On Friday, September 16, following an exceptional fashion show held at the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild in Paris, the jury of the Africa Fashion Up program selected two joint winners from among the five finalist designers: the young South African designer Jacques Bam and the Rwandan designer Muyishime Edi Patrick. Each was crowned “Africa Fashion Up Designer 2022.” Created on the initiative of Valérie Ka, an international supermodel, Africa Fashion Up is designed as both a program and a fashion show aimed at supporting the rapidly growing contemporary African fashion scene. This edition was supported by partners Balenciaga, Binance Charity, Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann, Sisley, and HEC Paris, as well as media partners Trace, Brut, France Médias Monde, Brune magazine, and 35°Nord.

Following this grand fashion show, the five winners of the 2022 edition will have the opportunity to receive four months of personalized mentoring from Balenciaga and a training program offered by the HEC Paris business school.

On the evening of Friday, September 16, 2022, Jacques Bam, a young South African designer, and Muyishime Edi Patrick, a young Rwandan designer, were each awarded the “Designer Africa Fashion Up 2022” Prize by Balenciaga.

Jacques Bam and Muyishime Edi Patrick won over the jury not only with the quality of the pieces they presented but also with the distinctive elements of their style, their design concept centered on sustainability, and their textured and colorful cuts.

The collections of the two grand prize winners were showcased during the fashion show alongside those of the other winners of the 2022 edition: Jean-Cédric Sow (Congo), Mina Binebine (Morocco), and Ibrahim Fernandez (Ivory Coast). Emmanuel Okoro, the 2021 Africa Fashion Up Designer (Nigeria), and Clarisse Hieraix (France) also took part in the fashion show as guest designers.

During their stay in Paris, the five winners took part in a four-day behind-the-scenes immersion in the fashion world through a series of visits. The Balenciaga haute couture house opened its doors to these promising talents, and its teams had the opportunity to lead masterclasses for them. The winners also explored the major luxury houses Galeries Lafayette and Sisley and were welcomed by the management teams. In addition, Binance Charity interviewed the winners and shared these interviews via its widely followed social media accounts. Finally, the designers had the honor of participating in a roundtable discussion on luxury in Africa, organized by the Master’s program in New Luxury and Art de Vivre at Sciences Po Paris.

The next step for all the winners of Africa Fashion Up 2022: they will take a specialized management training course offered by HEC Paris business school and receive personalized support from Balenciaga for four months as part of an extended mentoring program. In addition, the Leridon Collection is committed to supporting African design by including, for the first time, a selection of outfits by the winners in its collection, which will be exhibited around the world.

“On behalf of the Share Africa team and all the partners of the 2022 edition of Africa Fashion Up, we would like to congratulate all the designers who took part in this wonderful adventure, and in particular the grand prize winners, Jacques Bam and Muyishime Edi Patrick. Together, these five winners, along with the two designers who were featured in this fashion show, have successfully showcased African creativity,” said Valérie Ka, international supermodel, founder of Share Africa, and initiator of Africa Fashion Up. “My thanks also go to all the partners who supported this second edition, especially Balenciaga, Binance Charity, and HEC Paris, who presented the awards to the designers.”

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.

Visit the official Africa Fashion Up website: https://www.africafashionup.com/

Press contact:
Cannelle Raberahina for Africa Fashion Up
cr@35nord.com +33 6 77 37 66 64

Designers Jacques Bam and Muyishime Edi Patrick were jointly named winners of the “Designers Africa Fashion Up 2022” award