11 brands join the IFM-Birimian Accelerator x Africa program
Birimian and IFM are pleased to announce the 11 brands selected to join the second cohort of the IFM-Birimian Accelerator x Africa program.
Launched in June 2021, this program benefits emerging brands inspired by an African heritage each year, and operating in the fields of fashion, accessories, jewelry and cosmetics. For almost a year, the designers are coached by a group of experts from the international creative scene. During group workshops or individual mentoring sessions, they are given the essential tools to master their transition to scale and to position themselves in a sustainable way on the international fashion market.
This year, 5 ready-to-wear fashion brands (premium and luxury), 3 footwear brands (premium), 2 accessories brands (premium and art pieces), and 1 cosmetics brand (high-end), are joining the program:
- Armando Cabral, Guinea, Italy, USA
- Azede Jean Pierre, Haiti, USA
- Chez Nous, Tunisia, France
- Endelea, Tanzania, Italy
- Lafalaise Dion, Ivory Coast
- Pichulik, South Africa
- Renwa Yassin, Ivory Coast, Lebanon
- Suki Suki Naturals, South Africa
- Wanda Lephoto, South Africa
- Wibes, Ivory Coast, France
- Zyne, Morocco
33% of the selected brands produce between the African continent and Europe, 8% between the African continent and the Middle East, and 59% have an exclusively African production.
This cohort is therefore marked by a global outreach and an ability to combine an African heritage with international influences:
"The second edition of the program showcases diversity on several levels: sectoral diversity with brands open to the creative industries in the broadest sense, from fashion to jewelry to beauty and footwear, and geographical diversity with intercontinental brands. This reveals the internationalization and diversification of brands of African heritage, and we are delighted that the program reflects this," said Thomas Delattre, Director of the Fashion Entrepreneurship Center at Institut Français de la Mode.
The IFM-Birimian Accelerator x Africa program is a unique opportunity for emerging designers and brands from the continent and the diaspora to benefit from 12 months of strategic and operational support, allowing them to professionalize and institutionalize their activities. It is a program focused on promoting creative entrepreneurship.
"As an investment company, we know that the creative talent of young African designers must be supported by structures that allow them to develop viable and sustainable activities. Our goal is that by the end of the program, these brands will be sufficiently structured to take off on the international scene, or receive an investment that will allow them to scale up," concludes Laureen Kouassi-Olsson, CEO of Birimian.
