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The International Fashion Showcase designers for 2019

The International Fashion Showcase (IFS) nurtures and presents work from the finest up-and-coming fashion talent from around the world. Next year’s designers will include talent from Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa.

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For London Fashion Week February 2019 the International Fashion Showcase is ushering in a new format. 16 selected designers from across the globe will showcase a series of compelling installations to represent their respective country. This is an overhaul from the previous format, which held a large exhibition for 80+ designers from countries around the world.

In this new format designers will be supported through a bespoke online programme developed by the London College of Fashion. The designers will learn everything from business development and branding to production and sustainability according to the Fashion Network.

In addition, designers will be invited to a two-week talent development programme in August 2018 ahead of the February 2019 exhibition. In the programme will be a week long residency at Somerset House Studios. The designers will be supported by a range of studio artists whose skills and expertise range from ethical fashion and sustainability to tech. There will also be a series of sessions with experts from London College of Fashion to review their business and brand development goals. In this second week designers will be pushed into exploring possible collaboration options for their February installations.

Read: Meet Tafadzwa Moyo: First Zimbabwean to exhibit at the International Fashion Showcase

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The biennial fashion presentation, which is a partnership between the British Council, British Fashion Council, London College of Fashion, UAL and Somerset House is inviting the 16 upcoming designers from the following countries: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, India, Georgia, Italy, Kenya, Lebanon, Lithuania, Netherlands, Rwanda, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Vietnam.

The designers from Africa promise a bold and singular exhibition with each having their own signature look and feel.

Cedric Mizero (Rwanda)

Millennial multi-media designer Cedric Mizero and his bold abstract designs have caught the worlds imagination. According to the British Council, Cedric has a unique vision of fashion built on collaboration and inclusivity. His long-term project is Fashion for All, a concept that is deeply embedded in his inspiration from rural Rwanda, strives to raise awareness of social issues and be a voice for the people through artistic expression.

He also created the ‘Strong Women’ in December 2017 an exhibition and art installation featuring photography, fashion, and mixed media highlighting feminine strength, energy, and responsibility.

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He works across design, art installation and performance and his collections harness the power of the imagination to transform ourselves and our world.

Ami Doshi Shah (Kenya)

Ami Doshi Shah is a trained Jeweller and Silversmith. She gained a BA (Hon) in Jewellery and Silversmithing from the Birmingham School of Art & Design in the UK in 2001. The designer took a 12 year hiatus only to return with a eponymous design label titled ‘I am I’. Her inspiration for the powerful singular pieces she designs comes from her love for Kenya and its human and natural beauty.

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She will be the first Kenyan to showcase at the prestigious event an accolade she can add on to her 2001 Goldsmiths’ Award for Best Design.

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Thebe Magugu (South Africa)

Thebe Magugu is a contemporary South African fashion brand primarily operating within the field of women’s ready to wear, while having a firm footing in accessories and small multidisciplinary projects. According to the British Council, Magugu is inspired by the women who played important roles in his life, which characterises his work as Sleek, forward-looking design intersecting with motifs from the continent’s storied past, providing smart, multifaceted clothes as valuable as their women.

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One designer will receive an award in recognition of the participants’ creativity and innovation during London Fashion Week February 2019. The winner will be decided by the same panel that selected the designers which is a panel of cultural and commercial fashion experts chaired by Sarah Mower MBE, BFC Ambassador for Emerging Talent and Chief Critic Vogue US.