Is Lagos Fashion Week fast becoming the world’s most exciting fashion-week?
From the rhythm of Yoruba talking drums to the reinvention of traditional handwoven textiles, Lagos Fashion Week is staking its claim on the global fashion stage. The event, which celebrated its 15-year anniversary this year, is increasingly being recognised not just for flair and style, but for culture, jobs and transformation.
A platform for something bigger
Held in the grounds of the upscale Federal Palace hotel in Lagos, the 2025 edition of Lagos Fashion Week featured more than 70 designers presenting under one marquee.
From established names to emerging talent, the event has become a launch-pad for Afro-centric design and a showcase of how fashion can reflect identity, heritage and innovation.
Culture, craft and circularity
One of the defining features of the week is how it melds cultural heritage with modern design. For example, the designer Emmy Kasbit drew on Akwete hand-woven fabrics to reimagine modern silhouettes.
Meanwhile, other brands focused on sustainability and craft preservation, such as the “Green Access” initiative which trains young designers in circular practices, and “Woven Threads” which highlights responsible consumption through installations.
Global recognition and local impact
Although the so-called “big four” fashion weeks (New York, London, Milan, Paris) still dominate the calendar, Lagos has grown quietly yet steadily. The Week was awarded the prestigious Earthshot Prize in the “Build a Waste-Free World” category, signalling international acknowledgment of the city’s fashion community and its environmental ambitions.
At the local level, the founder Omoyemi Akerele emphasised that the goal goes beyond glamour: “Fashion has the power to create jobs, preserve culture and transform lives.”
Why Lagos is different
What sets Lagos apart is its combination of creative energy, cultural authenticity and purpose-driven design. The challenges that once hampered the city’s creative scene, power outages, infrastructure gaps, limited selectivity, have become part of the narrative of innovation. Designers here often convert constraints into creative opportunities.
By focusing on community-driven stories, local fabrics, and inclusive design (for example size-inclusive womenswear gaining recognition), Lagos’s fashion week is building a distinct identity.
The path ahead
Despite this momentum, Lagos Fashion Week still has work ahead before it challenges the legacy of fashion weeks in Europe or the US. Uzbekistan-level infrastructure, global brand visibility, high-budget sponsorships and long-standing institutional support are aspects where there is room for growth. The event’s focus on sustainability, new talent and African narratives may well be its strongest differentiator, rather than trying to replicate what already exists elsewhere.
For Nigeria and the African fashion ecosystem, this could be the moment when design becomes a major economic driver, creating jobs, preserving craft traditions and offering a global stage for a new generation of creatives.