Lagos fashion week is back! And just like last season, the event held a number of offsite and onsite shows. Brands like Sisiano, Dye Lab, Imad Eduso, Lagos Space Programme, Iamisigo, Eki Kere, Banke Kuku, and Andrea Iyamah, were all supported to host private shows. The open showcases, which took place at Federal Palace Hotel at Victoria Island, Lagos, saw ample fashion creatives present to experience what it has in store.
Held from the 27th to the 29th of October, fashion enthusiasts roamed the spaces of these shows, networking, drinking, laughing, or posing for the paparazzi. With an estimate of over 30 showcasing designers, AMAKA Studio had the chance to meet some of the womenswear designers who took us on an exclusive journey into their collections and the inspirations behind them.
Abiola Olusola is an eponymous womenswear label based in Lagos, Nigeria. The brand is hugely inspired by multiple cultures experienced from travelling, and it creates its own interpretations through the Nigerian lens. Its pieces are predominantly based on traditional textiles like Batik and Adire, with other supporting textiles like cotton, organza, and the likes. Their SS23 collection, which was inspired by Olusola’s travel to a seaside in Italy, saw the designer play with monochromatic colours and mesh fabrics to create size-inclusive pieces.
Whilst designing a moodboard for this collection, Olusola stumbled upon two shows made in Italy – My Brilliant Friend on HBO, and the 1950’s movie, Contempt, from whence she drew inspiration. “The collection was inspired by a nice day on the seaside in Italy. It was a mix of very contemporary styles, but using craftsmanship in Lagos,” she said, “We worked with different communities of craftsmen and craftswomen in Lagos to bring this together.”
Pepper Row is a Nigerian artisanal womenswear brand founded by Omafume Niemogha to celebrate and recognise the incredible craftsmanship enveloped in this part of the world. From clothes to footwear and accessories, Pepper Row is slowly making a mark in the luxury African fashion industry. This has earned them a place as participants in competitions like the inaugural Arise 30 Under 30: The New Stars initiative, and collaborations with high-profiled brands like Vlisco. In continuation of celebrating artisanal craftsmanship and her grandfather, Niemogha created an SS23 collection titled Precious Stones from Pa Nii’s Mountain.
“Pa Nii was my grandfather and a miner in the 70’s. It’s a focus on the wildlife and the flora/fauna you can find in nature. This collection celebrates nature and reminds us the importance of connecting with it and preserving it,” she says, “We translated them into the prints for this collection, and on them, you can see animals like cats, giraffes, tigers, trees, rainbows, the sun, and flowers.”
"As someone who struggles daily with anxiety, it [this collection] explores the idea that fear is something that is in our heads rather than actuality, and the only way to get past them is to embrace them."
Desiree Iyama
Officially launched in 2016, the Desirée Iyama brand is growing to be one of the industry’s darlings. By producing fun and energetic pieces with very commandeering storylines, the eponymous label is on to exciting heights. For its SS23 collection, titled Why Not Now, the brand played with some of their most loved colours, to the most dreaded ones, heralding an era of trying out new things.
“The collection is a fuse between self-reflection and my experiences with me and others. It’s also dealing with changes [within me], and questioning myself with the ‘why not now’ question,” she opens up, “We also named the pieces about emotions like being happy, blessed and the likes. The transitioning especially with colours signifies things I’ve been through, and just coming out of that.”
Algueye is a Dakar-based brand founded by Abdou Lahad Gueye in 2012, with a name coined from the name of the founder. The Algueye brand creates beautifully crafted womenswear pieces that flatter the shape and size of its wearer. For the SS/3 showcase at Lagos Fashion Week, we saw models walk elegantly in dresses made from thoughtfully drafted patterns and bright delicate fabrics.
“This collection is named Retour à la Terre, and is inspired by the manipulation technique of puzzles. It is an invitation to a return to the sources and to nature. We tried to showcase the Made in Africa concept with this collection,” Gueye says, “and we used African materials such as woven loincloths and warm colours that reflect light, sun, earth, and green nature.
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Gëto is a premium streetwear fashion label founded by Samantha Adebayo. The label makes interesting designs that are provocative and creative, but with a centre lens of storytelling. This season, they created a collection titled IBERU, with major inspirations drawn from certain kinds of fears. These inspirations were translated on the garments in the form of colours, design details, attachments, cuts, slits, and the like.
“This collection is very personal to me. As someone who struggles daily with anxiety, it explores the idea that fear is something that is in our heads rather than actuality, and the only way to get past them is to embrace them,” Adebayo says, “My focus for this collection was on keeping the Gëto identity of vibrancy and inclusivity while pushing boundaries through form and attention to detail. IBERU represents bringing people together through our fears.”