MILAN – The Fashion Minority Alliance (FMA) and Afro Fashion Milan today inaugurate the premier #MeetOurDESIGNERS event Friday, February 25th at Milan’s Accademia del Lusso.
Marking a new chapter in Italy’s fashion history, these three organisations have come together in unity to promote Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) talent before an international audience of prominent fashion editors, international fashion leaders and buyers. The FMA, the London-based non-profit, non-partisan organization has organised a showcase of five designers from the United Kingdom, joining Afro Fashion Milan’s exhibition of 13 designers of Afro heritage.
This team effort is part of a larger plan to chart new opportunities worldwide for individuals who hail from minority backgrounds, especially those who define themselves as BIPOC and/or individuals with disabilities.
Fashion Minority Alliance Co-Founder Barbara Kennedy-Brown said: “This partnership is a major step in building a fashion industry that represents society today and gives those who are truly deserving, a seat at the table. For too long, only a privy few have had the opportunity to advance their careers in the upper echelons of the industry and together we can open new doors to talented individuals from minority backgrounds.”
Conveying the cruciality of a more diverse Italian fashion industry has been among the top priorities for Italy’s Afro Fashion Milan over the last decade. Since 2015, the Italy- and Cameroon-based nonprofit has actively promoted African creative talents.
Michelle Ngonmo, Afro Fashion Milan added: “It is a privilege to work with these inspiring BIPOC creatives — hear their stories, see their aesthetics emerge and have the opportunity to learn from them. We continue to focus on our mission to secure their future and their place in the fashion industry.”
Ngonmo has been a major proponent of We Are Made in Italy (WAMI) an organization which is also spearheaded by designers Stella Jean and Edward Buchanan with the aim of highlighting how people of colour are an integral part of the Made in Italy ecosystem.
In September, WAMI showcased the fashion collections of five female talents based in Italy but hailing from different countries, including Haiti, India and Morocco, among others. The Fab Five Bridge Builders project was also born from this initiative and was aimed at boosting diversity and multiculturalism within the Italian fashion industry.
In the United Kingdom, the FMA has been championing a similar mission, working with major Fortune 500 companies such as Amazon, PVH and Marks & Spencer. Together with amassing a powerful network of global industry professionals and leaders who are dedicated to charting a more equitable and diverse future by using the FMA Talent Directory Database and Jobs Board.
With the objective to tactically work with fashion and beauty industry stakeholders to build and foster a more diverse, balanced, and inclusive industry that advances meaningful and long-term equity for BIPOC and marginalised talent, the FMA is currently the official partner of Italy’s fashion chamber Camera Moda Nazionale Italiana (CNMI) to forge educational initiatives across all industry areas.
FAB FIVE ITALIANS
JUDITH BORSETTO • NYNY RYKE • ROMY CALZADO • SHEETAL SHAH • ZINEB HAZIM
FAB FIVE INTERNATIONAL
DERRICK WANKI • CYBELLE AZAMBOU • GLADYS EPIE • STEFAN DIBOTTY • CINDY MURIELLE TSAGUE • KARIM DAOUDI • PHAN DANG HOANG • VALENTINA POLTRONIERI
FASHION MINORITY ALLIANCE GUEST DESIGNERS
AM:PM LONDON • ANWAR BOUGROUG • LISOU LONDON • SABIRAH • NOSAKHARI
Contacts
For press enquiries, contact:
Natalia Esaad at the Fashion Minority Alliance
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7193 1233
contact@fashionminorityalliance.com