Calling all African fashion designers: Scouting for Africa project unveiled

Vogue Talents, Vogue Italia’s fashion talent scouting arm, has unveiled a new project dedicated to African creatives.

Dubbed Scouting for Africa 2020, the project is a collaboration with non-profit organisation African Fashion Foundation (AFF), with the support of Impact Fund for African Creatives, and is aimed at supporting emerging designers hailing from the African continent.

The project is open to all African ready-to-wear and accessories designers living in Africa or elsewhere in the world, and the winner will gain the opportunity to showcase their creations or accessories in a special corner of Palazzo Cusani during Milan Fashion Week in September 2020.

Vogue Talents has previously supported the work of African fashion designers such as South Africa’s Thebe Magugu, Kenneth Ize from Nigeria, and Laduma Ngxokolo from South African knitwear brand Maxhosa Africa.

AFF promotes African designers by providing them with educational opportunities and the tools to succeed in the fashion industry.

It has secured industry and educational partnerships to provide capacity building through educational opportunities such as workshops, online courses and scholarships in addition to internship placements, work experience, mentoring, sales opportunities, access to industry leaders, and manufacturing and production assistance; while also creating new and sustainable jobs which have important spill-over effects on other industries.

The Scouting for Africa application deadline is 30 June 2020. Interested designers can apply to be part of this scouting project by writing to the address scoutingforafrica@condenast.it and including the following materials:

– images of the latest two collections specifying the relevant season;
– a biography;
– a list of stockists;
– the application (PDF form) which can be downloaded here and must be properly completed.