The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2023 - Issue 34

AFRICA bitecatwalk Jada Brookes attended Africa Fashion Week London 2023 at the Institute of Directors in London’s Pall Mall. T he prestigious Institute of Directors at 116 Pall Mall hosted the 2023 Africa Fash- ion Week London catwalk and exhibition event. Its rich and colourful history has seen war heroes plotting strategies during significant conflicts, spies rubbing shoulders with monarchs and a British Prime Minister giving a eulogy for a US President. In 1714, former Chancellor of the Exchequer Henry Boyle assumed the title of 1st Baron Carleton and owned Carlton House, which eventually became George IV’s London home. When the Prince of Wales received the residence, it was dilapidated, so he employed archi- tect Henry Holland to give it an extensive refurbishment. The mansion was established as one of the most important royal residences when completed. However, after his father, King George III, died in 1820, George IV decided Carlton House no longer suited his needs. He had Buckingham House rebuilt and renamed Buckingham Palace, while Carlton House was demolished. A few minutes walk from Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus, the Institute of Directors Georgian home since 1978 was designed and built by Regency architect John Nash in 1828 on the former Carlton House site for the United Service Club (USC). Nash also archi- tected The Royal Pavilion in Brighton, Marble Arch and Buckingham Palace in London. He designed the original Regent Street for purpose-built shopping with James Burton and Regent’s Park and its terraces with Decimus Burton. Within 116 Pall Mall’s opulent décor, sweeping staircases, breathtaking chandeliers, paint- ings and conference rooms, the exhibitors showing their apparel, hair and beauty, accesso- ries, fabrics, footwear and eyewear included Akpos Okudu fromNigeria, Adjoua Pam from Ghana, Aso (meaning cloth in Yoruba) lifestyle brand from London, DS Africaines from France, House of Hohwa from Zimbabwe, Zamaswazi Inventive Fashion from Soweto, Pol- ka Dot Coco from Durban, and Tesmaraneh from Sierra Leone. The fashion show, divided into time slots of 1 pm, 4 pm and 7 pm, took place in the Nash Room, named after the building’s architect. Before the catwalk designers presented their collections, the children of the Ademiluyi family dressed in their African wares welcomed the audience. They opened the show with AFWL’s history, giving it a sentimental charm and preparing the audience for a fashion extravaganza. We picked six designers that caught our attention. LONDON 2023 FASHION WEEK