SFAN has a new website & it's fresh!😍
Also inside: Details on the works we've been doing in the background.
Hello, Star!👋🏿
We’ve been hard at work giving the SFAN website a deserved makeover. And now I’m thrilled to share the updates with you!
Here’s what’s new:
1. We merged ReadyforWork and SFAN brands to create a singularity of branding and harmony between the two platforms.
2. We introduced a new color to add more flavor to the brand.
3. We relaunched the SFAN blog (still WIP).
4. We improved the UI to make the website more accessible and faster to navigate on any device.
Let us know what you think when you’ve seen it! Visit www.sfanonline.org, and remember to check out the strategic goals section via about us.
The past 9+ years has been about building and rebuilding. I think we’ve got to a point of clarity and focus, and I look forward to sharing with you the next phases of the work.
Other things we’ve been up to:
I’m thrilled to announce to you that the inaugural African Fashion Futures Incubation (by Impact Fund For African Creatives, African Fashion Foundation, and Seedstars) that I’ve been managing has now come to a close. This phase of the program was super intense, but I’m glad it ended on a high note.
The program kicked off on January 19 with an Assessment exercise that concluded on January 23. On the 30th of the same month, we began the process of helping designers to receive tailored guidance from creatives and business leaders in Africa and elsewhere.
After building out the program encyclopedia, the AFFI timeline started with a Design Thinking session led by acclaimed trainer and thought leader Andrew Webster, VP of Organizational Innovation at ExperiencePoint.
On the heels of the design thinking session was a curated brand development webinar that helped designers understand how to present themselves and their crafts to the industry. Samuel Mensah, a Multi-Disciplined Designer & Art Director, led that session.
And then, we reconvened on February 20 to analyze how the incubatees can build risk mitigation and resilience in today's volatile marketplace, with Canadian-based Boatin Eyewears founder Nana Boateng as the trainer.
Subsequently, we sat down for an Office Hour session (with yours truly) on February 24 to review the first program assignment. Designers shared their tractions and challenges and received outside insights on growth strategies.
The first program installment month ended on a high note with a charged session tagged Product-to-Market. Designers conversed with Kaeme founder Freda Obeng-Ampofo on how she took her business from a simple idea to international markets.
The second AFFI programming month was equally phenomenal. Designers gained essential business skills that'll last a lifetime between March 6 and 31. Specific topics covered include:
Digital & Agile Ways of Working, led by digital transformation evangelist Ghazi Saddem.
Leading Startup Teams, led by pioneering designer Ruby Wallen, co-founder of Published By.
We concretized these sessions with a second Office Hour with Tom-Chris and a peer-to-peer meeting, where designers received inspiration from their colleagues.
And then we welcomed April with a Business & Impact Metrics session, unveiling often-overlooked but invaluable aspects of business development. Maya Demeke, a highly esteemed business leader, shared vital tricks and tips with the designers. The Legal & Documentation webinar on April 13 was also one for the books, as Nzilani Mweu of Rilani Advocates taught crucial measures to protect one's business and limit risk exposure.
After the third AFFI Office Hour session with Tom-Chris, the month came to a climatic, thrilling end following two explosive sessions on the topics:
Passion 2 Profit: Fundraising & Alternative Financing Mechanisms for Fashion Startups, led by fast-rising art director and futurist Malik Afegbua, and
Running a Sustainable and High Growth Fashion Business led by Ethereal Artist and Sprayground's Vice President, Sandflower Dyson.
As we gradually worked towards rounding off the fantastic learning experience, May saw AFFI designers learning how to prepare their decks and pitch their businesses through a storytelling session with Parminder Vir OBE on May 8 and an investor pitch introductory session with Tom-Chris on May 15. And on May 29, the program came to end with venture demo and community engagement pitches.
This month of June brings to us many prospects —including some exciting strategic partnerships! And I’ll come back to share with you what we’re doing next.
I love you,
Tom-Chris