Nuvi Gana, Man Behind African Heritage Fashion Week, and Awards
By Daniel D.
Following his studies in fashion and design, Nuvi Gana established Nuvi Creative in 2007. This fashion house has not only brought him fame and fortune, but it has also improved the lives of the impoverished.
Following a global tour of fashion events and exhibits, Nuvi came to the conclusion that Cameroon was still far behind in the fashion arena.
He saw that established fashion brands were not exposed to methods of product promotion, and up-and-coming designers lacked a venue on which to display their abilities.
Nuvi Gana, a successful figure in the fashion and design industry, thought about ways to give back to his country and came up with the African Heritage Fashion Week and Award. It’s a platform where aspiring designers, student designers, and designers with a brand may present their creations to a global audience. The platform offers a chance to celebrate the shared culture between the two, in addition to uniting as designers to exhibit skill.
In an interview with MMI on Saturday, April 20, in Buea, during the second African Heritage Fashion Week and Award, Nuvi stated that the idea behind the concept is to introduce Cameroon to a wider audience and to close the gap in fashion and design between Cameroon and other nations.
“Due to the shortage of means for upcoming designers to showcase their work, or due to a platform for designers that already have a brand to meet with marketers like fashion buyers and media, we were lacking that position in Cameroon. Then it comes to mind that I have been out there visiting different fashion platforms and different fashion seminars; why can I not bring it to Cameroon? And why not make it an African thing?” he said, adding that it is not only for Cameroon but also for Africa.
For this reason, fashion designers from all throughout Africa were invited to the second edition.
Over the course of four days, the event featured a variety of activities, including designer get-togethers, student exhibitions by up-and-coming designers, Sanja and Toghu cultural nights, and, at the end, an award ceremony.
Links to the coastal regions and cultural grasslands are established by the Sanja and the Toghu Night.
Overcoming challenges for Cameroon fashion designers
Nuvi claims that Cameroon faces numerous difficulties in the fashion and design industries. He nonetheless emphasized that the primary issue arising from the incapacity or absence of freedom for Cameroonians to express themselves through their textiles is already a barrier.
“When our own country accepts second-hand goods more than those made in Cameroon, it becomes another problem.”
He stated that this is among the causes of his membership in the Cameroon English Designers Association. This is a result of the association’s goal of getting the government to enact legislation requiring residents to wear only clothes made in Cameroon.
“This has made me bring this event so that we can unite Cameroon and make Cameroonians understand that wearing Cameroon one hundred percent is not only making people rich but also the economy,” said Nuvi Gana, popularly known as Nuvi Creative.
A show of culture also
Nuvi, in an interview with MMI, said a people without a culture is a people without identity.
“As a fashion designer, any of your work has your identity. It is like a trademark. That is why I define fashion as a lifestyle and a culture. It is our own identity,” he said.
For this reason, fashion designers from Maroua, Douala, Yaounde, and Bamenda showcased dresses made entirely of African materials during the award ceremony.
For example, Yaounde-based fashion designer Herve Nguvi presents a selection of items fashioned from animal pelts, leaves, and fruit skins. After thinking about making Africa free from the enchantment of colonialism and Western imitation, he made that decision, in his opinion.
