Johnnie Walker Partners with Bold in Africa for Inaugural Bold Fashion Week

What the report says

Johnnie Walker has announced a partnership with Bold in Africa and Malembe Lifestyle to support the first Bold Fashion Week, a two-day fashion event set for August 21 and 22 in Kampala. According to Nile Post, the program will be held at Motiv in Bugolobi and is intended to bring together African designers, creatives, industry figures and fashion fans while helping talent reach new audiences and markets.

The event is being positioned as a celebration of African fashion and creative enterprise. Organisers said it will feature 10 designers on a runway that includes established Ugandan labels, emerging names and at least one international participant. The lineup named in the report includes Axarya, Discreet Street x Local, Good Fibre, Joan Jade, Kifahari, Kwesh, Lamara, Ofumbi, Shurea Yasmin and Nigeria’s Yemi Shoyemi.

Nile Post reports that the fashion week also aims to connect style with commerce. A retail marketplace, planned for August 22 in collaboration with the Kampala Artisan Market, will allow visitors to buy directly from designers. Mentorship sessions and panel discussions are also scheduled, with topics including design, branding, business development and access to markets.

The partnership builds on Johnnie Walker’s Afro Exchange platform, which the company says was created to encourage exchange across music, fashion and art. For Bold in Africa, the event reflects its 14-year effort to support African creative talent and help turn it into sustainable business opportunities.