Black Star Fashion Week kicks off in Accra with Summit

The inaugural Black Star Fashion Week (BSFW) kicked off today with a summit at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra. Put together by the Rex Omar-led Black Star Experience and running under the theme: “Put Ghana On”, the initiative aims at charting a clearer path for Ghana’s fashion sector. It saw an assemblage of policymakers, creatives and other industry players.

Day 1 of the festival featured masterclasses, panel discussions and fireside chats, and exhibitions. The event also offered networking and knowledge-sharing opportunities for participants. Ghana’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie, was special guest of honour at the summit. Also in attendance were Ghana Tourism Authority CEO Maame Afua Hoadzeto and UNESCO representative Edmond Moukouala, among other high-profile dignitaries.

In her remarks, Gomashie saluted organisers for the initiative, stressing fashion as a “strategic pillar of Ghana’s creative economy.” She also called for a deliberate integration of fashion into local tourism offerings. According to Rex Omar, the fashion week offers a key platform for conversations around industry data and international competitiveness, access to finance, market development, infrastructure, skills development, and intellectual property protection.

Speakers explored the storytelling power of fashion, effective financing models to fuel the sector, as well as building brands the global market is looking for. A forward-looking session examined the role of technology, sustainability and innovation in shaping the industry’s future. The event also served as an avenue for spotlighting Ghanaian fashion success stories, offering emerging designers and brand owners the chance to learn from those who have made their mark locally and internationally.

The festival moves to the Royal Senchi Hotel in Akosombo on 7 November for The Presidential Runway, a fashion show expected to be one of the event’s highlights. See photos below: