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 finalists: young South African designer Jacques Bam and Rwandan designer Muyishime Edi Patrick. Each was crowned "Designer Africa Fashion Up 2022." Created on the initiative of international supermodel Valérie Ka, Africa Fashion Up is designed as both a program and a fashion show with the aim of supporting the booming contemporary African fashion industry. This edition was supported by partners Balenciaga, Binance Charity, Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann, Sisley, and HEC Paris, and by 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 benefit from four months of personalized support from Balenciaga and a training module delivered by the HEC Paris business school.

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

Jacques Bam and Muyishime Edi Patrick impressed the jury with the quality of their pieces, their distinctive style, their focus on sustainability, and their textured and colorful cuts.

The collections of the two grand prize winners were presented 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, Africa Fashion Up 2021 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 four days of immersion behind the scenes of the fashion world through a series of visits. The haute couture house Balenciaga opened its doors to these promising talents, and its teams had the opportunity to give them masterclasses. The winners also visited the major luxury houses Galeries Lafayette and Sisley, where they were welcomed by the management teams. In addition, Binance Charity interviewed the winners and broadcast these interviews via its widely followed social media accounts. Finally, the designers had the honor of participating in a round table discussion on luxury in Africa, organized by the Master's program in New Luxury Marketing and Lifestyle at Sciences Po Paris.

The next step for all Africa Fashion Up 2022 winners: they will take a specialized management training module delivered by the 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 African design by including a selection of the winners' outfits in its collection for the first time, 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 big winners, Jacques Bam and Muyishime Edi Patrick. Together, these five winners and the two designers who were associated with this fashion show have succeeded in showcasing 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, in particular Balenciaga, Binance Charity, and HEC Paris, who presented the awards to the designers."

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.

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

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Designers Jacques Bam and Muyishime Edi Patrick crowned joint winners of "Designers Africa Fashion Up 2022"