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This picture shows (from left to right) Mokodu Fall, Fabiola Manirakiza and Joy Meribe. Along with two other designers, they opened the recent Milan Fashion Week. Photo composite: AFP
Born in different parts of Africa but all operating under the Made In Italy brand, the five designers who opened Milan Fashion Week as part of a collective, come from diverse backgrounds.
Fabiola Manirakiza, 50, was born in Burundi but it was in Zaire, which became the Democratic Republic Of Congo, that she learned how to sew, in a school run by Italian nuns.
A doctor by training, she used this skill when she founded her label Frida Kiza in Italy in 2016, the name a tribute to Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
Last-minute touches on a frilly white dress, a final coat of powder and it s showtime for the Black Lives Matter-inspired collective making history at Milan Fashion Week.
After a years-long battle to improve diversity on the Italian catwalks, a group of five black designers made their on-schedule debut by opening the women s Fall/Winter fashion shows.
All this season s shows are pre-recorded due to coronavirus, but AFP was given exclusive access to their preparations last week at Milan s Circolo Filologico library, not far from the Scala.
Is opening fashion week a victory? I d say it s the first step, said Michelle Ngonmo, who chose those to include in the debut show.
The Straits Times
Black designers make history
A Black Lives Matter-inspired collective opened the women s fall/winter fashion shows in a move to improve diversity on the Italian runway
(Left) Burundi-born designer Fabiola Manirakiza played with silk in floral prints for her brand, Frida-Kiza. (Right) Senegalese designer Mokudu Fall, in a nod to his African origins, featured satin lions and zebras in gold and red, his favourite colours. PHOTOS: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
(Left) Nigerian designer Joy Meribe s collection featured dresses and skirts in organic silk in yellow, Atlantic blue and dark red. (Right) Claudia Gisele Ntsama from Cameroon offered eco-friendly looks made entirely from hemp.PHOTOS: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Africa-born Fab Five designers open Milan Fashion Week
Thanks to a movement highlighting racism in the fashion industry, five designers of African origin led the We are Made in Italy runway show. Who are they?
Fashion designer Gisele Claudia Ntsama poses with models during the Black Lives Matter collection show at Milan Fashion Week
Five designers of African origin opened Milan Fashion Week s We are Made in Italy virtual show on Wednesday, as Europe s fashion world seeks to highlight long-marginalized voices.
The virtual show aims to support Black creators by giving a platform to designers with diverse backgrounds.
Dubbed the Fab Five , many of the the Africa-born designers moved to Italy at a young age. They faced considerable obstacles on their road to recognition, with some working in low-paying jobs to finance their passion.