26-Year Old Wins MTN Young Designer Award At Lagos Fashion Week.

Twenty-six year old Rodney Emeka, the Creative Director of McMeka, has won the MTN Young Designer of the Year competition at the 2013 Lagos Fashion & Design Week.The winner who carted home N4 Million was officially presented at a ceremony which dropped the curtains on the third edition of the Lagos Fashion and Design Week recently

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The Enugu-born and locally-trained menswear designer whose award-winning collection was tagged Man about town defeated nine other contestants like Tumi Ladega, Ayo Van Elmar, Wanaemi, Kenneth Ize, and Ladunni Lambo, to name a few.Now in its third year, the Young Designer of the Year award last year was won by Joshua Samuel of Josh, while the inaugural edition was won by Ms. Binta Shuaibu of Vintage Colette, an Abuja-based, luxurious clothes designer that focuses on haute couture as well as ready-to-wear outfits, which meet the fashion needs of northern Nigerian women. The four-day event, which was held at the Oceanview Restaurant in Lagos from 23rd to 26th October 2013, drew participants and visitors from within and outside the country. Speaking at the awards presentation and grand finale of the event, General Manager, Enterprise Marketing, MTN Nigeria, Mr. Ladipo Nylander, said MTN was pleased to associate with the event as it was a demonstration of its unwavering commitment to providing a platform that supports young entrepreneurs in major sectors of the economy including fashion.Mr. Nylander reiterated MTN's commitment to supporting the socio-economic development of Nigeria, stressing that the company is committed to delivering its brand promise of enriching the lives of its customers via experiential, exciting and engaging platforms that connect with their passions. He also added that as a leading lifestyle brand, MTN remains committed to growing Nigeria's fashion industry, whilst supporting young people in the pursuit of their dreams in ways that add to the development and sustenance of the economy.Creative Director, Style House Files, Mrs. Omoyemi Akerele, said the show which has become a permanent fixture in Nigeria's fashion calendar will go down as the biggest fashion show hosted in Nigeria on the grounds of the size of the production, the calibre of designers,exhibitors, industry stakeholders, stylists, makeup artists, hair specialists, local and international fashion press, photographers,V.I.P. guest list and the number of blue-chip companies which provided corporate sponsorship and support. She further added that the LFDW platform has been able to provide opportunities for both young and established designers to showcase their creations to the world, and create opportunities for retail within and beyond the continent. The Lagos Fashion and Design Week featured runway shows showcasing new season collections from the best talents in the fashion industry as well as a fashion business master class. It also featured exhibition of fashion products and accessories, textiles, furniture designs,photography, arts installations and architecture to facilitate knowledge transfer, information exchange and networking opportunities  across board. Some of the A-list designers that participated in the runway shows included Bridget Awosika, Jewel by Lisa, Lanre Da Silva Ajayi, Tiffany Amber, Iconic Invanity, Mai Atafo and the Okunoren Twins. Others are Maki Oh, Viv La Resistance, Ella and Gabby, Valerie Davids and Orange Couture. Designers like Wana Sambo, Anita Quansah, Kiki Kamanu, Tae, Meena, Amede, and Mo Saique also showcased their latest Spring/Summer 2013 collections at the show.