Over 200 fashion designers for exhibition at National Theatre

In an effort to promote African culture, more than 200 African fashion designers are to gather at the National Theatre, Lagos, to showcase Africa’s heritage.

The fashion week to hold in June is also aimed at promoting national monuments especially, National Theatre.

Africa Fashion Week London/Nigeria, organisers of the event, said on Thursday that Nigerians should appreciate their culture and memorials.

“There is the need for us to appreciate what we have and make efforts to project them to the external world, the Founder of the organisation and an African fashion promoter, Ronke Ademiluyi, told our correspondent in Lagos.

According to Ademiluyi, Nigeria is a centre of fashion and a leader in creativity and style.

“The 2017 Africa Fashion Week Nigeria (AFWN) will hold on June 3 and June 4 at the National Theatre, Nigeria’s pride.

“The event with the theme: “Celebrating the Vibrant Pulse of Africa’’, aims at bringing new energy to style and fashion across the continent,’’ she said.

The promoter said that hosting the event at the theatre would also boost Nigeria’s image before the international community.

“The National Theatre, Lagos, where Africa’s culture was showcased in all its grandeur and splendour 40 years ago is an identity; we must support and promote it.

“This is the place Nigeria hosted the World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC) in 1977.

“If we do not appreciate what we have, nobody will blow our trumpet for us.

“This monument bears a close resemblance to the palace of culture and sports in Varna, Bulgaria, but the National Arts Theatre is much bigger,’’ the promoter said.

She noted that Mrs Adebimpe Akinsola, the Acting Lagos State Commissioner for Culture, Arts and Tourism, said in April that the use of monuments such as the National Theatre for such an exhibition would generate public interest.

She hoped that the exhibition would boost tourism.

“The Africa Fashion week, established in 2014 in London, provides a platform for fashion and cultural enterprise to focus on embracing and projecting the diversity of Africa’s rich heritage.

“Since our inaugural AFWN show in 2014, we have hosted three internationally acclaimed catwalk events in Nigeria, which showcased over 200 designers across the continent,’’ the promoter said.

Our correspondent reports that National Theatre was inaugurated in 1976 in preparation for FESTAC ’77.

It has a 5,000-seat main hall with a collapsible stage and two cinema halls.

The over 31 meters tall edifice has an area of about 23,000 square metres.