Header: Photo by Ben Iwara
The African Fashion Foundation (AFF) has joined the Africa International Design Awards (AIDA Awards) as an official sponsor, strengthening a shared ambition to support fashion designers and creative professionals from Africa and its diaspora to succeed in the global fashion industry.
Founded by Roberta Annan, United Nation Environment Program (UNEP) Goodwill Ambassador for the Creative Economy and an award-winning businesswoman with several leadership awards, the African Fashion Foundation operates at the intersection of culture, business, and international opportunity. Roberta was also the youngest African to be inducted into the African Leadership Hall of Fame and is a member of the Young Leaders Circle of the Milken Institute and the Young Presidents Organization (YPO). She is the Co-founder of IFFAC Investment Holdings, which aims to support and invest in Africa’s creative and lifestyle industries and was recently appointed as a Member of the Condé Nast College of Fashion & Design Advisory Council, which will be responsible for bringing exceptional insights to curriculum development and nurturing talents. The organization has already made a measurable impact, with 24 alumni, 300 lives impacted, 15 initiatives launched, $1.3 million in grants dispersed, and 60 careers progressed and behind these numbers stands a carefully built team and advisory network.
Program Director Elisabeth Morzadec, a graduate of the School of Oriental and African Studies in London with a Master’s degree in African Development, leads key initiatives including the African Fashion Futures Incubator and the Fashion Industry Retreat. With a diverse background—French and Ghanaian descent—she possesses hands-on experience in West Africa’s cultural and creative industries. On the digital front, Julius Quansah Yankson, Digital Strategist at AFF, shapes the foundation’s online presence and community-building efforts.
The board further strengthens AFF’s international reach. Members include Lupo Lanzara, Deputy Chairman of Accademia Costume & Moda in Italy; Waridi Schrobsdorff, Kenya-born fashion entrepreneur and advocate for African talent based in Berlin; Adenike Adebayo-Makinde, Nigerian lawyer and business leader; and Sara Sozzani Maino, Deputy Director of Vogue Italia and Head of Vogue Talents, widely recognized for scouting and supporting emerging designers worldwide.
The work of the African Fashion Foundation is structured around three pillars: Convene, Collaborate, and Cultivate, bringing together key industry names, encouraging cross-sector dialogue, activating a more sustainable industry and ecosystem, and honouring the cultural heritage of Africa. AFF uses its programmes and facilities to strengthen local African communities and entrepreneurship, as well as to equip individuals and companies in Africa’s creative industries to reach their full potential and inspire diversity in the global luxury and creative markets.
As an official sponsor of the AIDA Awards, AFF brings more than visibility to the table, supporting the Awards’ commitment to long-term growth over one-time recognition. At the same time, AIDA Awards offer AFF a powerful continental and diaspora-wide platform to spotlight the designers, entrepreneurs, and initiatives, helping them extend their reach beyond fashion into spatial, product, and communication design.
Beyond its role as sponsor, the African Fashion Foundation adds value to the partnership through a portfolio of initiatives that build Africa’s creative infrastructure. From the African Fashion Futures Incubator, which supports designers in scaling sustainable businesses, to the Roberta Annan Scholarship, which invests in future leaders in fashion communication and industry practice, AFF focuses on long-term capacity building. Programs such as the Creative Industry Retreat address value chains and financing across the ecosystem, while sustainability-driven projects like Recycle, Rework, Reuse and cross-collaborative platforms including the Artisan Hub and Scouting for Africa connect local talent to global stages.
For the AIDA Awards, created to become the most comprehensive design competition dedicated to Africa and its diaspora, this partnership supports its broader ambition to proactively support the future of the African creative economy. While awards bring recognition, foundations build infrastructure and together, they create visibility, opportunity, investment pathways, and long-term positioning. With the African Fashion Foundation officially on board as a sponsor, the AIDA Awards expands its strategic depth, supporting a growing movement that places creativity from Africa and its diaspora at the center of the global design landscape.
