Afro Fashion Association relaunches Communities at Work at Milan Fashion Week And Voices in Denim, a project in collaboration with Levi's

“Communities at Work is not just a conversation: it is an operational infrastructure that transforms access into partnerships and visibility into contracts,” said Michelle Francine Ngonmo, founder and president of Afro Fashion Association. The first edition had already demonstrated the effectiveness of the format, involving ten emerging creatives and enabling four of them to launch professional collaborations born directly from the meeting.

The 2026 edition takes place within a context of demographic and economic transformation that is reshaping the Italian creative landscape. With more than five million residents of migrant origin and a new generation of culturally hybrid consumers, the project aims to structurally integrate new perspectives into established fashion industry networks.

Five talents were selected: fashion designer Sabina D’Angelo, photographer Marzio Emilio Villa, art director Fadel Ndiaye, stylist and creative lead Kamal Ijale Oredein, and video journalist Sara Lemlem. The program combined senior mentorship, direct dialogue with decision-makers, and dedicated working tables designed to foster long-term professional positioning rather than simple media exposure.

Moderated by Tamu McPherson at The Wilde Club in Milan, the meeting brought together key figures from fashion, media, and business, including Carlo Capasa. The President of Camera Moda stated that the platform helps «transform visibility into concrete opportunities, strengthening more conscious and professional access to the fashion system.» During the event, each creative was paired with senior decision-makers from fashion, media, and business, with the goal of turning dialogue into long-term collaborations, funding opportunities, and partnerships.

Within this context, Levi’s x AFA Voices in Denim was also announced, an annual initiative developed with Levi’s that places craftsmanship and creative autonomy at the center of denim innovation. The project will involve 30 BIPOC creatives based in Italy — including designers, stylists, photographers, and curators — invited to reinterpret the brand’s heritage through contemporary cultural perspectives.

Far from the logic of a capsule collection, Voices in Denim focuses on the creative and material process: research, experimentation, and garment construction as the true site of value creation. «An iconic material like denim is not simply worn: it is built,» Ngonmo emphasized, highlighting how demographic transformations also represent economic shifts capable of influencing markets and trends. Participants will work throughout 2026 on the project’s creative and narrative development, culminating in an official presentation during Milan Fashion Week in September 2026. The goal is to demonstrate how the meeting between technical expertise and cultural plurality can generate sustainable innovation and lasting economic value.