Africa Fashion Up's ambition is to showcase the vitality of contemporary African creativity through fashion.
The program is part of Share Africa(www.shareafrica.live), a broader initiative that includes a series of actions and events showcasing the creativity, innovation, and environmental commitment of African youth.
African fashion, still relatively unknown to the general public, is becoming increasingly dynamic. Its growing influence is evident not only in the adoption of its codes by Western brands and designers, but also in the emergence and positioning of several African brands on the international stage.
Names such as Iman Ayissi (Cameroon), Eric Raisina (Madagascar), Emmy Kasbit (Nigeria), Erre (South Africa), Karim Tassi (Morocco), and Elie Kouame (Ivory Coast) are all examples of successful African fashion designers.
By bringing together African design in Paris, Africa Fashion Up aims to become the showcase for this new trend, driven by a generation of uninhibited designers who celebrate boldness, color, and originality. The program covers all current fashion practices: from streetwear to haute couture, from the most experimental approaches to the most modest initiatives.
Africa Fashion Up focuses in particular on young African talents who are shaping 21st-century Africa by drawing inspiration from their history and traditions. Its goal is also to showcase and bring contemporary African fashion to life by highlighting its influence on other areas of creativity and culture (cinema, music, entrepreneurship, etc.). Fashion thus becomes a true marker of the transformation of contemporary African societies.
