FIMA is on the move to Morocco

FIMA, the Festival International de la Mode en Afrique, and the Continent’s largest regular fashion event, is on the move. Plans were revealed Thursday to bring the next edition of the fashion and art festival and salon to Morocco.

The 11th edition of FIMA will take place from November 21 to 24 in Dakhla, the hip port city of the disputed territory of Western Sahara, which is controlled by Morocco. This marks the first occasion that FIMA has left Niger, where it was founded in 1998.

Located on a highly picturesque peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean, Dakhla has become one of the world’s great kite surfing capitals, and site of a burgeoning boutique hotel scene.

“It’s an ideal environment to celebrate African fashion and render homage to the Continent’s artistic and cultural creativity. The desert brings tranquility and peace, while the sea brings energy, so Dakhla is the perfect location,” said Alphadi, the one-name founder of FIMA, at a press conference in UNESCO.

Events include a pan-African runway show; young designer and top model competition; awards for jewelry, weaving and leatherwork; a mass show of designers from five continents; art exhibitions and installations and a professional trade show called Haské. Students from the École Supérieure de Création et de Mode de Casablanca will participate in the young designer competition in Dakhla.

With a 25 million Moroccan Dirham budget ($2.5 million), FIMA expects some 30,000 attendees to come to Dakhla, making it Africa’s best-attended fashion festival. FIMA receives financial support from governments of both Niger and Morocco, which has controlled Western Sahara for some 40 years.

“It’s a special chance to connect Africa with the rest of the world,” concluded Alphadi.

FIMA is on the move to Morocco

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