L-R: Nancy Isime( 2nd from left) Derele Edun, Mae Edmonds (convener of the Uyo fashion week) during the opening ceremony
The Uyo Fashion week seeks to create jobs and promote entrepreneurship among youths and to expose them on how to harness their talents for commercial success in the creative industry, the organiser has said.
The fashion week which attracted top Nollywood stars including Nancy Isime, Nse Ikpe Etim, budding musicians like Lybra, Fiokee and Denrele Edun, renowned fashion enthusiasts and top designers opened with a trade fair and exhibition of various products and food items at the Ibom Tropicana centre in Uyo, the state capital.
“It is a fusion of culture, talents and creativity to achieve commercial success,” Mae Edmonds, convener of the Uyo Fashion Week stated adding that it has also brought designers from each of the 31 Local Government Areas of the state to showcase African print and fabric.
She said there was the urgent need to expand the creative industry to grow the sectors like music, arts, design and to create jobs, boost tourism and diversify the economic base of the state.
“We are training young talents to build their creativity and take it to a higher level, we have talents, we need more investment, training and policy support to turn this into a real industry that employs thousands of people,’’she stated.
According to her, more than 150 designers have showcased thousands of designers on runways on the global stage reaching millions of viewers and fashion enthusiasts across the world through physical showcases, digital media and global engagement adding that the vision is to create world-class platforms that would spotlight the immense creativity in Akwa Ibom State and beyond.
“We are proud that our platform has not only celebrated fashion, but has also become a catalyst for opportunity, exposure and transformation,’’ she said.
“Our runway has served as a springboard for emerging designers, models, stylists, photographers and other creative talents to launch their careers and pursue their dreams.’’she said.
She lauded the state government for the support and other corporate organisations which she noted had contributed to the promotion of the rich tourism potentials of the state while seeking more partnership to sustain the Fashion Week which is in its 6th edition adding, ‘’our mission is grow the creativity economy.’’
“Your support has played a critical role in helping this vision thrive, we use this opportunity to call on more corporate organisations, institutions and well meaning individuals to join this movement and support the vision of building a globally competitive creative and fashion industry ,’’ she said.
“We remain committed to steering our ship consistently along the path of progress,staying true to our founding vision, we have set machinery in motion to foster creativity, commercialisation and scale within the fashion and the creative industry,’’ she added.
