It is well recognized that fashion design, a creative realm where fabric and style intertwine, holds a profound importance beyond aesthetics. From embodying cultural heritage to catalyzing economic growth, fashion designing’s reputation extends to shaping trends, fostering global connections, and even championing socio-cultural sustainability.
Fashion design is also the art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty. Yes, fashion designers create clothing, including dresses, suits, pants, and skirts, and accessories like shoes and handbags, for consumers. Designers thus can specialize in clothing, accessory, or jewelry design, or may work in more than one of these areas.
Keeping this in mind, The Ethiopian Herald approached Mahlet Afework, a renowned Ethiopian fashion designer, taking advantage of an event organized in Italy Embassy to officially launch Mafi fashion academy and lab (MFAL).
Mahlet said, “Mafi Fashion Academy and Lab (MFAL) was officially launched in Ethiopia marking a significant milestone as the region’s dynamic, high-quality fashion academy dedicated to empowering African talent. MFAL fosters an environment where students can launch successful global brands within Africa and become well trained fashion professionals”
Delivering a transformative take on fashion education, MFAL combines the latest design trends with the entrepreneurial skills needed to succeed in the future. The curated syllabus, developed in collaboration with international fashion consultants, leverages her industry experience and addresses identified gaps in African fashion education,” said Mahlet.
Driven by a passion for cultivating high quality African fashion leaders and brands, Mahlet Afework, whose brand MAFI MAFI, has employed international acclaim for 15 years. established FMAL. This academy aims to equip students with international skills and knowledge; nurture well-trained professionals and foster research and innovation within Africa.
“As an African brand with a humble beginning, we understand the challenges faced by aspiring designers. MFAL is designed to bridge that skills gap, empowering students to bring world-class brands. Building on our rich heritage of innovation and knowledge sharing, we aim at nurturing the artisans of the future,” she said.
According to Mahlet, in collaboration with a fashion institute in Italy, the Italian Embassy in Ethiopia, and UNIDO, MFAL offers a state-of-the-art learning environment. Students can choose from specialized courses in fashion design, fashion business, photography, and styling among others, thereby receiving high-quality education and mentorship without the need to travel abroad.
As to Mahlet, MFAL goes beyond traditional education, offering an exceptional combination of practical skills and global exposure via boosting the first fashion innovation lab of its kind in Ethiopia presenting a dedicated space to experiment with cutting-edge technology and preparing for the future of the industry.
She further elucidated that, MFAL is a bridge where innovation meets tradition. It is also an international standard fashion academy in Africa empowering aspiring designers and entrepreneurs with top-tier education and invaluable industry exposure.
She said, “MFAL functions as an institution for research and development fostering innovation and collaboration amongst African brands. It collaborates with industry leaders and designers across Africa to create a significant impact on the continent’s fashion industry.”
“Let’s build international standard African fashion together. The fashion industry in Ethiopia needs to be given due emphasis. Companies in the fashion industry are making promising strides,” she opined.
It’s critical for the fashion industry to come together and align its actions, both within individual companies and across the entire supply chain, to pave the way for the sweeping changes that are needed to address the stumbling blocks precluding the fashion industry from taking the lead in the nation, Mahlet underlined.
“Change can be brought about by working collaboratively; companies can make a difference in a sustainable, responsible, and innovative industry. Targeting at bolstering innovation, promoting creativity and entrepreneurship, helping apparel opportunities thrive is the very important step to be well entertained,” said Mahlet.
Not only is the event a very moment to set a big symbol for Mafi Design but it is also a viable avenue to push Africa’s fashion industry steps forward. “As Ethiopian culture and tradition have been intertwined with modern fashion for 15 years, we have been portraying our work at the world arena. This journey has helped me prettily to witness the continent’s capacity for creativity and capacity to the rest of the world.”
The MAFI Fashion Academy and Lab is going to work to address the trying hurdles fashion designers have been encountering; as the prime hurdles are well sorted out so far. The Academy is working to provide students with a range of lessons centering on fashion design, fashion business, and fashion photography, among others.
Mahlet said: “Learners joining the academy are expected to embark on a journey of self-discovery, learning about the fundamentals of fashion and exploring their own identity as the maxim ‘creativity matters,’ lays the groundwork for personal and creative development.”
Surprisingly, Ethiopia has been labeled as an area of many paradoxes, so rich in high-value natural resources, tangible and intangible heritages, economical human capital, a wide acre of plots of land, endowed with creativity, culture and design, among others, yet economically not fully developed, and even with a sluggish fashion industry, she opined.
Even though the fashion industry has been booming globally, clearly a big pie with huge opportunities, Ethiopia in particular and Africa in general have minimal contributions to this industry. However, Mahlet said that she has taken the right trajectory to be a pioneer and push the industry steps forward.
The fashion industry in Ethiopia has to be increasingly accepted and adopted in many countries of the world triumphing parameters of good quality via providing designers with a fully sustainable market locally, regionally, continentally and even globally as the resources are abundantly available here and there. Some are heard of saying that the fashion industry in Ethiopia is, more or less, a cottage industry, faced with gaps.
According to Mahlet, if the country is to benefit from the sector, creating enabling policies and right business environment has to come to the forefront.
“The need for government to support the fashion value chain through policy and legal frameworks in order to help the nation create jobs ultimately assisting the economic growth at a larger scale.”
If the government attaches due emphasis to the fashion industry, designers will be well-financed, trained and protected, the resulting possibilities will also be titanic. Yes, she said exports from the nation remain low as the fashion industry is still developing and at an infant stage, of course. However, this narrative can be absolutely altered in the years to come with the right policies and top-level support.
She further elucidated that, as more designers spring up, there is the need to establish more industries, schools, colleges, associations and similar groups to protect their interests and showcase their works. That is why MFAL is working hard and readied to teach all interested using clear cut criteria to admit students for the academy.
Apart from serving as a podium for the display of Ethiopian fashion facilities, the academy and lab helps create the impression of a professional, formal and investment-ready industry. Ethiopia has to establish more fashion schools and formal training mechanisms, recognizing that the industry becomes more prestigious when its workers are formally trained to play their roles, she added.
“There is a surprising fashion education gap in Ethiopia, a factor responsible for the low number of professionals in the industry. Though Ethiopia has a number of universities, almost none of them offer a fashion design program. If the government doesn’t see a need for the fashion industry locally, it becomes difficult for us to convince the international market of our existence, but promising trends are now well observed,” she said.
Yes, said Mahlet, Ethiopia must take seriously the task of getting rid of intra-nation business barriers such that the difficulties experienced in shipping fabric across the nation are eased. The potentials within the Ethiopian fashion industry are as significant as they are enormous, and it will take a committed nation to fully cash in on these possibilities and opportunities.
BY MENGESHA AMARE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD TUESDAY 6 AUGUST 2024
