After a two-year hiatus due the Covid-19 crisis, the long-awaited second edition Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week opens in Kigali today.

Over 100 international guests familiar with fashion, including 27 designers, are in town ahead of the six-day fashion event which runs until May 21, as players in the fashion industry from all walks of life convene to share their best experiences about the growth of the fashion industry.  

On today’s agenda, participants will attend a ‘fashion summit’ taking place this evening (6pm) at Norrsken under the theme ‘The Business of Fashion’ during which a panel of pioneers was lined up to discuss fashion from a business perspective.

On the panel are Belgian fashion guru Christ Vitj, Somali-American Nimco Adam, Lord Gilles from Canada and French Makeup artist, Hair Designer and Stylist Nallah Sangare.

Other activities on this year’s fashion event agenda include masterclasses, workshops, Music meets Fashion event, gala nights and runway show that features local and international designers with a special showcase of Rwanda's emerging designers and the event will be at different venues like Norrsken, M-Hotel, Mercedes-Benz showrooms Kigali and Crown Conference Hall.  

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week attracts some of the arguably best fashion designers on the continent and globally with organisers in Kigali having their eyes set on establishing it as one of the biggest fashion events in Africa.

Some of the biggest names in the African fashion industry and beyond the continent include the likes of South Africa’s Georges Malelu, Ghana’s Arshia Wilson, British United Mary Martin London, American designer Qaal Design and Canada's Lord Gilles will join household designers and other Rwandan designers doing fashion in the diaspora like Boldy Bonza, Delphinez and Canada-based Kamakiza Couture among others for the much-anticipated event.

Mercedes Benz Fashion week is rated as one of the biggest fashion week events on the globe, and Kigali was the second city in Africa to host Mercedes Benz Fashion Week after Accra, Ghana.

Other cities that host the Mercedes-sponsored event include Istanbul (Turkey), Brisbane (Australia), Mexico, Malaysia and Tbilisi (Georgia) among others.