CANEX Presents Africa
@ Portugal Fashion
Cairo/Porto, 17 December 2021 African Export-Import Bank’s Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) and Portugal’s National Association of Young Entrepreneurs (ANJE) are putting out a call for applications from Fashion Designers from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Diaspora to participate in the 2022 editions of the flagship programme, CANEX Presents Africa @ Portugal Fashion, to take place in Porto, Portugal from 16 to 19 March and 11 to 15 October 2022, respectively.
CANEX Presents Africa @ Portugal Fashion provides a platform for the development of emerging fashion designers, by supporting the transfer of skills through mentorship from industry experts, while providing market access opportunities, to boost production, sales and distribution. The programme aims to equip participants with the skills that will enable them to create financially sustainable businesses with the potential to scale, as well as provide support with go-to-market and internationalisation strategies.
The programme has a blended format, mixing physical events with digital elements to enable linkages and partnerships. It is designed to support a generation of entry to mid-level talent, through a customized approach, to up-skill and individually support the development and recognition of talent.
The inaugural edition took place from 12 to 16 October 2021. Twenty African designers from the continent and diaspora took part in this pioneering edition, where they were able to showcase their Spring/Summer ’22 collections on the runway, as well as on an exhibition platform designed to facilitate linkages between the designers and industry stakeholders including the press, investors, manufacturers and buyers. In addition to showcasing platforms, the programme also included mentorship and networking sessions between the designers and key international industry experts.
2022 Annual Designer Selection Criteria
March Edition
Target: 20 Designers
Event Date: 16-19 March 2022, finalists to be announced on 25 January 2022
Location: Porto, Portugal
Deadline for applications: 14 January 2022
October Edition
Target: 20 Designers
Event Date: 11 – 15 October 2022, finalists to be announced on 30 May 2022
Location: Porto, Portugal
Deadline for applications: 30 April 2022
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants should be based in Africa or in Diaspora (including the Caribbean).
- Designers should have developed a strong signature style and able to compete at an international level.
- Designers’ company must be registered, well established and have been in business for a minimum of 4 years.
- This programme is open to menswear, womenswear, accessories, jewellery, and footwear designers.
Main Catwalk Designers (5 slots)
- Stalwart of industry with at least 5 years in the industry.
- Clear understanding of the business of fashion and its value chain.
- Innovative approach to challenges in garment making on the continent.
- Readiness to expand their manufacturing capacity and supply global markets.
Brand-Up Exhibition
General Assessment Criteria
- Creative merit - applications need to demonstrate a coherent and strong aesthetic.
- Originality - a nouveau African approach to design and sustainability
- Commercial acumen, scalability, and innovation.
- Readiness to establish the brand to a global market.
- Proof of direct-to-consumer sales channels.
- Clear commitment to sustainability.
- Strong vision for the future of their brand with clearly defined business goals.
- Overall quality of the application.
- Selected designers will fall in one of three Categories: Main Runway, Bloom Runway and Brand Up exhibition as below:
Bloom Catwalk Designers (3 slots)
- Recently penetrated the market (less than 4 years in the industry).
- Cohesiveness and consistency in design and fabrication.
- Commitment to independent design, adopting and/or using traditional crafts and sustainable methods of design.
- Appropriate, suitable and commercially viable products.
- Demonstrate of the potential for growth and scale.
Submission & Selection Process
The Application must be submitted to the review panel in electronic format.
The electronic submissions must be sent to: pf@creativeafricanexus.com with the SUBJECT line: “FIRST and LAST NAME, CANEX 2022 Application.”
Judging process
- Applications will be reviewed and shortlisted by an independent panel of judges.
- The panel of judges includes international key industry leaders from academia, design, finance, manufacturing, media and digital.
- The selection process for applying to the “CANEX Presents Africa @Portugal Fashion” Programme will be carried out in two phases:
Applications
The Judging Process
PHASE ONE
• Short statement of how applicant is contributing to the African fashion industry ecosystem.
• A PDF look-book from the last two collections.
• A PDF file of latest press book.
• Financial Information (sales and turnover).
• Vision for the development of the business over the next 2 years.
