African Fashion Week Toronto; a frenzied and exciting time without much sleep!

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

It was Sunday evening, and the last day of African Fashion Week Toronto. I was on my way out of the African Fashion Industry Awards After Party, and was lucky enough to bump into Brenda Foreman, Creative Designer and Chief Stylist. Brenda signalled to me not to leave yet, so I waited for a few minutes as she gracefully completed a photo op. She thanked the guests for coming and walked over to me. I could tell she was tired, but she still smiled at me and took a moment to engage.

“Simone, I tell you; I am so tired.  Coordinating an event like this is a lot of work, and sometimes it can seem like everything is going wrong.”

“Everything is going wrong,” I said. “Brenda, if things were going wrong, trust me when I say that you could not tell.”

“Believe me when I say that I am going to sleep for two days straight after tonight. Thank you so much for coming and covering this for us. It has been quite a week.”

Despite the chain of models flowing up and down the runway, fashion shows are a very chaotic endeavour to produce. Behind the scenes, there’s an army of people working frantically to make sure the show goes off without a hitch. It takes months of preparation, tons of hard work, and an experienced hand (or two) to coordinate it all.

It has been a couple years, but the first in person, fully functioning African Fashion Week Toronto was a tremendous success. African Fashion Week Toronto (AFWT) is a non-for-profit initiative produced in partnership with “Afro Centre for the Arts.” The event occurs once a year (August) showcasing culture-rich events and brand launch activities. AFWT spans across Toronto and brings exposure to various designers and brands including those from out of province and throughout the world.

Isaac Ansah (Head of Operations), Brenda Foreman (Creative Designer and Chief Stylist), and the rest of the volunteer based team did an amazing job pulling off the fashion event of the year. With it being their 10^th year anniversary, they pulled out all the stops with a packed week of fashion, education, and creative inspiration.

Throughout the week, they provided opportunities for young designers to showcase their work, network, participate in model workshops, and engage in a fireside chat.

The week got started with the African Fashion Week Opening Soiree (Day Party) on Sunday August 21^st, 2022, on the beautiful rooftop patio located on 180 John St. I made it downtown for the High Fashion Designer Show, which was held on August 25^th, and 26^th at Yonge Dundas Square. As soon as I stepped out of the subway station, I heard the faint sound of Afro Beats. As I came up the escalator, I began to see colours and prints on other visitors heading to the fashion show.

Dundas Square was brimming with lights, music, and of course fashion. This year the designers did not disappoint: Haute Couture fashion gowns, Glitterati designs, beautiful models of all ages, upbeat music; it was two nights of spectacular talent and creative genius.

The week concluded with the 10^th Anniversary African Fashion Industry Awards, celebrating 10 years of achievements in the Afro Fashion Industry.  The awards were sartorial, and the event was visually ground breaking. Guests and award honourees arrived wearing avant-garde designs, beautiful African prints, splashes of bright colours, and everything du jour. I was surrounded by lust-have fashion, and the night was set for an over the top award show.

Unfortunately, not all of the winners were able to make it to collect their awards, but they were all honoured:

Fashion Photographer of the Decade

CJ Cromwell

Media Company of the Decade

SMJ Magazine

Fashion Stylist of the Decade

Yomi Styling

Male Model of the Decade

Damilola Omotayo

Female Model of the Decade

Nini Amerlise

Accessories Designer of the Decade

Bohten

Cosmetic Beauty Brand of the Decade

Paba Cosmetics

Hairstylist of the Decade

Angela’s Beauty Box

Fashion Influencer of the Decade

Lick my Fashion (Jalen Nelson)

Men’s Wear Brand of the Decade

Zalahari

Women’s Wear Brand of the Decade

Kaela Kay

International Brand of the Decade

Afriken by Nana

Face of AFWT of the Decade

Racquel Hamlet

Gorgeous collections, elegant models, and a glorious crowd; the African Fashion Week Toronto team pulled it off. Looking forward to what they bring to the stage next year.