Fashion Scout on Collaboration and Sudan Fashion Zine REVout

Model Lija (left) wearing a dress by Solara and jewellery by Picidae Woodcrafts
Model Mohammed (right) wearing a hand painted shirt by SA BA, traditional black Sirwal pants, and jewellery Picidae Woodcrafts

A few months ago, international consultancy Fashion Scout and Goethe-Institut Sudan revealed REVout Zine to the world: first of its kind digital fashion production hailing from Sudan which highlights the work of 11 local emerging designers. The concept had been inspired by Moda Fashion Connects project, an extensive capacity-building programme—powered by the Goethe-Institut Sudan—aiming at strengthening the local fashion educational system through tutoring and collaborations with regional and global channels.

The 11 featured designers who made it through Moda Fashion Connects’ educational training saw the fruits of their labour exposed to a global audience. The goal? To drive recognition of the resilient Sudanese fashion and arts scenes, despite the challenges the country has been facing in the last 4 years.

Models Lazarus (left) wearing a thrifted look and jewellery rings by Picidae Woodcrafts
Model Lija (right) wearing a dress by Solara and jewellery by Picidae Woodcrafts

REVout speaks of the hopeful Sudanese youth determined to create the change they want to see for themselves, by themselves – all with creativity and courage. Visual artist and stylist Duha Mohammed confirms:

“Moda was a big step for me. It created a global exchange and together we explored how we can change the narrative of how people live under the shadow of a military coup. The streets where we protest are the same ones we walk in our outfits. As long as we see Sudanese design here, we have hope for great changes for good.”

Already with creative-scene-boosting projects in Africa to their name — Creative DNA Kenya, Dakar Design Hub’s Green Fashion Incubator, Rwanda Fashion Week and now Creative DNA Africa — Fashion Scout is carving the way forward for a more conscious and meaningful fashion industry: encouraging dialogues and exchanges between established and underrepresented regions to learn from each other.

Fashion Scout Director Billie Roberts shared their impressions on the continent’s talent with us.

You've been scouting for talents globally for 15 years now. How have you seen the African fashion scenes evolving over the years?

We are continually mind blown by the talent coming out of Africa. It’s fresh, new to the global scene, and exciting. Social media has enabled us to get insights from designers across the continent who, in the past, may have been harder to scout.

Fashion Weeks such as Lagos, Dakar, Cape Town have become true competition and strong contenders for the international leading fashion weeks.

We also feel that African fashion has been slowly and silently brewing for some time now but as of late it is getting the recognition and kick-start support it deserves. - This is also thanks to the investment we have seen in business acceleration projects in the creative fields by numerous organisations. One of which is the REVout Zine.

From left to right
Model Mohammed wearing a waistcoat by Saroura, traditional tunic & pants known as “ala-alla” and jewellery by Picidae Woodcrafts
Model Rahma wearing a dress with sculptural neck piece by Saroura and jewellery by Kuku Jewellery
Model Lazarus wearing a black tunic with gold neck detail by Abdeen, a hand painted leather bag by Peter & Black and jewellery by Picidae Woodcrafts
Model Kholoud wearing ad dress with embellished neckline by Saroura, dress worn as headscarf by Ripheus, and jewellery by Kuku Jewellery
Musician & Artist Anda Kamal Yousif wearing a crystal embellished dress with sculptural neck piece by Saroura and jewellery by Kuku Jewellery

What especially excites you from the talent hailing from the African continent? What would you say are their strengths and challenges?

Creatively, it’s the many textiles, fabrics, prints, and natural materials that often play on traditional with modern twists that we love seeing. We also love the many photographers delivering stunning contemporary shoots. They’re a true testament as to how intertwined fashion and art are.

In terms of entrepreneurship, we have seen passion, dedication, resourcefulness and generally a great deal of collaborations which are great to see.

Looking at your various collaborations with African creatives and institutions such as the current Creative DNA Kenya 3.0, it seems like you're keeping an eye on what's happening on the continent. What's your vision for the future in terms of bridge-building with Africa, if you have any?

The growth of the industry and the global attention will continue to thrive. As African designers are shining on the top runways more often – not just locally but also in New York, Paris, Milan and London – we are seeing the rise of emerging brands who have been given the kudos to make their mark, as well as paving the way for more young students and entrepreneurs to go into the fashion industry as recognised and profitable businesses.

We hope that projects like “Moda Fashion Connects” from Sudan which culminated with the first edition of REVout zine, will show the world the unknown and unexplored talents of Africa and provide much-needed recognition as well as further support for growth and development. What EUNIC and Goethe-Institut Sudan did for this project, or the British Council with Creative DNA programme did, are great examples of the opportunities to come, the power of collaboration and the great prospects for the African continent.