Business and Fashion Leaders Envision Thriving, Globally Integrated Future for Africa's Fashion Industry, during Workshop Hosted by Berkeley College
Monday, October 6, 2025
GLOBALLY INTEGRATED FUTURE FOR AFRICA’S FASHION INDUSTRY,
DURING WORKSHOP HOSTED BY BERKELEY COLLEGE
Photo Caption: Left (L to R): Kahindo Mateene, fashion designer and Founder, KAHINDO; Jessica Wade, fashion designer and consultant; and Connie Aluoch, Founder and Lead Fashion Stylist, Connie Aluoch Styling Management (CASM); discuss global goals for sustainable development at “Imagining Africa’s Fashion Future.” Right: Participants engage in Wade’s Futures Thinking Ideations session about ways to innovate Africa’s fashion industry at “Imagining Africa’s Fashion Future.” The workshop, sponsored by Building African Fashion (BAF) and the African Fashion Council (AFC), was held against the backdrop of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), and envisioned a thriving, globally integrated future for Africa’s fashion industry.
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Business strategists and fashion professionals envisioned a thriving, globally integrated future for Africa’s fashion industry by 2035 during “Imagining Africa’s Fashion Future,” a workshop sponsored by Building African Fashion (BAF) and the African Fashion Council (AFC) and hosted by Berkeley College in New York City on Tuesday, September 23, 2025. The event was held against the backdrop of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The dialogue and ideation session included leading African fashion professionals, local fashion stakeholders, Berkeley College students and staff, and fashion enthusiasts.
Udochi Nwogu, business strategist and Co-founder of BAF, and Andrea Kennedy, Faculty Lead, Fashion Merchandising and Management, Berkeley College Larry L. Luing School of Business®, opened the event by outlining the goal of the workshop – anticipating and strategizing the future of Africa’s fashion industry.
"We are all building great brands, but we are not building an industry,” said Kibonen Nfi, Founder, Kibonen. “As African brands and designers, I want us to start looking at what we do as a business, not a brand. We must put ourselves out there together.”
Nfi served as the first designer-in-residence for the Fashion Merchandising and Management program at Berkeley College. The Designer-in-Residence program began in 2022 to further students’ experiential learning from professionals in the fashion industry. Berkeley College interns and volunteers have prepared garments for New York Fashion Week, created public relations campaigns, and helped support the designers’ creative visions while receiving real-time feedback. Succeeding designers-in-residence include Chuks Collins and Bach Mai.
Photo Caption: Jessica Wade, fashion designer and consultant, leads a Futures Thinking Ideations session about ways to innovate Africa’s fashion industry at “Imagining Africa’s Fashion Future.” The workshop, sponsored by Building African Fashion (BAF) and the African Fashion Council (AFC), was held against the backdrop of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), and envisioned a thriving, globally integrated future for Africa’s fashion industry.
Connie Aluoch, Founder and Lead Fashion Stylist, Connie Aluoch Styling Management (CASM), discussed how storytelling and African media platforms can reframe global perceptions of fashion, culture, and heritage, thus creating a more diverse discussion about African fashion and more equitable distribution chain. “The future of fashion is democratized,” Aluoch said.
Perky Noah-Effik, Co-founder, The Black and Brilliant Advocacy Network, presented on heritage and artificial intelligence (AI), discussing the fusion of ancestral knowledge, diaspora influence, and AI collaboration could transform African fashion’s storytelling, design, and global leadership in the next decade.
A presentation by Jodie Lyn-Kee-Chow focused on the ways festivals, performances, and community events could become laboratories for circular fashion and new forms of cultural value. Lyn-Kee-Chow shared a short clip of a performance piece titled The Picnic: Harvest of the Zephyr, showcasing a “trip around the world” quilt pattern reminiscent of her Jamaican heritage.
Fashion designer and KAHINDO Founder Kahindo Mateene spoke about radical transparency and market fit, highlighting the Digital Product Passport (DPP) that informs consumers of a garment’s origins. “This transforms every dress into a story,” Mateene said. “It allows African designers to become visible in the global supply chain.”
Niyi Okuboyejo, creator of the Post-Imperial global lifestyle brand, presented about how African creators might shape new fashion ecosystems that ripple into education, identity, and global influence.
Jessica Wade, a fashion designer and consultant with global experience, led a Futures Thinking Ideations session about ways to innovate Africa’s fashion industry in the next decade.
“Sustainability is not a trend; it is us,” Nfi said, in closing the event. “You must empower yourself.”
Photo Caption: Presenters and participants pose at the culmination of “Imagining Africa’s Fashion Future,” held on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at Berkeley College in New York City. The workshop, sponsored by Building African Fashion (BAF) and the African Fashion Council (AFC), was held against the backdrop of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), and envisioned a thriving, globally integrated future for Africa’s fashion industry.
About Fashion at Berkeley College
Berkeley College’s degree programs in Fashion Merchandising and Management focus on the business side of the fashion industry, training students in all aspects of the fashion global supply chain, including consumer behavior, product development, brand communications, marketing, and more.
About Berkeley College
Berkeley College, founded in 1931, is a career-focused institution accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education that offers students Master’s, Bachelor’s, and Associate’s degree and Certificate programs in more than 20 career fields. The College also offers Continuing Education programs to enhance career credentials.
Berkeley College has campuses in New York City and in Newark, Woodbridge, and Woodland Park, NJ, with more than 4,000 students enrolled. In addition, Berkeley College Online® serves a global population. U.S. News & World Report has named Berkeley College among the Best Colleges for Online Bachelor’s Programs and among the Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Veterans for 12 consecutive years. Berkeley College is also ranked among the Best Regional Colleges/Universities in the North in the 2026 edition of the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges survey. The website address is https://BerkeleyCollege.edu.
The mission of Berkeley College is to empower each student to achieve lifelong success.
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