African Fashion Week Vancouver brings African culture and design to the runway
With a mission to highlight Africa’s designers and fashion, the show featured clothing collections, dance, and music performances
Models hit the stage at the African Fashion Week Vancouver show on March 22, sharing the works of African designers. (Mariia Potiatynyk)
Modern designs blended with African motifs filled the runway at the African Fashion Week Vancouver (AFWV) show on March 22 at the Newmont Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre.
Founded in 2018 by Yao Zeus Agoeyovo, the event aims to highlight African designers by featuring their clothing collections and celebrating Africa’s culture with music and dance shows.
“This kind of event for our community is very important because it highlights our talent,” Agoeyovo said. “It feeds our hunger for home, for our culture.”
The show featured works created by designers representing regions from North to East Africa.
Influencer and community builder Dayo Alabi, who used to be part of the AFWV’s communications team and now helps with media coverage for the event, added to Agoeyovo’s sentiment.
“[We wanted] African fashion to be seen right here in Vancouver and … showcase the creativity, the boldness, the colours, the vibrant culture of Africa.”
Nancy Kazumba, one of the designers, said this was her second show but her first big one.
At the show, she presented her brand, Jambo Boutique, which features suits, dresses, and blouses, among other pieces, made mostly in orange and green colours and blended with geometric prints.
“My new collection is all inspired by African clothing, the vibrant colours, and my own [creativity],” Kazumba said, adding the main theme of this collection is being bold and colourful.
Cyd Eva, together with her partner Costa Besta and a friend Brianna Klassen, are the creators behind Pattern Nation, a brand that makes handmade street wear and accessories.
“This is our biggest collection yet,” Eva said. “It was all made and designed while we were living in South Africa last year, between Cape Town and Durban. It features a mix of original artwork on the fabric and fabric that we source locally in South Africa.”
This was Eva’s first time being involved in AFWV. Last year, Besta showcased his own collection, returning with a new line of clothing, which includes hoodies, dresses, and skirts.
Pattern Nation aims to celebrate self-expression and creativity, embracing colour and patterns in new ways, Eva said, adding the brand also works towards promoting cross-cultural collaborations and bringing joy to people’s lives.
“It’s so great to see this happening in Vancouver and have such a great opportunity to showcase our designs on stunning models with a fabulous team,” Eva said.
Other participating design brands included Aya Roots, created by Linda Sey, who explores Ghanaian cultures in her work and presented dresses decorated with embroidery, ornaments, and weaving.
Beaded Body, a jewelry business created by Hana Woldeyes, sells handmade bracelets and necklaces, among others jewelry. At the fashion show, some of the modelled work included wooden-bead necklaces incorporating African motifs.
Kafui Design, founded by Kafui Tchibozo, originated in Togo and also presented its clothing at the show. The brand offers “garments that reflect a deep respect for tradition, modesty, and timeless beauty,” Tchibozo’s portfolio reads.
One of the dance shows featured acrobatic dancer B-Boy Fish (Eddie Ramirez) and amapiano dancer Afro Girl (Enya Graham-Shewish).
Graham-Shewish said she has been involved in AFWV since 2019, first as a model and later as an interviewer. This year, she joined as a dancer.
She added that she is collaborating with Pattern Nation to host the “No Shoes Ama House” event on April 6 at B1 Gallery in Vancouver.
“Our whole purpose is to bring together people who all love dancing but want to skip the alcohol club vibes, essentially. So we get together, usually around dinner time, until later evening, we have three DJs on rotation,” Afro Girl said, adding they have snacks and teach dancing.
Model coordinator Vanessa Egharevba said AFWV is an opportunity for designers to come together and show their talents.
“I grew up in Vancouver and I didn’t see a lot of designers that look like me or see other models that look like me. So just having a place to fit in has been such a blessing,” Egharevba said.
Looking towards future AFWV shows, she hopes more creatives from all over Canada attend and show their pieces.
To learn more about AFWV, visit www.afwv.ca.
