Creativity knows no bounds, they say, and this year’s 3rd edition of Kaduna Fashion and Art Exhibition (KAFART) is set to take place from the 10th-13th November 2022 celebrating and highlighting creativity in Africa.
Ganeeyah Sani, the founder and curator of the Kaduna Fashion and Arts Exhibition (KAFART) started this platform in 2019 during the COVID lockdown when she discovered her passion for creative directing. She has successfully demonstrated that creatives are doing and can do exceptionally well in the Northern location of Nigeria–Kaduna.
The 3rd edition seeks to go beyond its borders with a theme; Cultural Xchange: The Intersection, and will be highlighting and celebrating the similarities of cultures within Sahel Africa and discussing issues affecting the region.
The exhibition will feature additional activities such as workshops, masterclasses, panel discussions, pop-up shops and a fashion show from a lineup of talented fashion designers. The latter showed and displayed how they’ve carved out a unique niche for themselves beautifully.
Below are some emerging Fashion Designers exhibiting this year at KAFART:
BABAYO
Babayo – originated from the ancient nomadic tribe of the Fula people, who consider themselves the most beautiful people on this earth—born in 2017. Babayo is a mid–high–end clothing line made to create the perfect synergy between beauty, culture, and fashion. The brand displays its style through its couture and ready-to-wear lines. These are brought to life by exquisite craftsmanship, uncompromised quality, and intricately detailed glamour. They plan to achieve this through curated dreamy experiences, telling stories about culture and heritage in luxury, quality, and statement pieces.
Aisha Babayo Shehu is a Nigerian-born designer based in Lagos, Nigeria. Before moving into the creative industry, she worked as a retailer in the oil and gas industry. She aims to produce designs that declare their status as art.
Instagram: @Babayoofficial
GEOMETRIC MOTIONS
Machar Laushi is an African fashion designer whose creations are wildly unique. Artists, corporate persons, and royalty alike wear his designs. His idea stems from the fact that most of Africa are influenced by the art depicting nature.
Both natural and abstract, they were created by its many rich cultures over the millennia. This notion, combined with the fundamental science of ancient Geometric figures, forms, and transformations, gave birth to building the material of this futuristic brand, Geo-motion.
Instagram: @geomotion
HAMFAR BY SUSU
Safiyyah Ambursa is the creator of the Arewa Woman-inspired clothing business HAFMAR Designs. It is a brand that honors Northern Nigerian heritage and culture while recognizing the pervasive effects of western cultures today. The intricacies of human thought also influence her designs. Modesty is a crucial element that influences the costume line's designs. Every woman should feel attractive, courageous, and confident thanks to HAFMAR by Susu.
HAFMAR was founded in 2013 but wasn't known to the world until it was officially registered in 2016. The company has received many accolades, such as the overall award winner at The Gamji Pearls Fashion Show held in Kaduna in March 2016. HAFMAR currently has a Fashion Academy, where they train emerging fashion designers and successfully train over 50 people.
Instagram @Hafmardesignsbysusu
ISLET CULTURE BY KEREN ZUBAIRU
Multidisciplinary artist Keren Zubairu is the founder of Islet Culture, a project, and production manager, and a visual merchandiser for This is Us. N Islet Culture is an apparel company that sells garments and accessories produced from eco-friendly materials like linen, canvas, and wood, reflecting her identity in terms of style.
The company also prioritizes the affordability of ethically produced garments by employing innovative cost-cutting measures such as using deadstock materials.
The company has also participated in many community service initiatives, including hosting the biannual Swap & Shop Event in Abuja. At this event, the attendees can exchange high-quality items they are no longer using for tokens, learn how to make soap, and give away free masks at the Durumi IDP Camp.
Instagram @isletculture
J.K. DRESSING
JK Dressing is a Malian fashion house created in 2017 by its current artistic director Jean Kassim Dembélé. The brand promotes and perpetuates the textile know-how of Mali by revisiting the San Kaba pattern through innovative techniques of natural and vegetable dying. Their inspiration stems from typical Malian designs inspired by the patterns seen in the sky.
It promotes and urges Malian couture to transition to eco-friendly and innovative creations. The artist and fashion designer Jean Kassim Dembélé is in charge of this up-and-coming high fashion label. This cutting-edge brand offers apparel and accessories for people of all sexes and ages.
They take their cues from traditional Malian patterns influenced by astronomical patterns. When worn at Malian ceremonies, it had the effect of making them feel "like lightning."
Instagram @jkdressing
LISTO CREATIONS
Listo is an African fashion house created by a Nigerian named ALIO GOUNABI, known as "Listo," who has always been passionate about fashion but has not received any training in the field. Currently, LISTO CREATION spends most of his time creating clothes - which occupies him considerably because he does not copy but has his own style, which earns him some recognition from his customers.
Returning to LISTO CREATION, it is essential to note that he frequently interferes in the field of music, particularly Rap, and he makes apparel for Nigerian performers like Barakina, Safiath, Akeem, and Force Morale, to name a few.
He has also taken part in several fashion-related occasions, including The launch of FIMA, Niamey Fashion Week, Niger Mode, Africa Mode, Bazardey, and Blue Open Mic.
Instagram @listocreation
NIO FAR By El Hadji Malick Badji (Milcos)
Milcos, a software engineer by trade, is driven by a love of art and design. His work has taken him to the YALI (Young African Leaders Initiative), organized by The Mandela Washington Fellowship.
Two editions of the Salon Afrodyssée in Geneva, and celebrities such as Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz, Lupita Nyongo, and even Morocco's King have worn some of his magnificent pieces.
At Nio Far, design is a means of realizing and distributing stories about communities, tribes, and ethnicities. A collection is a means of presenting the findings of research on them.
Nio Far is a Wolof word (the most spoken language in Senegal), meaning we are together, describing the uniqueness of the people living on mother earth. As a brand, they deem it essential to work with humans, not automated machines. They like technological innovations but with privileged human expressions. Instagram: @niofarbymilcos
Nafisa Hafiz is a visual artist and fashion designer who won the Swahili Fashion Week's African Designer of the Year 2020 award. Her cultural background permeates her work and influences her decision-making as a fashion designer.
In 2014, she launched the Nucy Fashion label, which combines historical and ecological fashion to benefit the world positively. Nafisa has been featured on CNN and is an inspiration to many.
Nucy has established a platform called "Sudan fashion future" to support Sudanese fashion designers by opening up discussions about their needs and challenges and finding solutions to shape their career future for more sustainability in Sudan's fashion industry.
Instagram @nucy_official
ROMZY
Designer Roméo Moukagny, best known by his clothing label's moniker, ROMZY, is Gabonese by birth but now resides and works in Senegal.
In 2015, he debuted his apparel line. The brand changed its focus from being exclusively male in March 2021 when it unveiled "ZYNA," its first collection for ladies. The company has physical locations in GABON, GAMBIA, GUINEA CONAKRY, MALI, and COTE D'IVOIRE. It is also still accessible online via social media.
Instagram: @romzystudio