Past Lagos Fashion Weeks Promoted Original Designs But The 2014 Edition Saw A Repeat of Designs

Fashion shows and fashion weeks are a big part of the fashion industry because that is where designers get to show off their new collections and where fashion lovers pick up trends from.

In Nigeria, Lagos Fashion Week (LFW) is one of the biggest and most prestigious fashion events that take place annually. It brings together fashion designers and fashion lovers alike from all over the African continent to showcase and express their shared love for fashion.

The Lagos Fashion Week is a fashion show that was established by Omoyemi Akerele of Style House Flies in 2011. It features exhibitions, fashion shows, and masterclasses. Over the years, the fashion event has been sponsored by companies such as MTN, GTBank and Heineken.

With the next edition of Lagos Fashion Week taking place from October 29th to November 1st 2020, we take a walk down memory lane and review past Lagos Fashion Week shows to see how it has evolved over time.

A Walk Down Memory Lane and A Review of Past Lagos Fashion Week Shows

Over the years, Lagos Fashion Week has come to us with various themes. In recent times, these themes have ranged from “Connecting the dots (2016)” to “Africa: Shaping Fashion’s Future (2017), “The Importance of Platforms”(2018), and “Beyond Creativity (2019). Each of these themes revolves around putting African fashion on the global map.

Each year, the event has attracted big and upcoming brands in the fashion space including Lisa Folawiyo, Mai Atafo, Christie Brown, Orange Culture, I.AM.ISIGO, Maxhosa by Laduma, Maki Oh, and so on.

Over the years, LFW has remained consistent in dishing out top quality and creative pieces from designers all over Africa.

Through the years, the runway for LFW has not changed much. The venues they use for their fashion shows always have minimal setup and decor with participants at both sides of the runway, watching the amazing display of fashion going on.

Every year, designers have brought original designs to the runway, with the exception of 2014 which saw too many brands copy designs from the last LFW. This did not tell well on those designers and took a bit out of the uniqueness of the fashion show. Through the LFW platform, however, designers have been able to promote African culture to the world and show that Africa is the hub for the next set of world-class designers.

The collections showcased usually cover both menswear and womenswear and use a mixture of both local fabrics, like Ankara, George, and Aso Oke fabrics, and Western fabric like tulle, organza and silk. These fabrics are usually fused to create stunning style-defining pieces.

The looks usually range from minimal conservative looks to flamboyant extravagant looks complete with feathers, ruffles, pleats, and exaggerated headpieces. A burst of colours mixed and matched in creative ways has also always been a constant part of LFW.

Overall, LFW has been consistent in putting on stage designers that deliver quality and uniquely creative pieces. Through their masterclasses, LFW has been able to impart knowledge on fashion lovers all over the world and give us deeper insights into what fashion really means.

Through their Xretail platform, LFW has helped fashion designers that could not display on their runway to showcase and sell pieces to attendees at the fashion event. These fashion designers, over the years, have included ready-to-wear, accessory and beauty brands.

Although virtual this year, we look forward to seeing what Lagos Fashion Week has in store for us.