By Vivian Onyebukwa
The first edition of “Bridging The Gap” conference by, “The Fashioned Museum”, was held in Lagos recently.
“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” event is 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, is 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 promised that the event is going to be an annual one.
The programme had the first and second sessions.
The first session, was targeted at the 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 alike.
It kicked off with the students session, which featured students from various secondary schools across Lagos who has interest in fashion, and are looking to excell in the industry in future.
It featured appearances by renowned fashion experts, designers and thought leaders, like Lisa Folawiyo, Emmy Kasbit, spoken words artists Ibquark amongst others, who provided unique insights into the future of the fashion industry, while answering questions concerning the future of fashion and career guide from 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 one that actually works for them and work with that.
Part two 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 towards business owners on the fashion industry on how to succeed in the business.
It featured a line up of seasoned speakers, 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 Emmy Kasbit, stressing 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 to bridging the gap between the rich history of African fashion and its promising future.