UNFPA and Prada Group formally entered into a partnership in 2021, rolling out a unique training programme in collaboration with local partners International Needs (Ghana) and County Government of Kitui and the Kitui County Textile Centre (Kenya), and in Mexico. The programme, Fashion Expressions: The Stories She Wears, aims to leverage the social and economic power of fashion as a vehicle to promote women’s empowerment and sexual and reproductive health in a six-month training programme for young women in Ghana and Kenya.

The program is equipping 75 participants with knowledge and practical skills relevant for the fashion industry and facilitating internships with local fashion companies to establish long-term work opportunities for the young women. In addition, the project seeks to foster a deeper understanding of sexual and reproductive health and rights and reduce participants’ vulnerability to gendered inequalities and harmful practices. The training pilot launched in May 2022 with two cohorts in Ghana and Kenya made up of young women with a passion for the fashion industry. In 2023 the programme expanded to Mexico to train 30 young women.