For other designers, Fashion Week is about getting all their clients together in one room and selling their work directly to them. Ejiro Tafiri, a Nigerian luxury brand founded in 2010, has done just that. Kicking off Lagos Fashion Week, namesake designer Tafiri attracted a different kind of audience, filling the room with iconic Nollywood actors, producers and other high-net-worth individuals. For the Lagos-based designer, fashion week is about creating collections that appeal to an audience in particular, regardless of trends, so that clients feel recognized and valued . “They are my customers and they buy my clothes,” Tafiri says. “Fashion is about what people actually consume, not about the flashiness of a show.”
Emerging labels from Ghana such as Wote KI Design and Boyedoe made their debut at Lagos Fashion Week. “For me, Lagos Fashion Week is one of the most important fashion weeks in the world today,” says designer David Boyed. “Now more than ever, the world is paying attention to Africa and there is no doubt that Lagos Fashion Week is the pinnacle of promoting African craftsmanship and true luxury.”
Other emerging brands, such as Nigeria’s LFJ, also returned for a second showcase. Founded four years ago by Juliet Olanipekun, the brand has quickly become an international cult favorite, with fans of the brand coveting pieces shown on the Lagos runway. Her success at Lagos Fashion Week has taken her to unexpected new markets such as Thailand, where she will present her SS25 collection. “Lagos Fashion Week helped us expand into new markets,” Olanipekun says. “This platform has connected us with a global network of buyers, fashion enthusiasts and media, and has significantly increased our profile internationally. Through our exposure here, we have gauged interest from different regions. , we were able to build relationships that support the growth of our brand overseas.”
business lesson
Designers from across the continent have spoken out about the challenges of running a fashion business. Most recently, Mr Thompson of the Lagos Space Program and the 2023 International Woolmark Prize winner was removed from June’s Paris Fashion Week schedule, citing difficulties in expanding his business internationally. Withdrew.
Due to the lack of fashion schools on the continent, Lagos Fashion Week stepped up to help educate designers on the business of fashion. This took place in the form of daily talks and masterclasses aimed at providing designers and business owners with the necessary skills to enter the international market. One of the key sessions was titled “Bridging Markets — Enhancing Access to African Fashion in the United States,” and was designed to introduce the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a law that provides tax exemptions to sub-Saharan African countries. The focus was on how it could be utilized. Access to the US market.
