Launch of AFW Brazil confirms
great interest in afro fashion in the country

Event takes place on May 25, 26 and 27, 2023, at Expo Center Norte, in São Paulo, with the proposal to raise the visibility of African fashion, art and culture, in addition to generating opportunities and business

Meeting with the press, promoted by Instituto Internacional Feafro, organizer of Africa Fashion Week Brasil – AFW Brasil, held on February 28, in Vila Madalena, in São Paulo, signaled the certainty that the country is starting a new cycle in dealing with issues fundamental.
And one of them concerns the essence of Brazilianness, made up of blood and cultural traits from native peoples and the African continent. After all, the Brazilian people are mostly black and brown – a reality to be better understood, recognized and valued.
The launch of AFW Brasil is the result of persistent work by Instituto Feafro, chaired by businesswoman Silvana Saraiva. Dynamic, articulate, aggregating and, above all, engaged, Silvana brings to the country the international representation of AFW, already consolidated in the United Kingdom and Nigeria.
The importance of AFW Brasil was manifested by the Lula Government, through the staff of Minister Alexandre Padilha, through a video, where the unrestricted support for the initiative is made public, for all that it represents for the strengthening of Brazil-Africa ties.

Integration

“Africa Fashion Week Brasil is part of the African Fashion Week London and African Fashion Week Nigeria circuit, conceived and founded by Queen Ronke Ademiluyem in 2011, and which is in its 13th edition. Accessible, Inclusive, Diverse and Sustainable are values that constitute the pillars of the proposal of African Fashion Week Brasil”, points out Silvana Saraiva. The 135 steps of the African diaspora is the theme of AFW Brasil, in reference to the 135 years of slavery in force since the enactment of the Lei Áurea, in the perspective of joining forces in favor of effective liberation.
Today, with 12 years of history behind it, AFW is one of the most important fashion events in the United Kingdom and West Central Africa. In 2018, it signed with Instituto Internacional Feafro the transfer of know-how and technology for realization in Brazil.

African diaspora

Fashion has emerged as a platform to showcase the strength and diversity of African design. There is a repressed demand within a relevant portion of society, which seeks an identity that combines their lifestyle in synergy with their ancestry.
Africa Fashion Week, now configured to conquer the deep roots of the feeling of being Brazilian, fills a historical gap and projects African styling in Brazilian society. It represents a powerful incentive and strengthens the promotion of new designers, lacking the resources to present their collections and their work.

Fashion as an instrument

The event will also bring together established designers capable of promoting interaction between generations, brand activation, industry innovation workshops in the B2B and B2C segments, exports, imports and private meetings with investors.
“The strategy and main focus of the event is to use fashion as an instrument of sustainability and social change. AFWB is a tool to combat structural racism, responsible for maintaining a Eurocentric fashion market”, emphasizes Silvana Saraiva.
Within the AFW circuit, 90% of the workforce is made up of black people, women, LGBTQI+, fashion students and marginalized communities. It offers a unique work experience, designed in a large event.
The essence of AFW demonstrates that including is also supporting, encouraging and provoking changes in the textile industry’s style standards. It seeks to make it accessible to consumers who want fashion that is more in synergy with their culture, lifestyle and well-being.
In summary, the spirit of AFW, which arrives in Brazil at a moment anointed by hope, involves fashion, music, dance, gastronomy, textile art, design, receptive luxury in quilombos, handicrafts and other expressions. It is closely related to the culture of the original peoples (Brazil has more than 350 indigenous ethnic groups) and is present at the root of the majority of the Brazilian population (black and brown). And these are values that make up tourist differentials valued in the international market.

References

Assessoria de Imprensa
Agência Amigo
Luiz Henrique Miranda
WhatsApp:  +55 (11) 9 9658-8766