Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Africa 2013 (MBFW Africa), presented by African Fashion International (AFI), and being hosted by the City of Tshwane, will conclude with an Africa Fashion Awards Banquet on Sunday, 3rd November at Monte Casino, where African fashion industry’s successes will be celebrated and recognised.

Sudanese supermodel, Alek Wek, is guest judge at the African Fashion Awards. She will be joined by Kenyan’s Diana Opoti, highly respected lifestyle, pan-African television producer who is experienced both in front and behind the camera and presents and produces, Designing Africa, a fashion program that profiles the top names in fashion in the African continent.

Other judges include Russian model, Sayora Grigorian, ambassador & Égérie of Azzadine Alaia, with interest in luxury fashion, and South Africa’s Chris Viljoen, a renowned, fashion director and has been in the local fashion industry for more than 17 years. They will be judging under the watchful eye of PwC as the auditors.

The fashion industry and the public have nominated the following for the various Africa Fashion Awards categories:

1. DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

• Kluk CGDT

• Duaba Serwa

• Suzaan Heyns

2. EMERGING DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

• MilQ and Honey

• Kibonen

• Loin Cloth and Ashes

3. ACCESSORIES DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

• Anita Quansah

• Pichulik

• Ndau Collection

4. MODEL OF THE YEAR

• Grace Bol

• Grace Mahary

• Katryn Kruger

5. OUTSTANDING TREND COMMUNICATOR

• Haute Fashion Africa

• Helen Jennings

• Zandile Blay

6. OUTSTANDING FASHION ENTREPRENEUR

• Danica Lepen

• Felicity Spies

• Hanneli Rupert

7. OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO AFRICAN FASHION

• Jan Malan

• Oluchi

• Omoyemi Akerele

8. AFI Fastrack™ DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

• Hugo Flear

• Alexa Liss