Fashion, music thrill audience at ARISE Fashion Week

The city of Dubai played host, for the first time, to ARISE Fashion Week (AFW) on December 3, 2021, as guests were treated to high-end fashion and music.

With well-tailored and fashion-forward pieces on display, the audience was treated to the creative works of fashion designers like Hudayya, Banke Kuku, Lisa Folawiyo, Lanre Da Silva Ajayi, Kenneth Ize, Onalaja, Ziva Lagos and Onalaja.

Iconic model, Naomi Campbell, opened the show dazzling the audience with her customary electrifying walk.

Charging the event were international acts, Nigeria’s D’banj, and Senegalese-America’s, Akon, creating a nostalgic environment for guests.

The event had in attendance, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Publisher of Ovation Group, Chief Dele Momodu, former beauty queen, Helen Prest-Ajayi, and Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele was held at the Armani Hotel, Burj Khalifa.

Speaking at the event, Otunba Adebayo, who represented President, Muhammadu Buhari, commended the inspiring creativity of Nigerian youths vis-à-vis arts, fashion, film and music noting that the ARISE Fashion Week coincides with Nigeria’s Day at the Dubai Expo 2020. “I’m here to support this initiative and celebrate all our young people around Nigeria and the world. We are here to celebrate the birth of Nigerian culture as we unleash the power of youth for a new positive image for Nigeria. That’s why we call on all young people to be law-abiding in whatever country they find themselves, to seek the power of their creativity and hard work to make the world a better place.

“They must eschew violence, drugs, cultism, fraud and other criminality and use their God-given talent to build a new world order. At the same time, as a listening government, we will do all we can to ensure equity and justice for all Nigerians against all forms of brutality,” the president said.

He stressed the unity in diversity and reiterated his administration’s support of the youth towards creating a positive image for Nigeria.

He added that given the projections of an emerging new world, he is committed to creating an “enabling environment for the tech-driven investment-led telecommunications-enabled creative economy”.

“The projections are promising, as the sector is expected to be worth over USD10 billion by the end of 2021, making a significant contribution to the nation’s GDP. This is further underlined by a recent report on Nigeria’s creative industry, which showed that the industry is positioned as the second-largest employer and has the potential to produce 2.7 million new jobs by 2025.”

Also at the event, the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, expressed his excitement at the success of the show organised yearly by the publisher of ThisDay, Nduka Obaigbena. He also noted that the Bankers’ Committee revamp of the National Theatre in Lagos has seen about $100 million given to resuscitate the creative industry.

He said, “The creative industry is a very important and large industry in Nigeria with revenue standing at about $4.5 billion annually, and the government is doing everything possible to support the creative sector.

“I’m sure you must have read what the monetary authorities are doing to support the growth of the creative industry in Nigeria. Let me thank the president for giving the Bankers Committee the opportunity to completely revamp the national theatre. That project is costing the Banking Committee almost $100 million to resuscitate and revamp the National Arts Theatre. By the side of the National Art Theatre, what we intend to do is, to develop four creative hubs around the theatre. Like you know the national arts theatre can sit close, in a particular gathering at least 7500 people. We do hope that come 2023 and onwards, we’d begin to see these fashion shows being held around the premise of the National Art Theatre.”