The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2019 - Issue 26

AFRICA bite catwalk Jada Brookes attended Africa Fashion Week London at Freemasons Hall in central London and reports on some of the amazing designers that caught our eyes from the front row. Photography by Tony Wellington H aving showcased over 900 emerging designers and exhibitors from Africa, Europe, and America since they began in 2011, the talent at Africa Fashion Week London was even more creative, elaborate, and more importantly exciting, keeping our eyes focused firmly on the designs as they come floating down the runway. As usual, the event ran over two days at London’s Freemasons Hall in August and was amassed with fashionistas and fashion lovers in anticipation of what the designers had to offer this season. This year, the focus was on sustainability, eco-fashion, and diversity with collections fromNigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Benin Republic, Rwanda, Belgium, Seychelles, Botswana, and others. There were a few additions to the set-up of the exhibitors’ area including a luxury Bluxe market space designed to showcase some of the leading and established brands within African fashion, a food village and a market souk that promoted new and aspiring African fashion designers and acces- sory companies. From beautiful umbrellas in African print, activewear, to shoes and bags, virtually every base was covered in the exhibitors’ space at African Fashion Week London. It is somewhat unbelievable that in this day and age, there aren’t many shoe brands that cater to women with large feet. Sante + Wade has answered this call by providing footwear in sizes 38 up to 46. And the good news is that their shoes are made for women who stand out from the crowd and have their feet firmly on the ground. Xzenda, a womenswear brand that aims to satisfy the stylish urge of the everyday woman certainly kept the neo-African cultural prints in check with their selection of tops, dresses, skirts, jump- suits, and shorts. During the shows, I noticed that there were some of the designers that kept with the traditional cultural prints in their collections, while others decided to bring the glamorous bling-bling in elegant dresses and evening gowns to the table. LONDON 2019

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NjEzMzI=