Director of South African Fashion Week, Lucilla Booyzen, has been elected to the influential fashion industry communications and analysis hub, The Business of Fashion’s (BoF)’s annual BoF 500 Global Fashion Leader Index for 2022.

The hundred new additions to the index that is updated yearly, were announced on 30 September and will be celebrated at a gala event in Paris on 1 October 2022. They include founder of Senegal’s Dakar Fashion Week, Adama Ndiaye, Nigerian designer Adebayo Oke-Lawal of Orange Culture as well as Ukranian designer, Anna October. 

The BoF 500, first launched in 2013, is regarded as an authoritative index of the professionals shaping the $2.4 trillion global fashion industry. They are hand-picked by the editors of The Business of Fashion, based on nominations received from current BoF 500 members as well as thorough data analysis and research. It currently includes 1,100 people representing more than 70 nationalities, based in more than 45 countries, says Imran Amed, Founder & CEO The Business of Fashion.

Booyzen joins fellow South Africans which includes publisher Khanyi Dhlomo, founder of Ndalo Media, Nkosiyati Khumalo, editor of Apple Music South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa and Hanneli Rupert, owner of iconic Merchants on Long concept store that focuses on ethically-produced African fashion, design and art as well as her own Okapi handbag range.

“I am deeply humbled and grateful to be invited to join this exceptional circle of global fashion industry leaders. I truly regard this as the pinnacle of my personal and life-long dedication to carving a place for South Africa’s creative talent on the world stage,” says Booyzen.