The Maravi Post
When Nigerian designer Gift Raji found out that her clothing and accessory designs had won Fashionomics Africa’s $3 000 (about R50 000) prize for sustainable fashion, it wasn’t only the cash prize that had her excited. The founder and creative director of Lagos-based brand Lohije said she saw the win as an opportunity to bring Africa’s sustainable styles to the world.
“It’s more than money, it is about the mentorship. When I learned that I won, I saw possibilities – that Fashionomics Africa will open up possibilities for discovering more textiles here in Africa, that we can produce and export,” Raji said about the African Development Bank programme.
“The Bank has more strength and connections that expand beyond the shores of Africa – they will be key to connect to those possibilities,” she added.
The Fashionomics Africa online contest honours African fashion brands working to change how fashion is produced, bought, used, and recycled, to encourage more sustainable consumer behaviour. The competition panel comprised an African Development Bank representative, competition collaborators the UN Environment Programme, strategic communications agency BPCM, Parsons School of Design, and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, who collectively reviewed 199 entries from 33 African countries, then selected three finalists: Reform Studio (Egypt), Lohije (Nigeria) and Diakwu Cloth (Nigeria). The public chose Lohije as the winner via an online vote on FashionomicsAfrica.org earlier this year.
