By Vivian Onyebukwa
The first edition of Bridging The Gap conference by The Fashioned Museum was held in Lagos recently.
•Some of the participants
The Fashioned Museum is Africa’s rich fashion heritage and a catalyst for fashion’s promising future.
Tejumola Maurice-Diya, principal and founder of The Fashioned Museum, said that Bridging The Gap was an integral part of The Fashioned Museum’s mission to activate a broader and timely conversation around contemporary fashion in an ever-changing world.
The immediate aim, she said, was to celebrate the ever-evolving world of fashion by bridging the gap between the younger generation and the older generation as well as between the western world and the African continent.
“African culture is finally taking its rightful position on the global stage with the explosion of broader music and culinary acceptance across the globe and I have little doubt that fashion is the next frontier for us to showcase. We are here for this,” Tejumola said.
For Tejumola, it was a dream come true and she promised that the event would be held annually.
The programme had first and second sessions.
The first session was targeted at youths: “It was for the students to identify whom they are. It is necessary to catch people at the grassroot level. It is time for the youths to recognise who they are, embrace themselves as Nigerians and as Africans.”
The one-day event, which held at the Alliance Francaise, Lagos, was a celebration of style, culture and innovation, designed to bring together students, fashion enthusiasts, industry professionals and inquisitive minds.
It kicked off with the student session, which featured students from various secondary schools across Lagos who had an interest in fashion, and were looking to excel in the industry in future.
It featured appearances by renowned fashion experts, designers and thought leaders like Lisa Folawiyo, Emmy Kasbit and spoken words artist, Ibquark, among others, who provided unique insights into the future of the fashion industry, while answering questions concerning the future of fashion, and career guidance for the students.
It also featured a historical heritage and pioneers of fashion in Africa and their massive contributions to the industry over the years.
Ibquark, while speaking to the students, encouraged them to always outline their strengths and weaknesses and see the ones that actually work for them and work with that.
The second part of the conference was a call to action to connect, learn and envision a brighter, more inclusive and sustainable fashion world. It was specifically targeted at business owners in the fashion industry on how to succeed in the business.
It featured a line-up of seasoned speakers and fashion insiders, including fashion designer, Ejiro Amos-Tafiri, ex-beauty queen and social media influencer, Powede Awujo; founder, Heritage Apparels, Abisade Adenubi; Ugo Monye; and Kasbit, dwelling on issues of branding and sustainability in the industry.
It was a very well rounded event that helped people look at the holistic dynamics of running a successful fashion business.
The immersive experience united fashion enthusiasts, industry professionals and aspiring fashionistas with the aim of bridging the gap between the rich history of African fashion and its promising future.