Kibera Fashion Week to hold the second edition of it`s glorious fashion event in the heart of Kibera

Kibera Fashion Week, a community-driven initiative, is gearing up to showcase the outputs of a year-long program supporting designers to develop new sustainable fashion. Visitors can expect to see vibrant and innovative fashion designs in a weeklong program leading up to a grand showcase in the heart of Kibera on 14^th October 2023. Kibera Fashion Week was initiated by David Avido (Lookslike Avido/Avido Foundation) in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Nairobi, Maasai Mbili, Nairobi Design Week and EUNIC Kenya.

Strengthening the Community

“There is no barrier if you believe in your talent and take the next step. I want to encourage and create beauty, where people don’t expect it.”, says co-founder David Avido about the project vision.

Building on a successful first edition in November 2022 that saw models using the railway that winds its way through Kibera as a runway and was widely praised as one of the most innovative events of the year, it was clear that Kibera Fashion Week has come to stay. Launching its programs in March of this year with a large presence at Nairobi Design Week, the project partners have since organized outreach activities in different areas of Nairobi aimed at sensitizing consumers on sustainable consumption as well as promoting the local fashion industry. All designers that have been selected for this year’s showcase have over the last months undergone in-depth training emphasizing peer-to-peer learning and knowledge sharing.

Kibera Glamour

While Kibera is often portrayed as a place of hopelessness in need of help and so-called “development aid”, it is in fact a diverse metropolis, booming with creativity and constantly evolving and innovating. The project firmly believes that the creatives of Kibera possess the skills to become pioneers in a sustainable and ethical creative industry. Kibera Fashion Week will become a platform for the community to redefine fashion, share new methods for sustainability, and bring together stakeholders from around the world to challenge unethical and exploitative consumption.

“I´m just overwhelmed by the work these designers have done over the last months. They have truly redefined sustainable practices from a community perspective and created something immensely beautiful in the process. The world can learn a lot from the people of Kibera.”, says Cristina Nord, director of Goethe-Institut Nairobi and member of EUNIC Kenya.

Guests can look forward to a diverse program, including an exhibition at Goethe-Institut from 11^th-15^th October, a panel and film screening at Alliance Française on October 11^th, as well as open studios in Kibera 9^th-10^th, all leading up to the main showcase on the 14^th that will include runway shows as well musical acts at Olympic Terminus in Kibera.

The full program is attached Here.

Press accreditation is now open here and free press images of last year’s edition can be found here.