Fifteen Voices, One Legacy: How Lagos Fashion Week Shaped Africa’s Creative Vanguard
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — As runway lights dim on the 15th edition of Lagos Fashion Week (LFW), a chorus of 15 industry insiders — designers, stylists, photographers, models and producers — reveal the pivotal moments that turned Africa’s largest fashion platform into the launch pad for their global careers. Published November 5, 2025The four-day spectacle, which closed November 1 under the theme “In Full Bloom,” drew 12,000 attendees and showcased 60-plus labels from Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana and beyond. Yet for the creative’s who spoke to OkayAfrica, LFW’s true impact lies not in the glamour but in the mentorship, chaos and community that transformed raw talent into household names.
From First Steps to Front Row Casting director Tami Makinde recalls the frenetic backstage energy of Orange Culture’s SS24 presentation: “The chaos that somehow becomes magic once the lights hit the runway — that’s LFW. It celebrates everyone, not just the designer.”Photographer Kelechi Opara, who shot his first designer at LFW a decade ago, still marvels at watching behind-the-scenes concepts explode into full runway narratives. “Collaboration, creativity, community — that’s the DNA,” he says. Stylist Dimeji Alara credits LFW for his leap from local editor to international consultant, citing Lisa Folawiyo’s jewel-toned collections as the moment Nigerian luxury went global Sustainability as Super power LFW’s Green Access programme, now in its seventh year, earned the event a finalist spot in Prince William’s 2025 Earth shot Prize for waste-free innovation.
Emerging winner Kadiju up cycled indigo adire scraps into couture, while Omolabake Temetan wove discarded shoelaces into sculptural gowns — proof that African reuse traditions can power a £1 billion circular economy.Global Ripple Effects
- Iamisigo founder Bubu Ogisi debuted raffia fringe coats in 2011; last month she accepted Copenhagen Fashion Week’s Zalando Visionary Award.
- Orange Culture’s Adebayo Oke-Lawal turned sheer agbada into gender-fluid statements that now dress Burna Boy and Beyoncé’s stylists.
- Former LFW rookie Kenneth Ize dressed Kamala Harris in hand-woven aso-oke during the 2024 U.S. election cycle.
What the Next 15 Years Hold Founder Omoyemi Akerele, named Nigeria’s Zero-Oil Ambassador in 2021, told reporters: “We’re moving beyond aesthetics into influence — policy, investment, planetary impact.” With £500 million in government grants already deployed and Earth shot funding on the horizon, LFW is positioning Lagos as the sustainable fashion capital rivaling Paris and Milan. The 15 Voices (partial roll-call)
- Tami Makinde – Casting Director
- Kelechi Opara – Photographer
- Dimeji Alara – Stylist
- Bubu Ogisi – Designer, Iamisigo
- Adebayo Oke-Lawal – Designer, Orange Culture
6–15. Models, publicists and producers (full testimonies at OkayAfrica.com)
As the final model exits and generators hum into the Lagos night, one truth resonates: fifteen years ago these creative’s were sketching in notebooks; today they’re redrawing the world map of style.— With reporting from Okay Africa and Vogue
Word count: 520
Dateline: Lagos
Byline: Global Fashion Desk