Fashion enthusiasts and designer Austin Aimankhu has made a call for national policy on Nigerian textile with the Wear Nigeria project.
The Luzol boss recently made this call as he revealed plans for Wear Nigeria, an upcoming three day symposium, workshop, exhibition, and runway show.
Aimankhu, who also revealed famed culture advocate Jahman Anikulapo as a director of the project, explained that though the Wear Nigeria project was founded in 2016 as the theme of Fashion Art Fusion, an unusual fashion runway event, it has now morphed into a full blown event and project.
Aimankhu stressed that his decision, alongside his team, to make the event filled with varied activities that touch on Nigerian fashion and textile is because of the importance of its subject matter, the Nigerian traditional tradition.
In his words, “There is a unique opportunity presented by the availability of high-quality local fabrics, hand woven and hand processed (Aso Oke, Adire, Igbulu, Akwete), which are aesthetically distinctive and need the support of enabling regulatory framework and policies as well as investment to upgrade artisanal production so that craft producers can produce in greater quantities and more reliable quality. A vibrant, reliable cost-effective textile production will make affordable Nigerian made textiles which will thus stimulate economic growth, provide decent employment opportunities, sustainable fashion, youth employment and gender equality.”
Continuing, Aimankhu said, “Wear Nigeria has as its mission to bring to the fore the rich Nigerian textiles derived from its historical tradition, and her designers and artistic Afrocentric creativity to the global stage thereby driving growth within the sector.”
The fashion buff and his team also posited that a paper will be generated from the panel sessions and discussions at the first Wear Nigeria project in November 2024 and the paper will be presented to the Minister of the Arts, Culture and Creative Economy for promotion and preservation of the Nigerian textile.
Source: The Nation :https://thenationonlineng.net/austin-aimankhu-calls-for-national-policy-on-nigerian-textile-with-wear-nigeria/