The SS 2022 collections were presented under the explosive title – “BEYOND MITUMBA – Unveiling the Unseen,” during last September’s edition. The title perfectly summed up the themes that were discussed during the meetings, talks and interviews that accompanied the fashion shows of the emerging designers selected by the Afro Fashion Association.
“Mitumba” is the term that encapsulates a widespread phenomenon in developing countries that consists of the reselling of second-hand clothes coming from wealthy countries. These masses of textile products alter the extremely delicate balance of African countries with an excess of material. As a result, textile landfills are formed, which create further problems related to environmental pollution. All this prevents a healthy development of the local fashion’s creativity and entrepreneurship, encouraging a survival economy as an end in itself. From the observation of this growing phenomenon, the 6th edition of Afro Fashion Week Milan decided to focus on recycling in all its aspects.

Joy Meribe catwalk

Textile upcycling was therefore the big protagonist of the fashion shows of new international designers who interpreted the theme through their SS22 collections. After the opening of Milan Fashion Week by Joy Meribe, an Italian-Nigerian designer belonging to the AFRO FASHION ASSOCIATION, five new designers, students from the LABA Academy of Fine Arts in Douala, Cameroon (the focus country of this edition) took to the catwalks over the following days as part of the “FAB FIVE BRIDGE BUILDERS INTERNATIONAL” project: DERRICK WANKI, MICHEL GREEN, SKY MODA, STEPHANDIBOTTY, and CINDY-MURIELLE TSAGUE.

from left, clockwise, Nyny Ryke Goungou, Zineb Hazim, Judith Saint Jermain, Sheetal Shah, Romy Calzado Celda

This edition also continued with “FAB FIVE – WE ARE MADE IN ITALY,” an interesting initiative launched in February 2021 with the support of the Camera Nazionale della Moda (Italian National Fashion Chamber) and mentoring by Stella Jean and Edward Buchanan. The new talents presented in this edition were: NYNY RYKE GOUNGOU (prêt-à-porter), ROMY CALZADO CELDA (prêt-à-porter), ZINEB HAZIM (prêt-à-porter), JUDITH SAINT JERMAIN (footwear), and SHEETAL SHAH (prêt-à-porter).
Six other designers from various countries also graced the catwalks: PHANG DANG HOANG (Vietnam-Italy), BERNADETTE GOUBA (Burkina Faso-Italy), FRIDA KIZA (Burundi-Italy), KARIM DAOUDI (Morocco-Italy), AIRIN TRIBAL by Irene N. Eddie (Kenya-Italy), SK&MS Design by Souleymane Keita and Maria Santovito (Côte d’Ivoire-Italy).
The AFRO FASHION ASSOCIATION has been called upon to participate in numerous initiatives to support new creative talents who identify in their history and in their collections the cultural mix that will characterise the years to come. The movement developed by the AFRO FASHION ASSOCIATION in past editions has made it possible to create a network of young people coming from all continents, looking for a common non-profit platform, which allows them to enter the markets and showcase their talents.
The Association thus models a new approach to international creative collaboration, fostering cultural exchange and launching innovative fashion on the global stage. The project spans fashion, art, culture, tourism and international cooperation.

JUDITH SAINT JERMAIN
Haiti (Camp Perrin) – Italy (Treviso) – Collection: "Uncharted"
The name of the collection comes from the designer’s love for one of her two homelands, Haiti, a place that she has never had the opportunity to explore and that inspires the colours of the collection. The capsule also includes shoes made in collaboration with the MGEMI company in craft workshops located in Pisa, belts with meticulous attention to details and gold-plated silver jewellery branded with the “J” logo.


JUDITH SAINT JERMAIN
JUDITH SAINT JERMAIN
ROMY CALZADO CELDA
Cuba (Havana) – Italy (Pavia) – Collection: “Unlabeled”
With Unlabeled, Romy has created a capsule resulting from experimental work carried out in the laboratories of the Como-based company Directa Plus Spa, a leader in the nanotechnology sector. The company made cutting-edge antiviral material available to the designer, such as a particular kind of denim that has a geometric print made with graphene, a material that can limit the presence of viruses on textile surfaces. The project also allows to reduce the number of washes required, thus reducing energy waste and the impact on the environment.


ROMY CALZADO CELDA
NYNY RYKE GOUNGOU
Togo (Lomé) – Italy (Varese) – Collection: “YUME – The Japanese Dream”
Nyny Ryke describes her collection as “ethical chic” because she uses ethically sourced materials and sustainable processing methods. Starting from the most traditional Yoruba fabrics, Nyny has patented her own contemporary reinterpretation of them, managing to obtain a more malleable product with a consistency similar to linen. She combined this with her first Stretch Kentè, which was created by weaving the original thread with elastic threads that reproduce a new version of the smock stitch. In the collection presented at MFW, the volumes fully enhance all the qualities of the fabrics, showing the influence of the Japanese tradition that the designer is passionately fond of.


NYNY RYKE GOUNGOU
ZINEB HAZIM
Morocco (Fkih Ben Salah) – Italy (Forlì, Cesena) – Collection: "Businesswoman"
The collection is a modern reinterpretation of Islamic aesthetics projected into a business dimension. The capsule reveals the ambitions and self-determination of Muslim women, giving them a voice and showing the world that being modest does not exclude being modern. As a leitmotif, Zineb has chosen the Prince of Wales, a fabric that represents the quintessence of classic and masculine style, demystifying it through the use of bright contrasting colours.

ZINEB HAZIM
SHEETAL SHAH
India (Mumbai) – Italy (Milan) – Collection: "Breaking Identities"
Through her genderfluid collection, Sheetal is determined to break material and social identities. Sensitive to environmental issues and to the work carried out in so-called “low income countries,” by upcycling denim she is dedicated to elevating its potential with tailored suits and shirts in unisex cuts mixed with colours that represent traditional Indian fashion, which is nostalgically evoked through shantung and silks.
SHEETAL SHAH