This past Friday, September 17, following an exceptional fashion show held at the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild in Paris—a renowned venue for Parisian haute couture—the young Nigerian designer Emmanuel Okoro was named “Africa Fashion Up 2021 Designer.” Launched by Valérie Ka, an international professional model, Africa Fashion Up is the first program-event organized in France aimed at recognizing and promoting the rapidly growing African fashion scene. The first stage was the fashion show. The second phase, beginning tomorrow, will consist of six months of personalized mentorship for the five finalists, provided by Balenciaga, a partner in the initiative, and by the HEC business school, which will offer specialized training.

On the evening of Friday, September 17, Nigerian designer Emmanuel Okoro was crowned “Designer of the Year 2021” following the runway show for the first edition of Africa Fashion Up. As the founder and creative director of the Emmy Kasbit brand, launched in 2014, Emmanuel Okoro impressed the jury not only with his minimalist design aesthetic and architectural silhouettes but also with the quality of his pieces woven from akwete, a fabric named after a village in eastern Nigeria.

Emmanuel Okoro’s designs were showcased during the fashion show alongside those of his three colleagues: Zac Koné (Ivory Coast), Guy Fabrice Sullivan (Ivory Coast), and the duo Natasha Jaume & Carina Louw (South Africa). The pieces were presented under the watchful eye of five internationally renowned African designers: Imane Ayissi (Cameroon), Karim Tassi (Morocco), Martial Tapolo (Cameroon), Eric Raisina (Madagascar), and Soraya Da Piedade (Angola).

Thanks to Africa Fashion Up, the five winning candidates enjoyed two days of behind-the-scenes immersion in the world’s fashion capital through a series of tours. As a partner in the initiative, the haute couture house Balenciaga opened its doors to these promising talents to offer them advice and encouragement through dedicated masterclasses. The winners were also welcomed into Imane Ayissi’s atelier and met with Sophie Erika, Business and Collection Planning Director at Kenzo Mode.

In the next phase, the five winning candidates will receive personalized support for six months in the form of a mentoring program offered by the Balenciaga haute couture house and training provided by the prestigious business school, HEC Paris.

In addition, the 2021 Africa Fashion Up Designer, Emmanuel Okoro, received a special award from the e-commerce platform Jendaya, offering him the opportunity to showcase his collection on the platform, which aims to promote emerging African designer brands. An initiative stemming from the Share Africa project, created by international model Valérie Ka, Africa Fashion Up contributes to the effort to promote the continent’s new generation of designers and African fashion that bridges tradition and modernity, heritage and international outreach. “We would like to warmly congratulate all the designers who participated in this wonderful adventure that is Africa Fashion Up, and in particular the grand prize winner, Emmanuel Okoro. Together, our five winners have successfully showcased African creativity in one of the world’s leading fashion capitals. What a joy! We would like to thank all of our partners, including Balenciaga and the HEC Paris business school, who will continue this momentum by supporting these designers over the coming months,” said Valérie Ka, international model, founder and artistic director of Share Africa, and head of the Africa Fashion Up program.

About Share Africa

SHARE AFRICA is a platform for initiatives and projects that aims to highlight Africa’s youth, creativity, innovation, and environmental sustainability by supporting entrepreneurs and creators across the continent.

Press contact:
Osiris Mulamba for Africa Fashion Up
om@35nord.com

+33 6 05 52 95 11

Clothilde Mbock Mbock for Africa Fashion Up
cmm@35nord.com
+33 6 70 13 54 45.

Nigerian designer Emmanuel Okoro named “Designer of the Year at Africa Fashion Up 2021”