Former Ethiopian supermodel uses clothing label to promote fashion and charity

A former Ethiopian supermodel, Anna Getaneh, said she uses her label line to promote fashion and charity in her country.

She said she and her team are getting ready for a fashion show at her studio in Addis Ababa.

The former supermodel walked on the Paris and US run-ways in the 1990s.

She has featured in top fashion magazines like Vogue but now a designer and an entrepreneur.

Anna owns African Mosaique, a clothing design enterprise set up in 1995.

She said she wants to help develop Africa’s fashion industry by pushing more designers to build luxury brands at home.

“Yes I do design the African Mosaique label with my team but at the same time I do a lot of collaborations with other designers, we support other designers, we mentor, we train, but at the same time we are also building our own label which also falls under the same category,” said Anna.

The fashion house holds shows where they showcase their designs for African women.

The event brings together international models to inspire the upcoming ones.

The proceeds of the event are used in the education of the needy in the country.

A top model from South Sudan, Adau Mornyang said she is a model for school girls and likes the idea.

“I want Ethiopia to have more women role models for the young girls because they will have somebody to look up to, somebody to learn from, somebody from their cultures, somebody from their country that relates to them instead of looking up to people outside.”

The event helps to promote fashion industry players in the continent to exploit global market.

A designer from Madagascar, Eric Raisina, said he is proud to be an African designer.

“Africa has such an amazing talent. Everyone in different countries be it in the north, the south, the east or in the west or in the centre, Africa gives so much to fashion today.”

African Mosaique has held shows in various African cities and abroad. Anna said she and her team are currently working on establishing a designing centre in Ethiopia.