The Fashion Collective Naija
FASHION community
The Fashion collective Naija is a community of Nigerian fashion creatives founded by Omonigho AIto-Imonah, one of NIgeria’s foremost fashion illustrators and designers, in May of 2020 as a forum to connect fashion creatives to people and opportunities that would help them grow in their various fashion careers..
INITIATIVES
Some of the initiatives embarked on to empower community members include:
INDUSTRY GIANTS TALK
Here, fashion industry giants come to the community to speak to community members on their areas of expertise..
EQUITY SCHOLARSHIP
A partnership was secured with The Digital Fashion Group, Europe's foremost online platform for digital fashion training to train 60 community members in 3D digital fashion design for a year.
Mentorship programme
Our founder leverages on her industry connections to get influential fashion industry professionals to mentor community members
AI FASHION MASTERCLASS
Distinguished German photographer and AI fashion enthusiast, Dagmar Bressel, held a two-day masterclass on AI-powered fashion design for ten community members
THE EQUITY SCHOLARSHIP
A partnership between The Digital fashion group, Europe’s foremost online digital fashion training platform and CLO 3D, The fashion industry’s standard 3D fashion design software company and our community to provide scholarships for sixty community members and free software subscription over a limited period, in the year 2023 (Jan to Dec)
INDUSTRY GIANTS TALK
An interview series that focuses on inviting both local and foreign influential fashion industry professionals to speak to community members on various topics within their areas of expertise with the possibility of mentorship.
We have been privileged to have hosted distinguished individuals such as Sara Sozzani Maino of Vogue Italia, Clare Tattersall. of Digital fashion week, Leslie Holden of The Digital Fashion Group, Kola Kudus of The Fashion Designers Association of NIgeria amongst others
MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME
In 2021, a mentorship programme was launched, leveraging on our founder’s industry contacts, in order to provide professional guidance for community members. We were able to successfully secure foremost NIgerian womenswear designer, EJiro Amos-Tafiri, to mentor community members.
AI FASHION DESIGN MASTERCLASS
In 2023, we had the priviledge of ten community members tutored in the emerging art of Artificial intelligence-powered fashion design, by foremost German photographer and AI fashion enthusiast, Dagma Bressel,
The students have gone ahead to enter into competitions and showcase at AI exhibitions using their newly-found skill.
COMMUNITY CONTESTS
The Design Project Naija
In recognition of the incredible skill witnessed amongst community members, a design competition was created in April 2022, where over a hundred community members competed against each other in a month-long competition. The brief each week involved designing looks that combined African design elements and textiles with the design aesthetics of high-end fashion houses such as Balmain, Versace, etc to create cutting-edge, Afro-centric designs.
The finals were judged by Sara Sozzani Maino of Vogue Italia.
The Elena Nazaroff Competition
In February of 2023, in honor of Russian fashion designer Elena Nazaroff’s contribution to fashion, being the first Russian designer to design for a French couture house (Jacques Fathe), a design contest was held in her name.
The top ten finalists were after rewarded with a two-day AI masterclass by Dagmar Bressel
Community members feedback
Because of this community, I can count 3D digital illustration as a skillset today
Mouskeba, Senegalese student in MIlan
I have a sense of belonging as a fashion illustrator here
Favour, Lagos, NIgeria
I have met some people who i ordinarily won't. . have been able to meet through this community
Adaeze Uyo, Nigeria
THe FASHION COLLECTIV NAIJA
Address
A: Association Avenue, IPaja, Lagos
M: (+234)9166819634
E: tfc9ja@gmail.com
THe FASHION COLLECTIVE NAIJA 2024