoutout.  Through this, we amplified over 3,336 brands and businesses.

BNS Giveaways

We continued with the amplification of African Women-owned businesses through our weekly shoutouts and giveaways. We offered 5 free advert slots on our mega platforms for the promotion of the efforts of female entrepreneurs and thought leaders in our industry. The feedback we’ve received from some of the beneficiaries has been very positive.

IWD Diary Session

The IWD diary session was a great way to inspire each other with short, simple, and sweet motivational messages. In honour of International Women’s Day, we released a limited mini-series where fashion, beauty, and entertainment industry figures sent out personal messages to women everywhere. These words of encouragement were to celebrate and create a space for all people to come together and support each other. Some of the women who participated in this were Angel Obasi, Tina Ndidi Ugo, Gbemi Adebayo among others.

BNStyle Plus Sound

We received a lot of engagement and requests from women in the music industry – an industry that is very male-dominated, to celebrate and promote the hard work and resilience of female musical artists breaking the bias and winning with their impeccable style. For that, we introduced BNStyle Plus Sound a limited website series that celebrated African female musicians including Tems, Boity Thulo, Bree Runway, and Tiwa Savage.

High Tea with BellaNaija Style

This year, we opted for a physical event to close our 2022 activities. While the guest list was not made public this year, the essence of the BellaNaija Style Women’s Month Closing event did not change. It was a chance to celebrate our #BellaStylistas, the women who have achieved incredible success, the fearless risk-takers who take up space, push for change, and carve new paths.

Eki Ogunbor, Stephanie Coker Aderinokun , Sandrah Tubobereni , Angel Obasi , Uduak Ekpo , Mary Edoro, Nonye Udeogu , Julian Ojo, Lehlé Balde, Bibi Eneje , Adedoyin Somuyiwa ,

For the leading ladies who were a part of #BNSWomensMonth, and were in attendance, we already knew what wonderful things were certain to happen when we put incredible women in the same room. Thanks to our amazing guests for showing up, dressed to the nines, and sharing their stories with us!

Relieve the best moments from the event via the hashtag #HighTeaWithBNS.

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On behalf of the BellaNaija Style team, I want to use this opportunity to say a very big THANK YOU to our #BellaStylistas – everyone who watched, listened, liked, commented, and was a part of the BNS Women’s Month 2022 in any way. We are also grateful to the whole BellaNaija team for support and encouragement.

We appreciate you and we will continue to do better and be better for you.

Till next time!