Aid in Action
Fashion Show Promotes Ugandan Organic Cotton
"Brand Africa" Designer Goods Hit the Runway
Kampala, Uganda
|
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Photo: Steve Walls
All-organic cotton apparel created by top fashion designer Sylvia Owori is showcased at the June 2008 ACTIF Conference in Kampala, Uganda.
Small scale cotton producers, ginners, spinners, weavers, apparel makers, and policy makers from 27 countries gathered in Kampala, Uganda in June to look at the opportunities and challenges of producing organic cotton and adding value throughout the entire cotton-textile-apparel (C-T-A) process. The conference, organized by the Africa Cotton and Textile Industries Federation (ACTIF) in collaboration with the Organic Exchange and the local Ugandan cotton industry, provided a major opportunity to market and promote “Brand Africa” organic products to the world, and to develop strategies aimed at increasing Africa’s competitiveness in this sector. This self-funded industry event had the support of 12 major sponsors coming mostly from the regional supply chain.
The highlight of the conference was a gala dinner and fashion show sponsored by Dunavant Cotton to draw attention to the now fully operational integrated organic value chain in Uganda. With the support of a USAID Global Development Alliance (GDA), Dunavant now supports local organic cotton production in Uganda, buying the crop from farmers and ginning it locally, all under certified organic procedures. The ginned cotton is then spun into cloth by Southern Range Nyanza Textile (Nytil) Mill in Jinja. Ugandan Fashion Designer Sylvia Owori has teamed with Southern Range to design and produce an all-organic cotton fashion line for both women and men.
)/images/Photo.250.1297.aspx)
Photo: Steve Walls
A model displays a Brand Africa organic product at the ACTIF Conference in Kampala.
Ms. Owori was on hand at the gala dinner to show her glamorous fashions to the conference attendees and special guests, including several government ministers and other regional dignitaries. Set in the gardens of the Faze 2 restaurant in Kampala, the models strode down a raised runway, displaying the fine quality and beauty of the designs. The show concluded with representatives of the entire value chain — the farmer who grew the cotton, the ginner who ginned it, and the textile mill owner who wove the fabric — coming on stage for a round of applause with Ms. Owori.
ACTIF receives technical assistance from the Regional Agricultural Trade Expansion and Support Program (RATES) and special additional support from the USAID Uganda Agricultural Productivity Enhancement Program (APEP) program. ACTIF members are also taking advantage of AGOA through the East and Central African Trade Hub.