The Uyo fashion week, a yearly masterclass on creativity is gradually emerging as a standout tourism event and is showcasing talented designers to boost their entrepreneurship skills in Akwa Ibom.
Now it its fifth year, it has become a platform to reach designers on how to commercialise their enterprise in the creative industry.
With a runway that is attracting designers from far and near, it is contributing to the growing tourism sector and presenting Akwa Ibom at its best in terms of designers and their creativity.
Mae Edmond, the convener of the Uyo Fashion week believes it is a pathway for the young ones who need to be encouraged to boost their talents.
“We want to showcase Akwa Ibom at its best. We want to showcase the creativity that we have. Because I believe that Akwa Ibom is beautiful. Got creative, talented designers even young ones who just needed the pathway, and platform where they can begin to showcase their creativity and and talents,
“And by showcasing that, we are able to teach them how to commercialise their enterprise and invariably how to upscale and when they do this, the economy begins to witness a boost.
“The creative industry is one sector that is powerful, because everybody is affected by the creative sector. Nobody goes out of his house, without the creative industry affecting him, every human being, from what you are wearing, to your shoes, your tie, your perfume,your glasses, your jewelry, it is often in the creative industry.
“So, for us to be able to showcase Akwa Ibom at its best, we needed to create Uyo Fashion Week, it is about us as a people, as a state, to be able to showcase that which we have and then be able to upscale the creativity within the state,” she said.
Speaking in an interview to kick start its programme for the fifth year, she expressed optimism that subsequent events would contribute to the amazing work being done by Governor Umo Eno in the tourism industry under the state government’s economic blueprint known as the Arise Agenda which clearly outlines how each each can contribute to the development of the state.
“We have four years of doing this, and we are looking forward to the fifth year, it is going to be bigger and better, and we know that as we continue to strive to put us on the map, along with the amazing work that the governor is doing under the Arise Agenda, and promoting so much in the tourism industry; so, that is why we thought as designers, to stand up, begin to do our beats in the economy so that working with the government, there can be collaboration and synergy and together we can build bigger Akwa Ibom brand,” he said.
With support from Ibom Air, the state government’s owned airline, the Uyo Fashion week is set to be an enduring tourism event that will continue to attract tourists to Akwa Ibom state and a veritable platform for assisting designers upscale their businesses.
Highlighting on the need for entrepreneurs to key into the N4bn revolving credit fund available in the state, Meflyn Anwana, an entrepreneur described modelling as an art, fashion as a business and urged designers to secure credit facility being provided by the state government in partnership with the Bank of Industry to “build their brands”
Anwana who is also an aide to Governor Umo Eno on entrepreneurship disclosed that over 100 entrepreneurs have so far accessed a total of N10m each for their businesses indicating the governor is passionate about the creative industry.
She urged other organisations to partner with the Convener of the Uyo Fashion Week to boost the tourism industry of Akwa Ibom State.
