On Friday, September 17, following an exceptional fashion show held at the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild in Paris, a major venue for Parisian haute couture, young Nigerian designer Emmanuel Okoro was named "Designer Africa Fashion Up 2021." Initiated by Valérie Ka, an international professional model, Africa Fashion Up is the first program-event organized in France with the aim of recognizing and encouraging the booming African fashion industry. The first stage was the fashion show. The second stage will be personalized support for the five candidates over a six-month period, provided by Balenciaga, a partner in the initiative, and the HEC management school, which will deliver dedicated training.

On the evening of Friday, September 17, Nigerian designer Emmanuel Okoro was crowned "Designer 2021" at the end of the first edition of Africa Fashion Up. Founder and creative director of the Emmy Kasbit brand launched in 2014, Emmanuel Okoro won over the jury with his refined design aesthetic and architectural cuts, as well as the quality of his pieces woven with akwete, a fabric named after a village in eastern Nigeria.

Emmanuel Okoro's pieces were presented 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 immersion behind the scenes in the global fashion capital through a series of visits. 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. They were also welcomed to Imane Ayissi's studio and met Sophie Erika, Business and Collection Planning Director at Kenzo Mode.

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

In addition, the Africa Fashion Up 2021 Designer, Emmanuel Okoro, received a special award from the e-commerce platform Jendaya, offering him the opportunity to showcase his collection on this platform, which aims to promote African designer brands. An initiative of the Share Africa project, created by international model Valérie Ka, Africa Fashion Up is part of a movement to promote the continent's new generation of designers, showcasing African fashion that blends tradition and modernity, heritage and international openness. "We would like to warmly congratulate all the designers who took part in this wonderful adventure that is Africa Fashion Up, and in particular the overall winner, Emmanuel Okoro. Together, our five winners have succeeded in showcasing African creativity in one of the world's leading fashion capitals. What a joy! We would like to thank all our partners, including Balenciaga and the HEC Paris business school, who will continue the 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 actions and projects that aims to promote a young, creative, innovative, and green Africa by encouraging those who undertake and create in Africa.

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.

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Nigerian designer Emmanuel Okoro crowned "Designer Africa Fashion Up 2021"