A fashion show in a slum? Kibera Fashion Week
We will be reporting on the second Kibera Fashion Week, which was held in October 2023 and was presided over by David Abeid, a designer with whom we have an exclusive sales contract and who is also attracting attention from Bruno Mars and Beyoncé.
Below is a video from AFPBBNEWS.
AFP quote below
Kibera Fashion Week was held in Kibera , the largest slum in Nairobi, Kenya, on October 17th. The event began in 2022 and this year was the second time it was held. At the packed venue, models strutted down the catwalk set up overlooking the rusty tin roofs.
Avido , 27, a designer who started the event last year, said, "The image of Kibera is always one of deteriorating security following the presidential election, prostitution and drug abuse," but added, "I want to show that Kibera has style and creativity too. All that's missing is opportunity."
Kibera has a population of approximately 250,000. Abid was born and raised in Kibera, where he is currently based.
Abid's work has attracted the attention of global stars such as Bruno Mars and Beyonce .
The exhibition was sponsored by the Goethe Institute, the European Union , Nairobi Design and others, and featured works made from materials such as cotton, jute, wool, pearls and metal.
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What is Kibera Fashion Week?
Kibera Fashion Week is a fashion show held in Africa's largest slum, Nairobi, Kenya, but it's not your typical fashion show.
It is a program that will fundamentally change the power structures and narratives within the fashion industry, positioning itself as a fashion week that seeks to reinvent the format.
By showcasing the talents of Kibera slum creators and sharing their insights with audiences in Kenya and Europe, the project aims to build a new ethical and sustainable fashion industry.
By rooting this project in Kibera, we confront the neo-imperial reality of the fashion industry, which faces large amounts of textile waste exported from European countries, and create a new dialogue about the consequences of unsustainable consumption.
Through this dialogue, and by honouring the skills and insights of local communities, a movement of change will begin that will impact both consumers and designers in Kenya and abroad.
Kibera is often portrayed as a hopeless place, in need of aid and so-called "development assistance," but in reality it is a diverse metropolis brimming with creativity, constantly evolving and innovating.
The project asserts that the world has much to learn from the people of Kibera and that they have the skills to be pioneers of sustainable and ethical creative industries.
Kibera Fashion Week will be a platform for communities to redefine fashion, share new ways of sustainability, and bring together stakeholders from around the world to take a stand against unethical and exploitative consumption.
The fashion show was launched by David Abeid (Looks Like Abeid/Abeid Foundation) in collaboration with Goethe-Institut, Nairobi Design Week, Maasai Mbili and EUNIC Kenya.
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