Birimian has announced a partnership with Institut Français de la Mode (IFM) and the launch of IFM-Birimian Accelerator x Africa, an innovative acceleration program for emerging African heritage brands in the fashion, accessories, and jewellery sectors. Every year for ten months, the program, funded by Birimian, will support ten to fifteen emerging designers selected for their talent, originality, and potential by a creative committee of experts from the international creative scene.

the Birimian x IFM acceleration program — **Birimian, in partnership with IFM, has launched an acceleration program for African fashion and jewellery brands. Image courtesy of IFM via BoF**

Applications for this year’s program are open from Monday, June 28, to Tuesday, August 31, 2021. The emerging creative brands selected will be offered personalized support to help develop their business by a dedicated team of experts in the main areas that a creative company needs including

Defining and strengthening a brand platform
Strengthening the creative process
Targeting a relevant audience
Determining a consistent marketing strategy
Planning and organizing collections
Distribution strategy
Communication policy
Online presence and strategy
Financial management

As part of their participation in the program, brands will also benefit from funding and advisory services from Birimian.

This Birimian x IFM acceleration program will start and end with a Parisian experience that aims to immerse the selected brands in the fashion and creative capital of the world and give them unique and privileged access to the main stakeholders in this ecosystem.

An African man dressed fashionably walking to a store — **The selected brands will enjoy a Parisien experience at the start and finish of the program. Image courtesy of Birimian**

Birimian has also formed a partnership with WSN (Who’s Next), a prominent and strategic actor in the international fashion scene specializing in the exhibition and distribution of emerging and independent creative brands. Their aim is to increase the visibility of African brands and expand their opportunities for international distribution. For example, Birimian and WSN plan to organize events as part of the acceleration program launched with IFM alongside Paris Market Week and Paris Fashion Week, highlighting the brands and designers in the program.

Jewelers are also invited to apply for the Birimian x IFM acceleration prgram — **Brands, including jewellery brands, will enjoy international visibility through Birimian’s partnership with WSN. Image courtesy of Burst via Shopify**

Speaking on the partnerships, Laureen Kouassi-Olsson, Chair and CEO of Birimian, commented, “The partnerships announced today meet the objectives we set for ourselves when we launched Birimian: first, to support and train the new African creative cohort by strengthening their skills and expertise to ensure their level of excellence and second, to accelerate their development by helping them integrate into the fashion ecosystem and the international creative scene. In this sense, the two partnerships announced today complement each other perfectly, serving the influence of the history, tradition, and savoir-faire of African heritage in the international creative scene.”

Source: Pulse Kenya