Yes, it’s that time again. Africa’s most anticipated fashion event, ARISE Fashion Week, is here; this time, it’s in its 20th edition. Wow, how time flies! Since its inception, ARISE Fashion Week has remained synonymous with putting African fashion on the world map. As we celebrate, here are some of the most interesting facts about New York Fashion Week’s long legacy.
2007 was the year it all began…
The first ARISE Fashion Week was held as far back as 2007 and was known then as ARISE Magazine Fashion Week. It has since evolved to ARISE Africa Fashion Week and ARISE Fashion Week.
International models in Nigeria for the first time…
Fashion weeks are synonymous with designers and models, but ARISE Fashion Week was the first ever to bring international A-list models into the country. The likes of Naomi Campbell, Alek Wek, Liya Kabede, Tyson Beckford, and Grace Jones, as well as Millen Magese, and Oluchi Orlandi, to name a few, are some of the supermodels that have graced the ARISE Runway.
The ARISE Magazine African Fashion Collective
ARISE Fashion Week was the first fashion platform to export African talents for an international runway showcase at the New York Fashion Week. The event, which took place at the tents in Bryant Park, New York, featured brands like Tiffany Amber and Lanre da Silva Ajayi.
South africa was also a destination
In collaboration with Africa Fashion Week, ARISE Fashion Week held ARISE Africa Fashion Week in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa, for two consecutive editions. This began the new dawn of fashion in Africa, and the whole world watched in awe.
Debut in the Middle East
In 2021, ARISE Fashion Week took Nigerian designers to Dubai to showcase the best of Nigerian fashion to the Middle East to commemorate Nigeria Day at Expo 2020 in Dubai. It helped put Nigerian Designers on the map in the Middle East’s fashion capital.
Six years out
ARISE Fashion Week was on hiatus for six years, but this did not diminish the brand’s identity; it returned bigger and stronger, with designers and models eager to participate.
A BIG DEAL
For every African Designer, the ARISE Fashion Week is a big deal. The exposure the show gives designers is second to none. With loads of international press and recognition, designers, especially up-and-coming designers, scramble to get a place in the lineup to grace the runway with their pieces.
This year it’s a Triple celebration
This year marks a triple celebration for ARISE Fashion Week, as the founder and chairman Nduka Obaigbena CON, Duke of Owa Kingdom, commemorates the 20th edition of ARISE Fashion Week, the 10th anniversary of ARISE News, and the 28th anniversary of ThisDay newspapers, the latter two of which have been formidable platforms behind the coverage and promotion of ARISE Fashion Week.
