The Maravi Post<\/p>\n
When Nigerian designer Gift Raji found out that her clothing and accessory designs had won Fashionomics Africa\u2019s $3 000 (about R50 000) prize for sustainable fashion, it wasn\u2019t 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\u2019s sustainable styles to the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s more than money, it is about the mentorship. When I learned that I won, I saw possibilities \u2013 that Fashionomics Africa will open up possibilities for discovering more textiles here in Africa, that we can produce and export,\u201d Raji said about the African Development Bank programme.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Bank has more strength and connections that expand beyond the shores of Africa \u2013 they will be key to connect to those possibilities,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When Nigerian designer Gift Raji found out that her clothing and accessory designs had won Fashionomics Africa\u2019s $3 000 (about R50 000) prize for sustainable fashion, it wasn\u2019t only the cash prize that had her excited.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12963,"featured_media":16479,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,36],"tags":[7,37,38],"class_list":{"0":"post-16482","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fashion","8":"category-lifestyle","9":"tag-apie-project","10":"tag-fashion","11":"tag-lifestyle"},"yoast_head":"\n