Kampala — IT was all glamour and pomp last weekend at the Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, as local fashion gurus Sylvia Owori and Gloria Wavamunno showcased the very best of African fashion at the first-ever African fashion week.

The event brought together 51 designers from all over the continent and some of the world's top black supermodels, including Oluchi Onweagaba, Patricia Namayirira and Ajuma.

The eight-day fashion spectacular will culminate into the African Fashion Awards to recognise the very best in African fashion.

Dubbed Arise Africa Fashion Week, the event ran from June 12, with a grand finale on June 20. Owori and Wavamunno showcased clothes that were in tune with the 2009 fashion trends.

Owori, who is no stranger to the international runways, shared the runway with designer Mekdi of South Africa.

Her unique eye for fashion showed in her floral collection of silk gowns and couture outfits which carried the message of fun and colour.

She showcased high-waist overflowing evening dresses, shorts, pants and tops in bold purple, red, gold, blue, silver, yellow and black. Her clothes were well complemented by the elaborate African jewellery.

Gloria Wavamunno, who shared a stage with Lanre Da Silva-Ajayi of Nigeria, showcased short contemporary designs in lilacs, yellows, blues and blacks.

She used African prints and fabrics like kitenge, but her designs were cosmopolitan.

Although she joined the fashion scene at the beginning of this year, Gloria's work showed maturity.

Other African designers included Tanzania's Mustafa Hassan Ali, who wooed the audience with his contemporary renditions of Afro-oriental and coastal fashions; Kenya's Liz Ogumbo, Tunisia's Azzedine Alaia, Ghana's Ozwald Boateng, Nigeria's Deola Saoe and Tiffany Amber as well as Marc Bouwer from South Africa. "It was an honour for me to showcase on a world-class platform," says Owori.

She will represent Uganda in the Democratic Republic of Algeria in a two-week National Algerian Festival, starting on July 4.

She says she will showcase a new collection inspired by Uganda's culture.