By Gabriel Olawale

The French Embassy has announced the launch of Lagos-Paris Fashion and Design Accelerator, a nine-months programme from October 2023 to June 2024 aimed towards supporting 10 high potential Nigerian brands within the fashion and design ecosystem.

The Lagos-Paris Fashion and Design Accelerator sponsored by the French Embassy in Nigeria will focus on providing close mentorship, nurturing creativity, reinforcing business literacy and guiding Nigerian emerging creatives and their teams in navigating the French and global fashion industry. 

Speaking in Lagos during the unveiling, French Ambassador to Nigeria, Emmanuelle Blatmann said that the cultural and creative industries sector in Nigeria has been experiencing remarkable growth for several years, driven by high-profile sectors such as film and music, but also by companies operating in high-potential areas such as animation, video games and fashion. 

“Since 2020, the French embassy has therefore developed a support strategy of partnership for these sectors based on priorities identified with the Nigerian partners by identifying talent, exchanging expertise and developing specialized training. Since June 2023, the Embassy of France in Nigeria operates a €1.2 million fund to support entrepreneurs in the Nigerian cultural and creative industries in the fields of design, fashion, video games, audiovisuals and dance.”

She explained that the program has been thought in collaboration with several remarkable Fashion and Design stakeholders and its curriculum, which combines group and individual training, mentoring and master classes, has been defined in conjunction with renowned French and African experts and the Nigerian incubator for creative industry CCHUB.

The Accelerator will also close off with professional program with travels to Paris, designed to immerse the selected brands in the world capital of fashion via unique access to key industry players and events. The 10 brands selected for this 2023-2024 cohort, amongst more than 120 applications are Lagos Space Programme, TJWHO Design, OBIDA, EKI KERE, ELEXIAY, WAF – Wafflesandcream Limited, MALIKO and Ethnic Africa, OMI Collective et Aga Design and Culture Limited.

The Lagos x Paris Fashion & Design Accelerator is part of a global program announced by the French President, Emmanuel MACRON in February 2023, called “Création Africa”. This program’s aim is to increase support and resources to the French diplomatic network and its action toward the global ecosystem of creative and cultural industries.

The official launch of this initiative which will take place in in Paris with a tremendous event to be held from 6 to 8 October, 2023 with dozens of talents from the worlds of animation, video games and cinema being showcased. A strong Nigerian delegation will attend.

As of such, the Embassy of France in Nigeria operates since June 2023 a €1.2 million fund to support entrepreneurs in the Nigerian cultural and creative industries in the fields of design, fashion, video games, audiovisuals and dance. The “Lagos x Paris Fashion & Design Accelerator” is financed via this grant.