Istanbul: A sneak peek in the busy schedule of Aydin Acik, director, owner and CEO of AFWEU.The third edition of AFWEU and the first edition of AFWEU / Africa Fashion Week Europe-Istanbul took place on April 24-28 in Istanbul at Lazzoni Hotel. This event signifies a premiere in fashion in that it is the first time that so many diverse cultural collections and different creations have been shown at one location.
These international designers, who participated in this edition.
Else Hardjopawiro, a Suriname based fashion designer of Indonesian origin working in luxury womenswear, both creating ready-to-wear and custom made pieces. She targets emerging and established business women. Carmichael a Byfield, a Jamaica based fashion designer known for his bold patterns and innovative menswear collections. Carlos Desaules from Ivory Coast as created with “Ethink Mode” a label, that reinvents classic eveningwear attire with rich and luxurious materials, details and cuts, both in womenswear and menswear.
Kwame Koranteng, a Ghana born and raised designer from Ghana, represents classic tailoring through his London based label Kwame Koranteng Bespoke Tailoring. About his vision, he says “My Drive and Passion for Bespoke Tailoring goes outside standard boundaries, lots of people already want to be famous, many men and women want to be celebrities, God has blessed me with much more than that, he has given me the ability to look at an individual and see them standing in grandeur with a suit that flows with their posture and body which oozes sophistication.” Rachid Assoui from Marrakesh founded his label in Amsterdam. surrounded with the creative atmosphere, he creates eveningwear and couture pieces. Also based in the Netherlands is the label Dauvia from Angola born designer Dauvia Nijenhuis. She brings together the cultural elements from Angola together with european elements and has been recognized for her work by winning the Award for best African designer in the Netherlands. The Lagos based fashion label of Agatha Moreno is turning heads with her inclusive designs, made for women of all shapes and her wide variety of styles.
AFWEU Asia Fashion Week Europe and Africa Fashion Week Europe strives to support designers primarily through the event management of fashion shows, catwalk displays, workshops, showcase events and networking. Not only does this provide the opportunity for the world to explore new and exciting men’s, women’s and kid’s fashion segments, but it also allows the designers to express their creativity within a strategically produced event environment.
AFWEU is the only Asian/African fashion exhibition in Europe and Istanbul that promotes Asian/African arts and culture both in and out of the continent. It’s a platform for fashion, arts, design, music and culture targeting fashion entrepreneurs and business investors to desire, connect and grow with like-minded contacts.
AFWEUis the official partner of Unicef, Unite For Children and Turkish Heart Foundation.
Aydin Acik, a.k.a. “The Fashion Man”, was born in Turkey. Following his graduation from the Social Academy in Turkey he completed his Master’s degree in the Netherlands. By 2012 having decided to turn his passion into his work, he organized his first event – Miss Netherlands – in the province of Utrecht. In 2014 – 2016 he organized AFWEU/Amsterdam. As well as these organisations, he was also often a member of the jury on events such as; Miss India Holland, Mister International Netherlands, Miss East Africa, Miss Turkey, Miss Avantgarde, Miss Indian Beauty The Netherlands, Miss and Mr. Sport & Fashion.
The designer Rachid Assoui has designed a special dress for the Turkish Heart Foundation and sold this dress during the shows.
“Success is the result of your dream, passion, perfectionism, hard work, learning from your mistakes, positive thinking and perseverance.” The Fashion Man, Aydin Acik
The next edition AFWEU / Africa Fashion Week will take place on 24-26 August in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, at Kunst Hal-Loods 6. Eighteen international designers will participate in this edition.
