Roberta Annan’s African Fashion Foundation or AFF ( https://africanfashionfoundation.org/ ) is joining forces with the highly prestigious Condé Nast College of Fashion & Design in London ( www.Condénastcollege.ac.uk/ ) to provide life-changing educational opportunities for African students.
The Roberta Annan Scholarship (named after the founder of the AFF) is a two-part programme which will fund a new student each year to study at the College. Initially, the successful candidate will take the College’s Vogue Foundation Programme and then move on to a BA (Hons) Fashion Communication & Industry Practice. Their tuition fees and living expenses will all be included in the scholarship grant.
Roberta Annan says, “This is a wonderful opportunity for some truly creative and entrepreneurial individuals from Africa to be able to study at one of the most prestigious fashion colleges in the world. Africa is overflowing with creative young people with drive and vision, and this scholarship will change not only their lives, but the lives of the people in the communities where they will hopefully launch great businesses, armed with this training. I’m very proud and optimistic that this partnership will make a real difference.”
Launching at the same time will be a second initiative, Global Fashion Perspectives. College CEO, Nick Isles says, “The idea is to explore ways to bring about new international collaborations in the fashion industry through bringing together views from diverse global and regional voices. The aim of the programme is to exchange knowledge, develop thinking, influence attitudes and policy and increase understanding. There will be a lot of elements to this including events, new policy ideas. The first part, and this is really exciting for us, is the launch of a bespoke trio of online programmes created for and targeted specifically at Sub-Saharan Africa. These course modules will be about, Styling & Creative Direction, The Business of Luxury and Digital Content Creation & Contemporary Marketing Strategies.”
The programmes are being developed with the African Fashion Foundation and the Centre for International African Fashion Education (CIAFE) and will be marketed specifically to the African fashion and media industries and the professionals who work therein. The programme will be heavily discounted to be affordable for potential candidates from the Sub- Saharan region.
Frederica Brooksworth is founder and Executive Director of CIAFE. She says, "CIAFE is specifically committed to improving the standards of Fashion Education in Africa by creating partnerships between academia and the industry. This collaboration will not only provide opportunities for businesses and individuals in Africa to learn, but will also promote a two- way knowledge exchange. We are all enriched by the things we pick up from each other."
Lisa Mann from the College is constructing the course and says, “The Global Fashion Perspectives programme is being specifically designed to be in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. That was something all the partners were very committed to in coming up with the idea.”
The UN Sustainable Development goals that the project will be aligned with are:
- Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
- Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
- Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
- Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Both initiatives are being unveiled at a launch event at Condé Nast College on 22nd February from 1800 for 1830 to 2100, where Roberta Annan will outline the plans in full alongside:
- l Lisa Mann, Director of Postgraduate, Professional & Online Programmes, Business Development; Coordinator
- l Nick Isles, College CEO
- Harriet Posner, Director of Undergraduate Programmes and Learning, Teaching and Enhancement (overseeing the Global Fashion Programme in conjunction with AFF
The launch event will include an “In-Conversation” with Roberta Annan and Emily Chan, Sustainability Editor, Vogue Global Network. They will talk about the reasons behind Roberta’s support for Global Fashion Perspectives and the scholarship. The event will also include examples of work and thinking from around the world that will offer an insight into the impressive diversity of perspectives with which the project hopes to engage.
For further information:
Simon Garrett – simon@virtubrands.com
+44 7974 566043
About Roberta Annan
Roberta Annan is a global impact investor of high renown, the founder of a €100 million fund supporting Africa’s creative sector and a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme.
Roberta has a peerless reputation for developing investment opportunities for African entrepreneurs in the creative industries. Born in Ghana in 1982, she graduated in Biochemistry and Biotechnology in which she also holds a Master's Degree. She studied on the Program for Leadership Development at Harvard Business School.
She joined the UN Environment Programme for which she is still a Goodwill Ambassador learning the essential skills to become the impact investor, philanthropist and activist for women and young people she is today. In 2012, she founded Roberta Annan Consulting (now Annan Capital Partners), bridging the gap between investors and impact investment opportunities across Africa.
In 2011, she founded African Fashion Foundation which supports the creative industries, empowers women and the young and brings Africa’s rich culture to the world. The work is also facilitated by IFFAC – The Impact Fund for African Creatives – of which she is co- founder – a €100 million investment vehicle supporting Africa's creative and lifestyle industries. 2022 will see publication of the book, Ghana Orange Economy, showcasing her native land’s finest creative talents and curated by Roberta.
Recently named one of the 100 most influential Africans by New Africa magazine, she was previously proclaimed one of the “20 under 40 Influential Business Leaders in Ghana” (Business World Ghana), the “40 under 40 Influential Business Leader in Consulting,” and the “100 Young Influential Africans.” She is the youngest inductee into the African Leadership Hall of Fame, a member of the Trade and Investment Taskforce Committee for the B-20 (private sector voice of the G20), the British Fashion Trust and The Invest Africa Club. She has been invited to sit on the inaugural Advisory Council of Condé Nast College of Fashion & Design in London.
About Condé Nast College of Fashion & Design
The Condé Nast College of Fashion & Design was opened in 2013 by the global media giant. It combines the unrivalled industry expertise of the Faculty with rigorous academic learning in a unique, industry-led educational offering.
Today, the College provides students with a world-class fashion education with exclusive access to the brightest minds in the industry, including the Condé Nast magazine teams at world-renowned titles such as; Vogue, LOVE, Glamour, Wired and GQ.
Our courses offer creativity with sound business knowledge for students to take into the workplace. We explore the many diverse roles that make up the fashion and media industries including styling, journalism, buying, marketing, branding, graphic design, PR, ecommerce, business, digital strategy and entrepreneurship, proving that there really is a role for everyone in the business. The College strives continuously to meet the changing needs and expectations of our stakeholders both in the industry and those who study with us.
