Yesterday in Addis Ababa, the first event of the 'Days of Italian Fashion in the World' event was held, established under the Memorandum of Understanding for the internationalisation of the fashion sector recently signed between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (Maeci) and the ten leading Italian associations in the sector.
The event, which saw the creations of up-and-coming Italian and Ethiopian designers walk the runway in the prestigious setting of Villa Italia, was organised by the Italian Embassy in Addis Ababa in collaboration with, on the Italian side, the Foreign Trade Institute (Ice), the Fashion Academy (Iuad) and the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, and, on the Ethiopian side, the cultural association 'What's Out Addis - Culture Club'.
The Italian fashion designers Francesco Canessa and Francesco Carcione (Saman Loira) and Antonio Smaldone (Smaldone Sartoria Napoletana), and their Ethiopian colleagues Natanem Wondwossen (Natanem Couture) and Mihret Molla (Malefiya ET) presented their most important creations in front of a large audience comprising both qualified representatives of the world of culture and fashion in Ethiopia as well as many young students from the main fashion training institutes in the Ethiopian capital (including some fashion and design schools started in Ethiopia thanks to Italian support).
Under the direction and coordination of the representatives of the Fashion Academy, Massimo Cipolloni, Francesco Maffei and Pasquale Esposito, young Ethiopian models and up-and-coming models walked the catwalk. The event, besides being an important tool for promoting Italian fashion in Ethiopia, was a stimulating moment of encounter and contamination between different traditions and conceptions of culture, beauty and taste. It is also part of the many projects and activities launched by the Italian Government, in the spirit of the Mattei Plan and in collaboration with some of the excellences of Sistema Italia, to promote training and entrepreneurship paths for young Ethiopians, also in the increasingly relevant field of fashion.
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