Enter to Win The Folklore and Orange Culture's Make, Believe Prize 2020
Are you an African designer dreaming of your first global retail opportunity? Enter: Make, Believe Prize 2020. The Folklore has teamed up with Nigerian menswear brand Orange Culture to host a fashion competition, which officially kicked off earlier this week.
Winning Designer Receives
This contest is in search of the next emerging designer as the winner will receive funds to produce three looks that will be sold exclusively on The Folklore. In addition to being sold alongside major brands such as MmusoMaxwell, CLAN, LORNE, and more, the winning contestant will be given a one-year mentorship with Orange Culture Founder, Adebayo Oke-Lawal and a digital feature in the contemporary African magazine Nataal.
The Orange Mentorship began with Oke-Lawal’s vision of developing the fashion industry in his home country of Nigeria. In 2014, Oke-Lawal was in the shoes of new designers as he was the semifinalist for the LVMH Prize.
LVMH was what made his brand global and now he wants to help spread consciousness of African talent to an international audience. All in all, this is a golden opportunity to grow your network as we wholeheartedly believe it's the key to building a successful business.
The third component of the Make, Believe 2020 Prize showcases the importance of a full blown editorial concept. You'll gain access to Nataal magazine's team of photographers, stylists, editors, and more to bring your designs to life.
Rules to Apply
Applications will be accepted from now until October 4th, 2020 and you can submit your entry here. You'll need to be a designer based in Africa and to be considered, you'll be required to submit three sketches of your best ready-to-wear looks.
To accompany each look, you must also submit a 150-word description including details about the fabric, inspiration, and unique product elements. Don't be afraid to explain why you chose a particular fabric or silhouette. We want to know exactly who you are as a designer through your words and pieces.
The judging will be going down on Instagram, so make sure to upload your designs and add your descriptions as a caption on your profile and tag @TheFolklore and @OrangeMentorship, and include the hashtags #OrangeMentorship, #TheFolklore, and #MakeBelieve2020.
Important Dates
Contestants and followers should also check back here as all designs selected by our panel of judges will be featured on The Folklore. Prior to the final round, people will be able to vote for their favorite designs. Public voting will begin October 1st, 2020 and designers, remember to encourage your supporters to vote as the top 10 most voted individuals will automatically move on to the finals.
Public voting ends October 20th, 2020. Then, one incredible winner will officially be announced October 30th, 2020. None of these dates are that far off, so mark those calendars and if you're interested in entering, get your pieces ready for the 'gram. Best of luck!
Words by Eman Alami