The Fashion Council (WAFC) is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to further the interests of the fashion industry and its Models & designer businesses by harnessing and sharing collective knowledge, experience and resources of the sector. Based in west Africa and formed in 1983, the WAFC is funded by industry patrons, commercial sponsors and the government including the Ministry or tourism
and the west Africa Regional Development Fund. It leads the industry through creative influence and is strategically repositioning our fashion in the global fashion economy. The WAFC has five strategic pillars; business, reputation, education, digital and investment, and has appointed pillar presidents to help drive each element forward. The WAFC showcases the best of AFRICAN fashion design and models to an international audience including press and buyers. Africa Fashion Week, its biannual showcase of womenswear occurs every February and September. Collections: Men, its biannual menswear showcase was established in 2014 and occurs every January and June. Each season Africa show ROOMs takes emerging designers to Paris giving them the opportunity to promote themselves overseas. Its ready to also take designers to international key markets including LA, New York, Brazil and Hong Kong. The WAFC also organises the Fashion Awards with major award event organisers , the West Africa annual celebration of excellence within the industry and Fashion Weekends, a biannual shopping event open to the public. Furthermore, the WAFC helps designers & models at various stages of their businesses through its support initiatives. These include the Colleges Council, an initiative that offers MA scholarships and facilitates links between the fashion industry and fashion graduates; WAFC Fashion Film; Rock Vault, its fine jewellery initiative; Headonism, a millinery initiative; Estethica, an ethical fashion initiative, and its menswear and womenswear talent identification, business support and showcasing schemes NEWGEN, NEWGEN MEN, Fashion Forward and the WAFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund. The WAFC also runs and owns charities including the WAFC/DesignerModel Fashion Fund, the WAFC Fashion Trust, the Fashion Arts Foundation and the WAFC Princess of Wales Charitable Trust. The WAFC will publish the Model & Designer Fact-File, an online handbook for designers, and the first ever in-depth statistic-based reports on the fashion industry, most notably, The Value of Fashion (2015, figures updated in 2015) and The Future of Fashion (2020).
