Fashion Weekend takes off July 1

Saturday, June 27, 2009 (The Mirror Pg 46)

By Rebecca Kwei
All is set for this year’s Ghana Fashion Weekend which will take place at the Accra International Conference Centre from July 1-4, 2009.
The event is a blend of modelling shows and fashion exhibition and it is aimed at promoting and attracting investments to the African fashion industry.
It is on the theme “Harnessing Creative Talents within Africa” is the theme for the event.
“We are ready and looking forward to a successful fashion programme. It promises to be the biggest fashion in Ghana. An event full of colour, style, glamour and splendour,” said Sima Ibrahim, the CEO of Exopa Model Agency, organisers of the event.
Being one of the biggest fashion shows to be held in Ghana, Mr Sima said 100 local and foreign Exopa models including Miss Venezuela as well as 30 kid models will hit the runway to showcase outfits of eight local and 13 foreign designers.
The designers are Kofi Ansah, Allan David, House of Eccentric, Nallem, Kiki Clothing, Kennedy (winner of Sew Project) all from Ghana, Alphadi from Niger and Modela from Nigeria.
The rest are Osman D and Alain Niava both from Cote d’Ivoire, Amaduo Diop, Senegal and Pepita D, Benin.
The main side attraction for the event is that Boris Kodjoe, the German-Ghanaian actor and designer, who owns the Ziami Clothing lines, will be in Ghana to grace the occasion. He will be accompanied by his wife, Nicole Ari Parker, who is also an actress.
Boris, well known for his role as Damon Carter in show time drama ‘Soul Food’, will showcase his designs.
Aside exhibiting his designs, Boris will also use the opportunity to learn more about the Africa fashion and film industries.
Boris and Nicole founded a non-profit organisation in honour of their daughter, Sophie Kodjoe who suffers from spina bifida, a common birth defect in the US, affecting the brain and/or spine and he (Boris) will give a talk on spina bifida while in Ghana.
On the programme outline, Mr Sima, said the exhibition of fashion products and accessories will be open in the morning of July 1 which will be followed by a press conference in the evening.
A fashion show by eight amateur fashion designers have been selected to feature in this year’s Ghana Fashion Weekend will then take place.
The best up-coming fashion designer will be sponsored by the French Embassy to France to develop his or her talent.
The rest of the days will feature exhibitions and fashion shows in the evening and the event will be climaxed with a mega fashion show on July 4.
Mr Sima was hopeful that the fashion weekend 2009 will put Africa’s fashion industry on the world map and appealed to corporate bodies to support the event.