Enterprise

Heineken picks inaugural fashion challenge winners

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Heineken East Africa general manager, Uche Unigwe. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Two East Africans have bagged the inaugural Heineken Africa Inspired Fashion Challenge awards and earned tickets to the continent’s fashion and design festival in Lagos.

According to Heineken East Africa general manager, Uche Unigwe, the two — Lulu Mutuli and Azra Walji— exhibited fine design talents at the three-day event in Nairobi built around creativity and innovation.

Mr Unigwe said the winners will depart in two weeks for Amsterdam to actualise their patterns and line with the Dutch brewing company design team and Amsterdam-based design house LEW.

“The journey will culminate in a chance to showcase their collection at Africa’s largest fashion event— the Lagos Fashion and Design Weekat the end of October where their unique creation will be revealed and show-cased,” said Mr Unigwe.

“The challenge was an amazing experience for the brand, designers and the regional fashion industry at large.”

Mr Unigwe was speaking last week in Nairobi when he announced the winners.

He said Heineken, sought a co-creation opportunity for the regional fashion scene through an open-design challenge that saw over 100 portfolio reviews that were narrowed down to 10 participants from which the winners have emerged.

Heineken will share their expertise with the participants to polish their business and design skills.

“Identifying and empowering talents remains a critical part of our global agenda and it is our hope that this exercise will help in developing and building capacity in the regional fashion and design space as we seek to create an African capsule collection to be incorporated into the global Heineken® apparel line” said Mr Unigwe.