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Welcome to Arise Africa Fashion Week 2009.
I take enormous pleasure in extending this welcome as we kick off the inaugural Africa Fashion Week here in Johannesburg. At African Fashion International, our mission is to take African fashion to the world. In fulfilling this mandate, we are actively doing our part in contributing to the realisation of the African Renaissance. Africa has long been a muse for the arts throughout the world, most recently in fashion, with the world’s top designers choosing to look towards African techniques, designs and materials to ensure that their collections appeal to a wider global audience. Many great international designer houses have borrowed from Africa in creating their most recent collections, including Louis Vuitton, Lanvin, Oscar de la Renta and Christian Louboutin. There appears to be a new excitement around the African aesthetic, and we believe that it is time this is displayed to the world, from the source of this inspiration. The world-class platform that AFI is providing the designers from the north, east, west and south of our continent presents an opportunity to stimulate the continent’s creative economy and showcase the rich, deep cultures that inform and infuse our existence here. 
Of course the designers on show at our first Africa Fashion Week are not the first African designers to succeed in the international fashion industry. Azzedine Alaia from Tunisia, Ozwald Boateng from Ghana, Deola Sagoe from Nigeria and Marc Bouwer from South Africa have all worked hard to create incredible careers that many of the current designers seek to emulate. But here at the Sandton Convention Centre, we have gathered the elite of the designers from the continent in the first of what will become an annual showcase before the world. This eight-day fashion spectacular will culminate in the African Fashion Awards, which will recognize the very best of the best in African fashion.
Fashion Weeks around the world have historically been responsible for successfully putting designers on the map, resulting in the development of their fashion enterprises. This continued support has inspired fashion entrepreneurs to become economically successful and make a contribution to the developing economy. Fashion contributes. Fashion transcends culture and ethnicity. And Africa Fashion Week will continue to work toward the celebration of our African identity and unique creative signature. We are delighted to host you at Africa Fashion Week and we hope that you enjoy what the continent has to offer. Africa Fashion Week - taking African Fashion to the world. Warm regards Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe Chairperson, African Fashion International Welcome from ARISE 
ARISE-the world's first magazine on global African style, culture, business and politics—is proud to partner with AFI on ARISE Africa Fashion Week 2009.
This is Africa's big moment. The election of U.S. President Barack Obama presents the continent and its fashion talent with a historic opportunity. First Lady Michelle Obama favors young, multicultural designers, making them overnight stars. Fashion houses in New York, London and Milan look to Africa for inspiration. It is African designers' turn to shine. ARISE Africa Fashion Week is the platform on which Africa's prodigious fashion talent can finally grab the global spotlight. Nduka Obaigbena Chairman and Editor In Chief ARISE Magazine 
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