Africa Fashion Festival New Zealand

About Me

I’m Pinaman Owusu-Banahene, the founder of ADJOAA, a social enterprise dedicated to promoting high-end emerging African designers and artists in the Australasian region. I am also Executive Producer of Africa Fashion Festival - a festival that celebrates Africa’s vibrant and diverse culture and incredible creativity in New Zealand through fashion, dance and music.

I was born in Accra, Ghana and for the last 12 years have called New Zealand home. I work for the Ministry of Health as a Senior Advisor. I hold a Master of Public Policy from Victoria University of Wellington and a Bachelor of Health Science degree from University of Auckland.

Background to Africa Fashion Festival

I have a strong interest in policy, fashion and philanthropy and wanted a way to combine all my three interests to make a meaningful contribution to society. In 2011, I founded a social enterprise to promote emerging and established African designers in the Australasian region to help expand their commercial reach and contribute to economic development in Africa through job creation and capacity building.

About Africa Fashion Festival

Africa Fashion Festival will celebrate Africa’s vibrant and diverse culture and incredible creativity in New Zealand through fashion and art forms such as dance and music. An important focus of this event will be the promotion of high-end emerging African designers and artists and empowering first and second generation Africans in New Zealand to connect with, embrace and proudly share their culture.

Mission

To promote, educate and highlight Africa’s creative industry and opportunities while giving festival attendees a one of a kind experience and a different perspective of the Continent of Africa.

"I believe fashion, music and dance are great art forms that enrich our experiences and challenge our deep-seated assumptions. I hopes Africa Fashion Festival provides an outlet for all New Zealanders to experience the cultural richness and incredible artistic talent from the diverse and vibrant continent of Africa".

I want Africa Fashion Festival to become an established platform that provides opportunities for high-end emerging African designers and artists to gain a foothold in the creative industry and to help them extend their reach in the Australasian region.

My vision for Africa Fashion Festival

Africa Fashion Festival differentiates itself from other fashion events with its strong focus on development. Through my social enterprise intatiative, ADJOAA and Africa Fashion Festival, three key social initiatives will be advanced for young Africans in New Zealand and across parts of Africa, in collaboration with the designers:

- A mentoring programme to empower young Africans in New Zealand to engage in their communities

- A three-month internship for an African fashion design graduate to work with one of our a participating designers

- Supporting education in Africa through a book club initiative with schools in the countries of the participating designers.

Budget

To successfully launch Africa fashion festival, I need to raise a minimum of $30,000 to launch the festival in Auckland and Wellington. This funding will cover venue costs, production including AV/media, PR and marketing.

– Venue - $6000

– AV/Media - $5000

– Airfares - $6000

– PR & Marketing - $7000

– Accommodation - $4000

– Transportation - $1000

– Other production related costs - $1000

Any additional money raised above the target amount of $30,000 will be put towards starting the mentoring programme and book clubs.

To ensure the festival remains sustainable and assist in continuity of the mentoring, creative internship and book club initiative, proceeds from Africa fashion festival will be reinvested back into the ongoing running of the project.

My achievements to date

To date the AFFNZ team and I have been very blessed by the goodwill of friends, families and fans. We have fundraised $6000 with support from Karma Cola, Whittaker’s, Afrika Bar and PledgeMe. The funds offset the costs of website, covered marketing to increase awareness about the AFFNZ and assisted with funding a successful soft launch event held in August 2014 at City Gallery Wellington.

The soft launch event was attended by the Mayor of Wellington Her Worship Celia Wade-Brown, High Commissioner of South Africa, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt, other dignitaries from the United States Embassy, Cook Island High Commissioner, Media, friends and supporters of the project.

Support

You can be a part of this innovative and exciting project’s journey by generously donating to Spark My Potential campaign and encouraging your network ie friends, family and colleagues to make a donation to AFFNZ Spark My Potential campaign

Another to support is promoting our page among your network and allowing us to leverage off your network to promote AFFNZ.

Join us and help bring Africa Fashion Festival to New Zealand and make this event a success by donating. Help us create social change and directly contribute to economic development through the Fashion Festival.

Event date

The Africa fashion festival is scheduled for 7 – 10 May 2015 in Auckland, and 14 – 17 May 2015 in Wellington.

Rewards

$25 – Offical AFFNZ Insider - you will receive the latest updates about upcoming events, news, promos and discount via email

$50 – Ticket to AFFNZ after party event + AFFNZ Insider updates

$100 – Ticket to AFFNZ after party + subsidised ticket to one group show

$200 – Ticket to one group show + ticket to after party + AFFNZ Insider updates

$500 – One front row ticket to show in a city of choice + ticket to After party + goodie bag + AFFNZ Insider updates

$1000 – One VIP ticket + ticket to After party + Meet & Greet designers + goodie bag + AFFNZ Insider updates

$2000 – Invite to private function + VIP ticket to show in city of choice + goodie bag + Meet & Greet designers

$3000 - Sponsor for after party [Auckland or Wellington]

Naming rights sponsor for Africa Fashion Festival 2015 after party for either Auckland or Wellington. Your name and logo will be on posters and flyers which will be distributed in the lead up to the Fashion Festival. You will be acknowledged as a sponsor at the After party event and given the platform to have a brief chat with the fun crowd. Of course you will receive some awesome perks as well.

$5,500 - Naming rights for Africa Fashion Festival 2015 cocktail function [Wellington or Auckland]

Your name and logo on our website, invites for the cocktail function, posters and flyers distributed in the lead up to the Fashion Festival. You will have product placement opportunity and a few minutes to speak to the function attendees. You will also be formally acknowledge as sponsor for function and given some incredible perks.