MILAN – Five designers of African descent make their first runway Milan Fashion Week on Wednesday under the banner “We are Made in Italy,” after nurturing dreams that were thought to be generous in their native countries and who faced major obstacles emerging in Italy adopted. .
Joy Meribe, who is originally from Nigeria, started working in Italy as a cultural mediator. Fabiola Manirakiza came to Italy as a child from Burundi and first trained as a doctor.
Karim Daoudi, who was born in Morocco, grew up in a shoe-making town in northern Italy and eventually embraced the local craft. Pape Macodou Fall of Senegal arrived at the age of 22, embarking on his creative ascent as an actor, film producer, figurative painter and now, a reclaimed costume designer.
Only one of the five, Cameroonian Gisele Claudia Ntsama, set her sights on Italy with the single goal, which was already mature in a fashion career.
“When I told friends in Cameroon that I wanted to travel to Italy to become a fashion designer, they said, ‘Why are you going to study fashion. You know you’re black? Which Italian fashion house employs you? ‘”Ntsama said in a video chat with the Associated Press. “It’s always on people’s minds that fashion is for white people. No and no and no! ”
The designers, known as “the Fab Five,” are the first crop of creators nurtured through a collaboration between the Italian National Fashion Chamber and the Black Lives Matter in the Italian Fashion movement. Italian-Haitian designer Stella Jean, Milan-based African American designer Edward Buchanan and founder of Afro Milano Fashion Week Michelle Ngonmo launched the trend last summer.
The collaboration has expanded from September, when Fab Five collections hung in a showroom, to a bona fide runway display of five appearances each for Milan Fashion Week, which occupies 99% of -line. For their fall-winter 2020-21 collections, the designers worked with suppliers and received expert advice, all organized by the Italian fashion council, in a developed partnership that allowed their creations take it to the next level.
A multi-ethnic team of stylists, hairdressers and artists were on hand to prepare for the runway show, and buyers can visit the collection on the Italian National Fashion Room website.
Meribe worked with silk from the Como clothing company, Taroni, revisiting some of her previous designs for the Modaf Designs brand which she has traditionally made from a cotton handkerchief. traditional African waxwork. Buchanan helped to equip and encouraged Meribe to change last – minute views without being too harsh, ‘she said. ‘
“This collection is the most luxurious I have ever created. For this capsule collection, I went beyond all means, ” Meribe said.
Daoudi worked with cobbler Veneto Ballin, who makes shoes for Bottega Veneta, Chanel and Hermes, to create his collection of sandals and high heel boots. He said the association helped him with more challenging design.
“I hope there are buyers,” he said, adding that the producer intends to help him fill any orders he receives.
Ntsama added knitwear to her unique floral creations from hemp clothing. The artisanal looks are one-of-a-kind pieces that fit the famous red carpet and require hours of craftsmanship: She shapes the cork with her favorite kitchen appliance without recognizing and replacing it.
Fall, named after artiste Mokodu, picked up the existing clothes and put them up with hand-painted images by an African.
Manirakiza, which already owns the Frida Kiza brand in the Marche region of Italy where she lives and in Rome, did not need external funding for her collection inspired by “ Primavera, ”Botticelli was expected to be a beacon of hope after the pandemic.
A babydoll dress with a round neckline and cape details is created from a black and white print of “Primavera” that emphasized the floral elements of the camp. Manirakiza said hosting the runway show was an “amazing experience” that she hopes will help expand her brand.
Ngonmo founded Milan Afro Fashion Week on its own after failing the attention of the industry before the Black Lives Matter movement inspired Black Italian creative people to draw attention to the frontiers ahead. She said it was particularly important that the fashion world did not stop by adding the names of African-born designers to the fashion calendar, but supporting them with products for growth.
“It simply came to our notice then. If we want to make a real difference, we need to offer their colleagues the same opportunities that they have had, the same instruments and experiences, ” Ngonmo said. “We will say this is a good first step. ”