The Africa Fashion Week Toronto (AFWT) is an annual event that provides exposure and publicity for brands seeking to connect directly with their target market in Canada. This year, the event will be running from August 22nd to August 25th at various luxurious locations across the City of Toronto. Established by African Fashion Canada in 2012, AFWT has grown to become the highest attended mainstream platform for African fashion creatives and fashion lovers in Canada. This year, the fashion week features an exciting line up of events and activities.
Student Designer Competition
AFWT will kick off the fashion week with their pre-event, the Student Designer Competition (SDC), happening on Monday, August 19th at 7:00pm inside the historic Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) at 100 Queens Park, Toronto. Six designers will compete on and off the runway to showcase their debut fashion collections out of which three people will be chosen as first, second and third place winners. Each will be awarded brand new sewing machines courtesy of Janome Canada and an opportunity to have their collection showcased on the runway.
Fashion Seminar and Media Soiree
The fashion week itself then launches on Thursday, August 22nd with the Fashion Seminar from 1:00pm to 3:00pm inside OCAD University – the largest and most comprehensive art, design and media university in Canada at 100 McCaul St., Toronto. The seminar will feature a panel of diverse and notable industry professionals who will educate on key strategies to succeeding in the fashion industry. At 6:30pm AFWT will roll out the red carpet at 180 John St., 7th Floor in Toronto for a Media Soiree in partnership with Spacefy.
The Runway Shows
For the next two days following the fashion seminar and media soiree, AFWT will feature about 20 fashion designers on the runway and over 10 vendors from Canada and abroad who will be showcasing their premium collections inside Branksome Hall at 6 Elm Ave., Toronto.
AFWT is excited to welcome award-winning Ugandan based designer Fatumahasha and Toronto-based, Euro-inspired custom suit brand Eaden Myles who recently went viral as they suited Stephen Curry during the NBA Finals. The “King of Couture” Adebayo Jones returns with his latest luxury collection Africana By AJ featuring vibrant wax prints for women and for the first time ever will debut his exclusive luxury men’s collection.
Awards Ceremony
On Sunday, August 25th the organization celebrates achievements in the Pan-African fashion industry at the African Fashion Industry Awards (#AFIA2019) hosted by Adebayo Jones. This year, a special Black Excellence Award will be presented to Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter for her work in the Black Panther movie.
Nothing is more exciting than knowing what designers are going to be showcasing their collections at the shows and then anticipating what their work will be like. AFWT will feature a mix of both established and emerging designers on the runway and mentioned are just a few.
AFWT stopped by Breakfast Television to show a glimpse of what to expect from the shows. Check out this video for some highlights of the fashion week. For a full schedule of shows and events including the featured designers, please visit www.afwt.ca. Meanwhile, the tickets for the event can purchased directly from Eventbrite.
If given the opportunity, which of these shows/events featuring at the African Fashion Week Toronto would you like to go see?
I’m a seasoned communications and marketing consultant with a penchant for all things stylish and chic. Follow me on social media and subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates on industry trends and much more!
Ah….wish I was there to attend one. I think the UK one is on this month as well. I was checking for tickets last week on the gram.
https://www.missymayification.co.uk
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Hello Miss May,
I have heard about the Africa Fashion Week London as well, which is taking place August 9-10. Hope you will be able to attend the shows for that one. Perhaps you could share the experience on your blog!