Friday, April 15, 2011

NIGERIA-BASED ITALIAN FASHION LABEL 'KINABUTI' SET TO HOST FUNDRAISING FASHION ELITE NIGHT IN VIBRANT LAGOS ON THE 30TH APRIL 2011

When Genevieve Nnaji picked up her style gong at the Encomium Black and White Ball, she wore a dress aptly named after her called 'Genevieve' by Caterina Bortolussi, Creative Director at Kinabuti, an ethically driven, Nigeria-based, fashion label created by this Italian designer and entrepreneur, who has lived in Nigeria for 6years and whose label, Kinabuti uses fashion as a visible medium for creating awareness and alleviating the plight of Nigerian youths in deprived communities through impacting vocational skill training and job opportunity creation.

Caterina Bortolussi on a community based project

Women gathered for one of Kinabuti Lab's empowering programmes

Our Ghetto, an initiative launched by Kinabuti Lab, the non-profit arm and driving force of the company is an example of how this fabulous company operates. Kinabuti Lab went into local communities of Bundu Waterside, Eleme, Marine Base Waterside and Ibikisikalama in Port Harcourt selecting twenty two girls who were trained by professionals in skills of make-up, hairstyling, walking and other elements needed t give them a deep understanding of modelling as a career. Kinabuti then went on to use these girls in their very first fashion show, changing their lives and giving the girls a new sense of direction and purpose. The initiative was so heartwarmingly successful that several celebrities such as Rita Dominique, Eku Edewor, Nneka Egbuna, Duncan Mighty and Genevieve Nnaji participated in either the fashion show or concert held in Bundu Waterside, Port Harcourt.

In order to effectively carry on with it's community empowering works, Kinabuti gears up for the most exciting fashion event of the year "The Kinabuti Fashion Elite Night", where proceeds from the night will be used to continue implementing various social, creative empowering community-minded projects in Nigeria.

The Fashion Elite Night in collaboration with Grey Goose Vodka, Smooth FM98.1 and Fab Magazine will take place at 8pm on Saturday April 30 at the stylish Reeds bar Lounge and Restaurant, Ikoyi, Lagos. The night promises to be a memorable experience of fashion, beauty and glamour with celebrities and artists from Storm 360 Degrees under one roof with the aim of raising funds in order to continue implementing social educational and artistic projects that will continue to improve lives and living conditions of disadvantaged communities across Nigeria.