Nairobi, October 3, 2017 – Mettā, the place entrepreneurs call home, has unveiled designers selected to join the second cycle of its pan African Fashion Product Lab to be hosted in Nairobi, Kenya.
This cohort was selected from more than 140 applicants from different backgrounds and represent a diverse range of geographies from across the African continent.
The fashion businesses were evaluated based on Mettā’s unique model leveraging an outside pool of judges from the community to help select the finalists by a panel of judges comprising of Connie Aluoch of Connie Aluoch Styling Management, Jennifer Miguya of Brand2D and Victor Murithi of Julikana Agency, Abel Kayakih, Head of Content and Brand Partnerships , Mettā Africa, Heloise Zimmermann and Robert Cummings of I-Dev International.
As part of the product lab, the 2017 cohort will have the opportunity to engage with high-profile speakers, expert mentors, and a global network of support throughout the 8-week program in Nairobi. Startups will also have access to a space, industry resources, and the for zero cost and zero equity.
“We are delighted to welcome a diverse cohort with a mix of perspectives and backgrounds, and give them access to mentors, speakers and Metta members who are global experts including more than 500 investors, serial entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and academics.” said Maurice Otieno, General Manager at Metta in Africa.
The cohort comprises of predominantly, 55% of the received applications were from women showing a rising interest from the men in the industry, and eight participants-six female and two designers.
Three Kenyan companies, a Nigerian, Sudanese, Ugandan, Zimbabwean and South Africa based designers respectively. All design ready-to-wear collections.
Maurice Otieno, General Manager at Metta in Africa added: “We received applications from South Africa, Ivory Coast, Togo and Ethiopia with a good majority coming from Kenya and Nigeria.
The Fashion Product Lab will culminate on December 2, 2017, at the Metta Demo Day, where entrepreneurs will pitch their startups, showcase their collections for funding and partnerships.
The programme is being partnered by Nest, Brand 2D, Yusudi, Connie Aluoch Styling, Association of Fashion Designers in Kenya, Jumia Kenya and Zumi Online Magazine, Pauline Cosmetics and Peperuka.
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