The 2010s saw African fashion markets rise largely thanks to the democratization of social media. The seemingly infinite reach of digital platforms enabled smaller brands, without access to the global fashion press, to tell their stories on their terms. While digital technology may have seemed like the enemy to a foreign market built on mystery and exclusivity, increased connectivity shone a spotlight on Africa’s nascent garment sector. Across the continent, the emergence of fashion weeks in almost every city played a key part in the greater visibility of the industry.

Launched in 2011 by fashion business development agency Style House Files, Lagos Fashion Week (LFW) has consistently pushed for the growth of Nigeria’s fashion economy with dedicated development initiatives. The platform has helped launch the careers of many designers, either through designer incubation programs like the Fashion Focus Fund or innovative retail pop-ups and trunk shows across the world. Notable standouts such as Kenneth Ize—who earned himself a one-year internship at Edun after presenting his debut collection during the 2013 season—and Orange Culture, shortlisted as a finalist for LFW’s Young Designer of The Year Prize 2012, have achieved worldwide commercial success and critical acclaim as finalists for the prestigious LVMH Prize. In addition, Ize was also shortlisted for the Woolmark Prize. Trajectories like these have made LFW a great place to discover fresh design talent.

For young brands finding their footing in the new decade, relying on design potential simply isn’t enough. In 2020, a worldwide economic shutdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic forced stakeholders like Style House Files to reassess the purpose of the industry itself by restructuring their fashion week model. Woven Threads, a month-long series of presentations and webinars, explored the need to adopt more sustainable fashion systems and how indigenous textiles could play a role in that circularity. 

As we move forward into a new fashion season, we spotlight four new generation brands not only wielding the power of technology to shape storytelling in fashion presentation, but also prioritizing innovation in all aspects of their design process, beyond the gloss of marketing. From Elfreda Dali’s unconventional approach to design to Pepper Row’s intentional stance on reviving local textiles, here are the fresh and forward-thinking brands on our radar this Lagos Fashion Week, each of whom are leading future pathways for the industry in their own way. 

2.

Pepper Row

Omafume Niemogha’s Pepper Row champions sustainability by revisiting traditional hand weaving and dyeing practices. While some of her industry peers position their brands for global recognition by shying away from local artisanal practices, Niemogha is unwavering in her mission to drive the use of indigenous textiles across each product offering. Pepper Row repurposes fabric and employs traditional techniques while maintaining strong high fashion elements. Collections uniquely incorporate handcrafted appliques on batik textiles, combined with ornate beading and woven raffia. Her SS‘21 collection notably had footwear made from upcycled leather and raffia, hand-dyed using plant-based natural dyes from Northern Nigeria, and drew attention from local critics for highlighting the country’s largely under-funded raw textile mills. With a consistent design aesthetic that develops season after season, Niemogha’s understanding of fabric manipulation, precision tailoring, and volume fills an essential gap in Lagos’ vast fashion industry landscape.

3.

TJWho

The past decade has shown a growing demand for more complex design ideas in men’s pieces from Nigerian brands like Taju’s TJWho. The designer and trained architect made his initial debut in 2019 when he was a semifinalist for Fashion Focus and since then, has improved on his highly cerebral approach to garment construction, which combines homegrown style cues with Japanese design techniques. His current offerings place more emphasis on elements of postmodernist deconstruction. Take his 2021 Infrared collection, for example, that focused on high-performance outerwear with intricate embroidery woven across every piece. This design methodology is purely based on what the designer describes as, “...finding similarities between the African continent and other regions to create a bridge [in] between.” The quest to find these connections also shows in TJ Who’s clear vision of a thoroughly clean manufacturing process (the label powers its operations with almost entirely green energy sources). Taju explains: “I’m currently shifting my entire workshop to be 80% solar-powered, only sourcing large fabrics orders from eco-friendly manufacturers with a great track record of maintaining ethics codes.” He continues, “As we pursue timelessness in everything we create, we study the needs of people and integrate multi-functionality into everything. Nothing we design will ever be a one-season item. We are elevating basics and re-inventing staples.”

4.

Vicnate

19-year-old creative director Wale Anate knows exactly where he wants to take his three-year-old womenswear label: “Paris.” He cites vintage Yves Saint Laurent and Elsa Schiaparelli as major influences, referencing them in his work, where he delivers his reimagining of old-school Parisian glamour to Nigerian audiences. In navigating the current fashion landscape, Anate has mastered a new way of presenting his collections to the general public, by cleverly utilizing the undeniable power of social media. His glitzy, arthouse-style presentations held via Instagram are on par with the current style of showcasing luxury fashion in Europe, where heavyweights such as Dior are employing niche filmmakers to document new season collections. Looking to the future, Vicnate’s strength lies in his hunger for constant improvement in methodical garment production. Pieces like his signature low rise, full-length skirt set have seen impressive revisions with each collection, from noticeable updates in his choice of fabric to a stronger understanding of complex pattern drafting. In creating a sustainable business brand, Vicnate is deliberate about avoiding fabric waste with excessive collections. The label is committed to following an old-school model of producing luxury collections in limited quantities. The designer has maintained a habit of trimming down collections to no more than twelve looks per season, releasing well-curated product ranges that avoid waste and focusing on quality instead.