FASHION in Africa has seen growth over the years, evolving from a small, informal industry to a thriving globally recognised market that showcases the rich cultural heritage and creativity of the continent.

The ICIR reports that fashion shows are industry events in which designers present their latest collections on a runway to influence trends for the coming seasons.

A recent African Bridal Fashion Show held in Abuja, focused on the various African bridal attires and showcasing the latest trends and innovations in African bridal wears.

The event not only highlighted the beauty of African bridal fashion but also sparked engaging discussions on the distinction between fashion styling and designing.

A Nigerian-based fashion stylist, Shekwoyen Yakubu, told The ICIR that while both styling and designing are major elements of fashion, they serve distinct purposes.

“As a fashion stylist, my job is to curate the look from head to toe and concentrating on enhancing the design through accessories, makeup, and overall presentation.

“While fashion designing focuses on creating the initial garment, considering factors like fabric, cut, and construction,” she said.

The convener of the fashion event, Famous Isaacs, in an interview with The ICIR stated that the purpose for the fashion show is aimed at exposing people to the numerous African culture.

“We want to be able to show more culture so that people can more easily adopt them, or in the very least know about them, and then document them through the media.

“Some aspects of this do not even rest on the designers, we want to be able to commission some designers to conduct some research on some cultures and come to the presentations with the result of their research, this innovation birthed the African bridal fashion show,” he said.

He noted that all parts of the world is influenced by the African fashion, adding that the music industry is also playing a vital role in displaying the African fashion.

“Every other part of the world is being influenced by our African fashion. But we can do even better. Thankfully the music industry has been key in helping to showcase our fashion, with particular references to the works of Yemi Alade, Asa, and some others from the movie industry. And then we have designers like Mai Atafoh, Veekee James, KGZ Opulence also making significant strides.

Issacs further stated that fashion show aims to achieve the goal of being the go to platform for the promotion of African bridal fashion cultures, the people and brands behind it.

One designer, the creative director of Kgz Opulence, told The ICIR that his designs are majorly focused on intending brides from different tribes, ensuring they are very classy.

“I love class, glitters, pearls, shimmers and these are what I infuse in my designs to get a desired look. I also ensure that each outfit speaks class, elegance and relates to a culture,” he added.A model, Rachel Apollos, noted that the whole idea of fashion designing is to showcase creativity which benefits her as a model to put herself out and explore different cultures, adding that the fashion show embraces the African culture  and tries to modernise it.

The show featured arrays of fashion collections from various Nigerian designers, with models strutting down the runway in different outfits, showcasing intricate details and bold prints.

The event celebrated the rich traditions of several African tribes including, the Efik, Igbo, Edo, Yoruba, Ashanti and Akan of Ghana, amongst others