The Responsibility To Be Different: Buki Akomolafe & Cherie Birkner Artwork

FASHION | AFRICA | NOW

++++++++++++++++++++++Next Episode coming soon ++++++++++++++++++ The Fashion Africa Now Podcast ignites interesting conversations with designers, creatives, historians, researchers, fashion players and industry experts on what fashion in Africa is today, systematically digging into its past and more importantly, shaping its future. The fusion of rich and diverse sub-nations, cultures, ideas and talents from the African continent, and by extension the African diaspora has produced irresistible trend-setting fashion, styles, aesthetics, sounds and a way of life globally. Yet in the shadows of this allure the conflict between slow fashion, sustainability in Africa and fast fashion is a conversation to be encouraged. The Fashion Africa Now podcast is brought to you by Future Fashion and produced by APYA Productions with financial support from the Ministry of State of Baden-Wurttemberg via the Baden-Wurttemberg Foundation for Development Cooperation (SEZ). The episodes were created in association with Social Urban Nature. Fashion Africa Now podcast has the permission to use the music and the sounds created by Blackstereo music. Please send inquiries and questions to: podcast@fashionafricanow.com

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FASHION | AFRICA | NOW

The Responsibility To Be Different: Buki Akomolafe & Cherie Birkner

December 02, 2020 • with Beatrace Angut Oola • Episode 4

Making a difference in fashion. 2016 appears to be a pivotal year for both our guests; Buki Akomolafe founded fashion brand, BUKI AKOMOLAFE in 2016, describing her label as a cross-cultural bridge between two different worlds. Cherie Birkner exited the fast fashion scene in 2016, then shortly after founded the online platform, Sustainable Fashion Matterz, providing solutions and campaigns on sustainable fashion. While both have taken very different avenues within fashion in Germany, their passion to educate and spread awareness of sustainability in an authentic way is evident. While Africa is not a global competitor in fast fashion, we can draw on parallels of the sustainable fashion scene as well as longer lasting high-end artisanal production.

Future Fashion:

The initiative is supported by the Future Fashion project - a joint project initiated by the Baden-Württemberg Development Cooperation Foundation (SEZ), of the state of Baden-Württemberg, which is committed to the conscious and sustainable textile and fashion consumption in Baden-Württemberg. "Future Fashion Made in Africa", an extension of Future Fashion, serves networking, knowledge transfer, exposure, market access for textile startups from Germany and African countries and is intended to strengthen the sector of sustainable textiles and promote international exchange.

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