Forget The Red Carpet, The Afro Fashion Association Have The Black Carpet Awards
The initiative - marking another positive step for the industry - was created by the Afro Fashion Association and took place last week in Milan.
The initiative - marking another positive step for the industry - was created by the Afro Fashion Association and took place last week in Milan.
Last week marked the first edition of the Black Carpet Awards, conceived and created by the Afro Fashion Association. Taking place at the MEET Digital Culture Centre in Milan, the gala event celebrated the successes of unheard and underrepresented voices in society from a wide range of disciplines, including fashion, design, art, food, music, business, sport and cinema.
All nominees were judged by an international jury of experts in different fields, led by the founder Michelle F. Ngonmo, who has chosen the Leaders of Change in the following fields: culture, creativity, community, heritage, and entrepreneurship. The public also had a say in the votes, with an additional five winners voted for by the online public alongside the other five chosen by the jury.
'Celebrating all stories... this is what we are doing through the Black Carpet Awards. Very often we feel comfortable comparing ourselves with people who share our same background or our same opinion, but the different perspectives are enriching. Diversity and inclusion are not synonyms and certainly are not abstract concepts' noted Michelle F. Ngonmo at the event, president of the Afro Fashion Association.
Attended by notable guests, including British Vogue's Edward Enninful, American Vogue's Anna Wintour and personalities Julia Fox and Khaby Lame, among others, the event goes beyond the importance of recognition, hopefully influencing fashion and other areas to highlight the outstanding work of BIPOC artists who have a global impact. 'Unlike what the name might lead you to believe, it is not just about the black community, but about the colour black as an absolute, as the "sum of all colors", which is obtained by mixing all the different pigments. The idea is exactly this, all together, sitting at the same table and joining forces, to discuss the beauty of diversity and how it is a crucial factor for heritage culture and for the economic growth of society. This, in my opinion, is certainly the uniqueness and originality of this event', finished Michelle F. Ngonmo.
