Agatha Moreno and Farida Atelier are big ticket names for AFWN 2016

The Africa Fashion Week Nigeria is slowly shaping up to become quite the event. The showcase’s organizers have just announced two of the big ticket womenswear designers slated to show this year, Agatha Moreno of PJJD and Farida Atelier. Both womenswear labels will headline the showcase alongside other designers from all over the world with an impressive lineup including five (5) catwalk shows, fifty (50) designers, fashion gala & awards night as well panel discussions aimed at promoting Nigeria as a production hub.

It seems a bit of a gamble to headline the show with Moreno who is an emerging designer with only a collection to her name. The collection which we reviewed here is quite risque and shows that the designer isn’t afraid to take risks, though she lacks the control to ensure that her clothes stay south of tacky. It will be interesting to see where she goes with her new collection to be debuted at the showcase.

Farida Musa Halliru is an award winning emerging African fashion designer from Northern Nigeria, based in Abuja Nigeria. She started designing since her early teens but pursued a career in fashion design in 2012 after completing fashion school. She first showcased at the 2014 Tozali magazine Henna Ball Abuja, where she won the 2014 designer of the year award. Later that year, she showcased at Africa fashion week Amsterdam in August 2014, she also got nominated and won the award for “Emerging African Fashion Designer 2014” at The Voice Achievers Awards, Amsterdam. Halliru also showcased her latest collection at the Africa Fashion week London in August 2015 at the Olympia Centre. She’s even been featured in the December 2015 issue of Vogue UK.

It’s actually a very big statement that Africa Fashion Week Nigeria is putting a Muslim designer from Northern Nigeria as a headling designer on its showcase. It sends a very strong message of inclusiveness and the willingness of the organizers to look past Lagos for Nigerian Fashion.

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