Meet The Speakers: H.E Erelu Bisi Fayemi, Vicky Ngari-Wilson & Vanessa Gounden @ Bluxe Business of Fashion Forum

Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi is a British–Nigerian feminist activist, writer and policy advocate. In 2001, she co-founded the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), the first Pan-African grant-making organisation. She serves as a UN Women Nigeria Senior Advisor, and was appointed as a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at King’s College, University of London in 2017. She is Principal Partner, Amandla Consulting, and runs an online community called Abovewhispers.com.

She serves on the Executive Boards of the African Women’s Development Fund, and the Global Fund for Women. She is Chair of the Advisory Council of the Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund and also serves on the Governing Council of Elizade University in Nigeria. Adeleye-Fayemi is the author of Loud Whispers (2017), Speaking for Myself (2013), and an autobiography Speaking above a Whisper(2013). She also co-edited Voice, Power and Soul.
Vicky is a social entrepreneur and sustainable Designer and sustainable development goals advocate. With a professional background of implementing sustainable and social impact solutions within creative ideas, she is exploring ancient indigenous crafts, converting them into contemporary fashion that symbolises indigenous communities and embodies their environmental practices.

Her organisation The Rural Retail gather’s groups of rural women to form as sustainable fashion producers and links them to Industry.
Born and raised in the era of apartheid in South Africa, Vanessa’s early upbringing and experiences in the townships made her determined to break through the glass ceiling. Her hard work and determination paid off and she went on to gain a university degree and become a successful entrepreneur in post-apartheid SA.

Launched in London in 2011, Vanessa Gounden is a luxury womenswear brand, with Vanessa herself as Creative Director and the inspiration behind the brand’s artistry. Sold worldwide, Vanessa Gounden will open its first flagship store in the United Kingdom in Spring 2015, located in the heart of London’s Mayfair district.
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