Fashion for change

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime".

Africa on My Sleeve believes and lives by the above quote. By providing tools and resources we hope to feed many for a lifetime. Not just aid them materially but give them a sense of hope, self-esteem and pride in who they are. We also believe that if you empower one person in a community, they turn around and empower those around them. The whole thing is a domino effect, changing lives one a time and developing communities one at a time.

So, how do we do this? Let me start by telling you a little bit about Africa on My Sleeve. Africa on My Sleeve is a social enterprise initiative that supports the professional development of designers inspired by Africa to promote economic empowerment. Like most organisations we have a philanthropic aim but unlike most organisations we are built on the foundation of providing education and employment for women in the villages in Africa. It is all a cycle. Through the organisation we aim we promote economic empowerment for emerging designers inspired by Africa by doing the following:

- Business Development

Monthly online seminars centered on marketing, strategic brand management and public relations.

- Manufacturing and retailing

Manufacturing and retailing collections designed by participating designers at no cost to them. Designers become co-owners of the collection and are able to generate income.

- Fashion showcasing

Our fashion showcasing is designed as a marketing tool to showcase the artist thought and design think of the collections. It is also a form of fundraising, which we will explain in detail shortly.

Our business cycle is as follows:

1. Designers are selected and participate at no cost

2. Online seminars begin and collections are manufactured

3. Showcase hosted in New Zealand

4. Online store is open and you buy the Designer's items

5. Designers get paid a fair wage as ROI on the showcased collection

6. Remaining proceeds from online store are used to subsidize costs for renting studios and purchasing resources for studio

7. Funds raised from showcase builds studios and provides resources such as sewing machines and materials

8. Women in villages in the African continent have access to equipment to begin sewing and designing items

9. Items are sold via AOMS online store

10. Substantially all of the proceeds go back to the women and providing education for the African girl child

That's how it works in a nutshell. Overall our reason for breathing is to:

- Provide a platform that develops designers inspired by Africa

- Provide employment opportunities for women in African villages

- Provide funds for education for the African girl child

While this may seem like a lot to achieve we believe that we can do it and make a difference one small step at a time.

Our preliminary budget shows that we need about $30,000 to get this community development show on the road. The funds will be used to subsidize costs for the manufacturing, develop an education fund and start sourcing resources for studios.

Together we can change lives and develop communities. Every dollar counts so please support this worthy cause.