• Saturday, November 16, 2024
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Street styles, indigenous businesses find home at 2024 GTCO Fashion Weekend

Street styles, indigenous businesses find home at 2024 GTCO Fashion Weekend

Attendees of the GTCO Fashion Week this year left their homes in different styles and outfits, depicting a blend of culture, backgrounds and fashion swag that left many stunned.

From colourful outfits, to crazy blends, ‘loud’ food wears and sunshades; street- style came alive with bursts of colours, structure, design and most of all personalities.

Everyone seemed to have a specific style that is unique, fun and liberating to them, announcing the fashion spirit of the moment.

The atmosphere was lit with fashion styles like the Artsy Style, Boho Style, chic Style, vibrant style, Hip-Hop and ethic styles, amongst others.

Attendees also had their taste buds satisfied with local delicacies such as bean pottage, moi-moi, akara, poundo yam, yam pottage, roasted yam and plantain, amongst others.

“For me, I came to experience the food this year. The local delicacies were amazing. I felt more at home with the local delicacies and drawn more to my culture than ever before. I won’t have asked for a better way to savour the local delicacies like I did at the GTCO Fashion Weekend, this year,” Victoria Udoh, an attendee told BD Weekender.

For Famous Okpara, another attendee, the fashion trend at the 2024 GTCO Fashion Week was what was more captivating for him.

“The street style is a wonder to behold. Nigerians are very creative. The GTCO fashion avenue has again reiterated the fact that creativity, fashion sense and ingenuity resonates with the Nigerian youths,” Okpara said.

The runway remains a cornerstone of the 2024 GTCO Fashion Weekend, presenting a carefully curated collection of captivating fashion statements from Africa’s most esteemed brands.

Saturday’s masterclass was led by Lulu Kennedy, a fashion editor, and Patrick Bright, a fashion influencer.

The both fashion experts shared insights into the fashion and influencing industries, offering practical advice to aspiring designers and entrepreneurs.

Lulu Kennedy, founder & director of Fashion East & MAN & the Lulu & Co clothing line who was one of the speakers at a Master class session said she looked forward to meeting Nigerian designers and was open to partnerships with them.

“I am open to working with African young fashion designers. It is not something we have done before. There may be some logistics and funding problems but maybe we can do this through the right partnership with GTCO,” Kennedy said.

She said she was impressed with what GTCO was doing.

“GTCO is providing this platform and this beautiful space. The turnout is great. This is a great project and I have had a nice relaxed time so far,” she added.

Speaking during the Sunday Masterclass, Sheila Daley, makeup artist, talked about how Nigeria’s diverse skin tones inspired her to create a brand catering specifically to them.

“I see myself working with Nigerians because my goal is to come to Nigeria. I have been driving through the streets and just looking at all the different tones and complexion and it is so beautiful,” she said.

“I think everybody here is so amazing. I would like to touch them, feel them, and also to create something specifically for them. Not a brand that is looking to extend but something specifically for Nigerians.”

This year’s event featured a variety of designers, including Tolu Coker, Oríré, Gert-Johan Coetzee, Xu Zhi, Ituen Basi and Romeo Hunte among others.

The Guaranty Trust Fashion Weekend, founded in 2016, has evolved into a prominent platform for spotlighting Africa’s finest talents and fostering small businesses in the fashion industry.

This year’s event brought together global fashion leaders and industry experts. The two-day event featured fashion leaders and industry experts worldwide while providing hundreds of indigenous small fashion businesses with the opportunity to expand their online presence, reach new markets, and position their businesses for sustainable growth.

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