Ghana’s Turn of Fashion Weeks Comes off this October

If you are into fashion, then you should know by now that the 4 big cities of International Fashion Weeks took place in September from New York, London, Milan and ended in Paris last weekend.

Clearly it’s the turn of Ghana’s Fashion Week spread through the month of October as we have 3 major fashion weeks coming up. Glitz Africa Fashion Week and Accra Fashion Week are both slated to take place during the same weekend from October 6-9 at the Kempinski Hotel and Trade Fair respectively and Ghana Fashion andDesign Week is scheduled to take place from October 21-23 at the Labadi Beach Hotel.

With these fashion weeks ahead and expectations varied from various attendees and designers, what should we be expecting from fashion weeks here in Ghana?

Fashion shows or weeks are trade events that are critical for the apparel industry everywhere. It offers designers the platform to communicate or showcase recent fashion trends to various audiences. It also gives creative entrepreneurs an opportunity to be exposed to retailers and buyers of interest, influential media both local and international where designs are showcased. In essence, it’s a platform that connects designers to all several consumers.

With the increased number of street style photos and glammed up front row attendees at fashion shows, don’t be deceived into thinking it’s all about partying, meeting friends and taking nice photos. Fashion week is a place of work; a place where you need to maximize your business and networking abilities to lock the best deals for the next media feature, brand endorsement, pre-orders amongst others. 

As designers, it’s the best place to impress attendees with your creativity as you present your collection to them.

So who attends fashion shows? Editors, Buyers, Stylists, Fashion Journalists/bloggers, Style Influencers, Creative Directors, Fashion Publicists, Models, Photographers and Fashion Consumers.

These varied attendees at fashion weeks have major roles to play in how designs will be reported or featured after the event. It also determines which one of them will be interested in buying, stocking or working with a design off the runway.

So planning on attending any of these fashion weeks coming up? Hope you find yourself in any of these categories of the attendees above. Nonetheless if you don’t belong and still want to know what’s happening there, then do follow their various hashtags and handles on social media to get all the updates from the seminars, backstage, runways and red carpets.

Photocredit: +Totally Ethnik

Faith Senam Ocloo 
Fashion Public Relations 
Fashion I Beauty I Lifestyle I Arts

Accra Men’s Fashion Week launched for February 27-28, 2016

Accra Men’s Fashion Week has been launched to take place from February 27-28, 2016 at the World Trade Center.

The event is one of a kind and I am really looking forward to it. A weekend destination that will assemble all men's wear and accessories at one venue. New trends in men's fashion, style and grooming.

 

Nana Mensah, CEO of Fame Model Management, organizers of Accra Men’s Fashion Week has expressed his excitement at the maiden edition of this event. He added that the objective is to draw more attention to men’s fashion and accessories and grooming while promoting national culture.

I believe it's different and worth attending. Start scheduling this event on your calendar as you will also see designers from other African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Togo and Benin amongst others. Lets battle it out to see which country wows us on the runway.

 

Interestingly, popular Ghanaian Actor John Dumelo, Musician Nana Boro, Model Adams Abasigo; Winner of Mr. Model Ghana 2015 have been revealed as ambassadors for the event for their different roles in the fashion and style industry in Ghana.

 

If you are a designer and interested in participating, contact them via accramensfashionweek@gmail.com 

Faith Senam Ocloo
Fashion Public Relations
Fashion I Beauty I Lifestyle I Arts

Getting Beyond the Runway: A Designer's Reality or Myth?

For many designers, fashion shows and fashion weeks are very essential seasons they work towards all year through. They hustle earnestly in anticipation for all the glitz, glamour and the pomp associated with fashion shows and weeks. Thus, to have the platform to showcase their creativity and best designs to all who matter in the fashion industry.

In Ghana, many fashion shows have been organized over the years and each year designers are looking forward to cashing in on such opportunities. The likes of Glitz Africa Fashion Week, Ghana Fashion and Design Week and a few other fashion shows have gain lots to media attention in recent years.

An ideal fashion week and fashion show targets fashion editors, bloggers, fashion photographers, stylists, fashion publicists, buyers, celebrities and the likes.

Yes I would agree it feels awesome to be accompanied by these tall intensely looking but thinly gorgeous models after your designs have been showcased and then you have all the guests applaud. I know that sounds like I have been there before!

But after all said and done, the question is how do you get your fashion brand beyond the runway. What happens after the fashion show and fashion week? Do these fashion events have to offer to your brand?

As I mentioned earlier, an ideal fashion show and fashion week targets specific people for a reason; to converge all industry players to one place to create business and network opportunities.

 
Fashion Editors are very important people at fashion events. They influence fashion content and trends for publication in magazine, website, newspaper and television programs. They are most likely to leave such places with ideas on what their next issue will be about.

Fashion Bloggers are give visibility to your brand and design by writing and reviewing them. They can even go the extra mile to do series of features about your brand which will keep you in the spotlight for who knows how long.

Stylists are also very important at fashion shows. They have relationship with celebrities and fashion editors and are trend savvy people. During fashion shows, they have the opportunity to make decisions on what designs to use in styling their clients and also when having photo shoots for celebrities, fashion magazines, music videos etc

Fashion Publicists have also become important people in the fashion industry. Their work is to connect industry players to your brand through media relations, celebrity relations, consumer driven events to give you the right exposure that will attract buzz around your brand for years to come. They also ensure that they advise you on sustainable ways to engage your brand using effective PR strategies and tactics.

Fashion Photographers are there to show off designer’s creations. Their aim at a fashion event is to get the best shots of your designs which could be used to tell different beautiful stories about your brand. 

Buyers attend fashion shows because they influence what items will be stocked in shops based on their observations and predictions on trends.

Celebrities at fashion shows add glitz and glamour to the event. However, they also play very significant  roles beyond the runway such as having first hand exposure to the designers which could be followed by brand endorsements, requesting for some of the designs for their photo shoots, red carpet events, media appearance etc. 

Fashion weeks and shows are not for friends and families. They are business platforms for participants to make the most out of.

To organizers of fashion shows and fashion weeks, ensure that you invite these influential people to your event in order to give participating designers the best business platform to build on beyond the runway.

And to participating designers at fashion shows, a lot happens after the runway which you need to capitalize on so go for it and grow your brand. Whether a reality or a myth, you’ve got to make the most out of it.

If I did leave some other important personality at fashion shows, feel free to comment below.

 Faith Senam Ocloo

CEO

E’April Public Relations

Follow me on twitter @eaprilPR and @faithsenam