Africa is full of resources for teaching fashion the African way
The Council for International African Fashion Education (CIAFE) is a non-profit organisation working to strengthen and further develop the fashion education and industry in Africa. Through initiatives, CIAFE works to create solutions to close the knowledge and skills gap to create employability opportunities. In an interview with Fibre2Fashion, CIAFE executive director Frederica Brooksworth discusses African fashion industry and the initiatives taken by her organisation.
How and when was CIAFE founded?
The Council for International African Fashion Education, CIAFE, was founded a year ago by me with the focus on advancing fashion education and research on the continent. CIAFE also seeks to find means to decolonise fashion education in Africa and globally at large.
How has the African fashion industry evolved in the last 10 years?
In the past years, the focus of fashion in Africa was mainly on cutting and stitching, and there was little room for design and originality. African fashion was relegated to the back and treated as an alternate fashion. Currently, the industry is growing and being recognised. We have had several designers from Africa grace prominent global runways. It is also important to note that it isn’t just about African designers but also many people who are looking to source from Africa.
What is the current size of the African fashion industry? At what rate is it growing?
According to Fashionomics, Africa currently accounts for just 1.9 per cent of global manufacturing and it is increasing. According to data from Euromonitor International the sub-Saharan industry is valued at $31 billion.
What role has CIAFE played in boosting the industry?
The CIAFE has trained professionals and students and helped them acquire employability skills through our monthly book conversations and guest lectures. We have also provided learning resources and materials that will help students and tutors with research. We have other initiatives that aim to help stakeholders in the African fashion industry learn and grow their skills. Our training and workshops are aimed at training young talented Africans to keep up with the fast-growing pace of the fashion industry and also make them more employable. One good thing about our programmes is that they are organised online, hence participants are able to access them from all over the world.
What kind of courses and training does CIAFE offer?
CIAFE has a wide range of courses and training. We have held tech skills workshops and sustainability seminars. We have a language centre where we teach French, Italian, Portuguese, and other languages needed for basic communication in cities which are noted for arts and culture. We also partner with Life is Tech to hold coding classes. We currently have Africa’s Young Fashion Leaders Fellowship, Fashion Business Consultancy Capacity Building Training Programme and Fashion Data Analyst Capacity Building Training Programme.
What kind of initiatives and research is undertaken at the organisation?
We have several initiatives that can be found on our website. To mention a few, we have
Book Conversations where we are joined by experts from industry, academics, and institutions to discuss books that help students, educators, heads of institutions and authors, who wish to better understand the African fashion industry.
We also host a fashion technology workshop that educates African students, educators, and fashion professionals on how to integrate technology into their academic programmes and businesses.
The CIAFE Sustainability Seminar educates the fashion community on how to integrate sustainable practices into their businesses and the importance of including sustainability in the courses of their fashion institutions.
Guest lectures feature a wide range of fashion industry experts from various industry sectors who train academics, students, researchers, and fashion business owners who seek to learn and better understand the fashion industry.
CIAFE partnered with Bloomsbury to work on fashion business cases. Bloomsbury Fashion Business Cases brings fashion business to life and creates a link between education and industry. The CIAFE Bloomsbury case study was created to develop research activity on the African continent.
Tell us about the key findings and learnings from the report on decolonizing fashion curriculum.
Africa is full of resources for teaching fashion the African way. The international fashion community can adopt and develop these resources for teaching to promote diversity. Students should be exposed to a variety of teaching practices. Universities should employ more African fashion scholars and researchers as representation matters a lot.
Which are the predominant fashion hubs and cities in Africa with respect to fashion?
Currently, the predominant fashion hubs in Africa are Johannesburg and Cape Town in South Africa, Lagos in Nigeria, Accra in Ghana, Nairobi in Kenya, and the budding city that has caught the attention of the iconic Chanel brand, Dakar in Senegal.
Published on: 06/09/2022
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
