@ BENUE FASHION WEEK 2009

As part of the activities to mark the 3rd edition of ‘’Celebrate Benue Woman’’, the first edition of the Benue Fashion Week was staged at the IBB Square in Makurdi, the Benue state capital. It was an event put together by the Office of Her Excellency, Arc Yemisi Dooshima Suswam, Wife of the Governor of Benue state in collaboration with Legendary Gold Limited.
Benue Fashion Week is packaged and organised due to the genuine desire of Arc Yemisi Suswam to empower the youths in all 23 local government areas of Benue state through fashion designing and modelling with the major goal of promoting decent dressing.
About 9 days before the Benue Fashion Week, Legendary Gold Limited and the Central Planning Committee for the event conducted a screening of intending Models and designers from the state. Over 982 intending models and designers showed up for the screening. At the end of the screening, 23 male, 23 female models and 23 designers where selected to represent each of the 23 local government areas of the state.
3 international consultants were brought in from Milan and New York to work and prepare the participants for the event. They included Aristeo Tengco, CEO of Emmanuel New York Models, Piercarlo Borgogelli, a top fashion consultant from Milan and Giancarla Manusardi, fashion choreographer from Milan.
The Benue Fashion Week was filled with fun, Glitz and razmataz as was to be expected. It was a perfect evening of fashion, Music and comedy. Special Guest of Honour was Her Excellency, Dame Patience Goodluck Jonathan, Wife of the Vice President. She was supported by Her Excellency, Mrs Abimbola Fashola, Wife of the Governor of Lagos state and Onare Duke. The perfect hosts for the evening were the first couple of the state Gabriel and Yemisi Suswam.
Other dignitaries at the event included the Deputy Governor of the state and wife Chief Mrs Lawani, the speaker of the state house of Assembly Honourable Dooma Egba and other dignitaries from the state and beyond.
The unique thing about the Benue Fashion Week was that participating designers prepared their collection from locally made fabrics from Benue state. The Tiv clothe was widely used by all the designers.
At the end of the Benue Fashion Week, Emmanuel of Da lapel fashion house was declared the best designer. He won a brand new car, represented Benue state in the just concluded Nigeria Fashion Show in Lagos and will early next year get an internship with an Italian designer in Milan.
The best female model was Anita Ochima. She won a cash prize of N500, 000 and got a year modelling contract with Emmanuel New York Models. She also represented Benue state in the just concluded Nigeria Model Awards in Lagos. The best male model was Oteikwu. He won a cash prize of N500, 000 and participated in the just concluded Nigeria Fashion Week in Lagos. All runners –up received consolation cash prizes.