An ambitious young entrepreneur to watch
With Fimo 228, Jacques Logoh follows in the footsteps of his elders such as Adama Paris and Omoyemi Akerele, the founders of Dakar Fashion Week and Lagos Fashion Week. He has developed several initiatives dedicated to promoting African creativity:
- A modeling agency
- Fashion week
- A concept store
- A fashion brand
All these activities are interconnected. They are totally complementary. Having met with success in Togo, he decided to extend his initiatives outside the African continent, first to Paris and soon to the United States. Indeed, the 228 international fashion festival, after two successful editions in Paris, will be setting up shop in the United States in 2025.
The challenges of organizing a fashion show like the Fimo 228
Many entrepreneurs start out in the events business with the ambition of creating a recurring event, like Dakar Fashion Week, which celebrates its 21st anniversary this year. Unfortunately, few of them manage to go beyond the three-edition mark, and some give up after the first edition.
After all, organizing a fashion show involves bringing together a number of key skills. Designers, models, make-up artists and hairdressers are just the tip of the iceberg. The management of sound, lighting and catwalk set-up are also crucial to the success of a show. The choice of venue is crucial to creating a memorable, Instagrammable experience.
Volunteers can be recruited to dress the models and seat the guests. But it’s essential to rely on professionals to cast the models, rehearse the show and keep to the timetable. Backstage areas must be organized in a military fashion to ensure a quality show.
The success of the Fimo 228 France edition
There are many preconceptions about African fashion. Some have a fixed image of fashion made up of boubous, djellabas and colorful loincloths. To deconstruct these preconceived ideas, you can’t be amateurish. Models have to meet the standards of Milan, Paris or New York Fashion Weeks.
The brands selected to parade must offer a coherent, well-constructed universe to make the show. The Fimo 228 edition, which took place on September 28, 2024 at the Palais Gravelle in Paris, met these international requirements.
The palace’s Salon Toffoli was soberly arranged to host the show. The brands followed one after the other, with an interlude hosted by two professionals, including Ayden, the reference presenter of major cultural events and Afro-Caribbean fashion.
And the pace is intense as 15 brand paintings are presented. There is no common theme; each designer comes to tell his or her story on a blank canvas.
This event demonstrates the professionalism of Jacques Logoh and his teams. They all work meticulously to promote African fashion in Lomé and beyond.
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