Partners
INCUBATION & ACCELERATOR PARTNERSHIPS
A cornerstone of IFFAC’s proposition is centered on nurturing and development of businesses in the creative industry into sustainable creative enterprises.
This nurturing and development will be achieved through partnerships to design incubation and accelerator programs that position the identified businesses for injection of seed capital.
Partner for Fashion Businesses
African Fashion Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that empowers fashion designers and creative professionals from Africa and its diaspora to succeed in the global fashion industry.
Leveraging their extensive experience in providing professional and educational developmental opportunities, AFF has been identified as the aggregator and incubator for fashion designers and brands.
AFF INCUBATION PATHWAYS
There are 3 pathway options within the AFF incubator programme
The Artisan
The Artisan pathway provides aspiring entrepreneurs with the necessary tools to set up their artistry and creative business. The programme will incorporate a facilitated studio space which gives fashion and design creatives the opportunities to test and create their ideas and visions and be part of an innovative community.
The Ambassadors
A project to address some of the key takeaways from AFF’s annual retreat, specifically the area of convening and encouraging collaboration across various brands and artisans. This will foster cooperation amongst fashion brands across Africa. The collection is to be retailed with Industries Africa and the Lotte.
The Future
This particular pathway will work with new up and coming designers and walk with them as they carve out brand founded on ethical and sustainable principles all whilst ensuring they build a successful business.
We are a company of change makers across Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Central-Eastern Europe, and Asia who are passionate about making a difference in emerging and frontier markets through entrepreneurship and technology. As an international investment and education company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, our work spans 90+ countries with 15 offices around the globe. We support the world’s most ambitious and dedicated entrepreneurs in growing and scaling their companies to create meaningful and lasting change.
We help global investors focus on investing and preserving capital in a sustainable and compliant manner. We are a trusted partner providing high quality personalised investor services. We help our clients and the sector to stay compliant. We act as a guardian and facilitate our client’s investments. Our people invest the time to get to know our clients, so that we know how to best service them.
We do tax, and only tax. No audit or attest issues. That’s why we can focus entirely on advising and supporting you to adopt best practices, become more cost-efficient and reduce the burden that tax issues bring. We are the worlds largest independent tax organisation with more than 550 tax partners and over 2,500 tax advisors in 50 countries.
We are sophisticated Dutch law experts focussing on national and international high-profile transactions and advisory work. We help you navigate through the Dutch legal landscape taking into account your commercial needs. We share best practices. We effectively coordinate and are efficient communicators. We speak your language. We help you take strategic and managerial decisions. We assist you locally allowing you to take advantage of global opportunities.
Leveraging our collaboration with Agoo Africa, a digital platform dedicated to the African creative sector, we are committed to fostering financial innovation and inclusion within the industry. This platform provides valuable tools and resources to creative businesses.
We work closely with Annan Capital Partners, a reputable corporate finance firm, to provide financial expertise and advisory services to creative enterprises. This strategic partnership ensures that African creative businesses have access to vital financial resources and insights.
Innovest Advisory is an impact investment advisory firm helping our clients to become more intentional about impact and embed impact into their processes. We help our clients to achieve targeted social and environmental outcomes, bringing extensive experience from the development, climate change and broader environmental sectors together with capital markets into the evolving impact investment field. We work with fund managers, asset owners, companies, international organisations and non-profits across a broad range of sectors including but not limited to infrastructure, financial inclusion, renewable energy, agribusiness, climate change, job creation and women’s economic empowerment.
AFF will act as an aggregator and incubator for fashion and textile enterprises; who are wanting to scale and evolve in order to be investor ready.
Eligible companies will go through a stringent 9 month intensive programme to ensure they tick the key boxes of an investor. At the end of the course they will have the opportunity to pitch to the IFFAC board. There are 3 pathway options within the incubator
This pipeline incubator will address the following :
-Business Model
-Market Positioning & Comparative Advantage
-Costings & Margins
-Sustainability & Impact
-Company/Brand Equity
The incubator is Africa-wide but its physical space will be based in Accra, Ghana
CONVENE
The Artisan pathway provides aspiring entrepreneurs with the necessary tools to set up their artistry and creative business. The programme will incorporate a facilitated studio space which gives fashion and design creatives the opportunities to test and create their ideas and visions and be part of an innovative community.
The programme will work by preparing the world’s most marginalised artisans in West Africa, operate on a global platform. For fashion brands it is an opportunity to gain access to unique artisanal skills and authentic handmade products while also doing good. For the artisans, the programme gives them access to a market that values their skills and products, and is an opportunity to make a sustainable living. A focus will be placed on helping the Kayayei women of Accra as an evolution of the 2020 collection and project.
COLLABORATE
A project to address some of the key takeaways from the retreat, specifically the area of convening and encouraging collaboration across various brands and artisans. This will foster cooperation amongst fashion brands across Africa. The collection is to be retailed with Industries Africa and the Lotte.
The current pilot cohort includes Ellie Kuame, Bello Edu, Emmy Kasbit, Adama Paris and Orange Culture.
The aim is to encourage peer learning and cultural exchanges to ensure these established brands have access to markets and are ready for the global luxury fashion market. From design and production to retail and sales
CULTIVATE
This programme will aim to reiterate AFF’s commitment towards sustainability and be a continuation and elevation of the Recycle, Re-work, Re-use project which will convene five young African fashion brands to address the issue of second hand fashion waste and more sustainable product life cycles.
This particular pathway will work with new up and coming designers and walk with them as they carve out brand founded on ethical and sustainable principles all whilst ensuring they build a successful business.
There will be a strong digital aspect to this programme to ensure that brands leave future proof with a clear understanding of how to create a positive fashion brand.
