On the other hand, the African Fashion Business Summit 2021 aiming at promoting African unity within the diversity of cultures, costumes, and culinary has been opened for four days in Addis Ababa.
The fashion Summit is a platform for African designers to demonstrate their products and introduce one another to work together. Renowned designers from across the continent have taken part in the 2021 Summit which was held under the theme “Africa: the New Inspiration for Global Fashion.”
Legendary Gold President, Lexy Mojo-Eyes said the theme is in line with the AU theme of 2021 which focused on Art, Culture and Heritage. “In Africa, we are one, to show unity in diversity; we may have different borders like Ethiopia, Nigeria, Egypt, and Central Africa Republic but Africa is one. In our diversity there is a lot of unity among us, so we want to spread that unity,” he said.
Promoting unity in the diverse African dances, music, and cousin is the primary objective of the Summit. “What we have in Africa is our rich culture,” Mojo-Eyes stated. He added “let us not lose that,” African culture is eroded by international influence from the west. He also underscored the need to maintain the culture.
It is a must to invest time, knowledge and money on producing dresses that reflect African identity. In this regard many African professionals have been engaged in manufacturing traditional
products in which SoleRebels, a local shoe production brand in Ethiopia is among them. The company produces every pair of shoe from the most renewable materials, a combination of recycled, organic and bio-based inputs.
The brand embraces production methods that are sustainable and traditionally zero-carbon. All shoes are handcrafted in the brand’s workshop in Addis Ababa and they ship worldwide.
Therefore, preserving and promoting African identity through producing and using African products is essential to keep the originality of African assets and enable the continent to get free from dependency on foreign support and negative impacts of globalization.
The Ethiopian Herald October 24/2021
