Alphadi says Fashion Can Help Africa’s Growth‎ (media-newswire.com)

May02 2010
Alphadi says Fashion Can Help Africa’s Growth‎ (media-newswire.com)
Category: AFRICA NEWS — NIGER1.COM @ 12:47 am

Washington — Sidi-Ahmed Seidnaly , one of the African delegates attending the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship, wants to promote African fashion not only across Africa but also worldwide via his company, Alphadi.

In an interview with America.gov April 27 — on the second and final day of the summit — Seidnaly, also known as Alphadi, said his company is hoping to get Africans to wear African jewelry and clothing. That can be difficult, he said, because while fashion is important in Africa, the money to pay for it can be a problem.
“Fashion is very important to every family in Africa — for babies, newlywed couples and special occasions,” he said. “Every day is a beauty [day] in Africa,” he said.
“Fashion can help Africa to grow,” Seidnaly says. He believes that manufacturing African fashion in Africa can lead to economic development on the continent. Seidnaly began his company 30 years ago with five employees. Today, he employs 200 people. He is also the president of the Federation of African Creators, and has 25 shops, including locations in Paris and Washington.
Seidnaly is the creator of the International Festival of African Fashion ( FIMA ), which is held every two years in Niger, and attracts more than 2,000 people. The event gives encouragement and opportunity to new talents in lesser-known enterprises and attempts to show the world the diversity, originality and richness of local African cultures.
What Seidnaly calls “the soul of Africa” is reflected in his designs through the use of textiles made from tree bark in Uganda, and by weaving Songhai, Zarma, Bororo, Hausa and Tuareg influences into his creations.
African fashion designers need to become better known worldwide, he said. As a designer, “you want to be known in New York, Los Angeles” as well as other fashion capitals of the world.
Seidnaly said he wants to open a fashion school to train new African fashion designers and help them stay and work in their countries — and contribute to local economies by establishing boutiques, manufacturing cosmetics and establishing partnerships that can expand internationally.
The largest obstacle to growing his business, Seidnaly said, is finding investment capital. Scholarships to schools of fashion design would also be helpful, he added.
It would be helpful if African leaders and management executives wore the clothing of African designers and not just Western fashion labels, Seidnaly said. “We are fighting for that,” he said, “to make good production and known names” for African fashion.
“We use African cloth, African materials, African embroideries to make very modern [clothing]. Europeans can wear our collection. We do not only make only African outfits. No way! We make bags, perfume, cosmetics, suits and shoes,” he said.
But to make African fashion a reality on the world stage, he said, “we need Europe, we need America.” And that means help in American business know-how, marketing and expertise.
Seidnaly said he designed a hand-embroidered suit for first lady Michelle Obama, along with African leather bags and jewelry, and a suit for President Obama, and brought them with him for presentation to the first couple.
President Obama hosted the summit, which featured plenary sessions on key issues, including technology and innovation, access to capital, unleashing youth and women’s entrepreneurship, mentoring and networking, fostering a culture of entrepreneurship, promoting and enabling business, and social entrepreneurship.
Some 250 entrepreneurs from around the world attended, along with a host of American entrepreneurs, business executives and top U.S. government officials.

Participants came from Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, Brunei, Cameroon, Canada, China, Denmark, Djibouti, Egypt, Finland, France, The Gambia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritania, Morocco, Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, the Palestinian Territories, Paraguay, the Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Uganda, the United Kingdom, the United States and Yemen.