How NBA Star Precious Achiuwa Brought Nigerian Fashion to the Court

As the name implies, the tunnel walk is a pre-game ritual common among NBA and NFL players, focusing on what they wear as they enter the stadium on game days. These walks have become a pop-culture spectacle and an opportunity for athletes to showcase their sense of style as they head to the changing room.

In the short time it takes to complete the walk, athletes have the opportunity to convey their personalities, state of mind, and cultural affiliations through their clothing. It's a phenomenon, aided by social media, that has since caught on as sports and fashion continue to form strong alliances and the line between athleticism and great style becomes indistinguishable.

When done right, a tunnel walk can transform an athlete into a more interesting person beyond their performance on the court or field. It can also effectively communicate their interests outside of their original sport. Players who enjoy car racing or vintage fashion are likely to incorporate aspects of those interests into their tunnel walk outfit. Athletes like Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, famous for draping Kente cloth and wearing Agbadas, have used it as an opportunity to bring traditional Ghanaian fashion to the global sports community.

In the case of Nigerian Basketball player Precious Achiuwa, it's an opportunity to spotlight the incredible talent emerging from the Nigerian fashion industry while tapping into his heritage.

The idea to rock all Nigerian designers came to Achiuwa while he was in Nigeria on Summer holiday. "A good friend of mine was the first one to bring the idea up with me, and then connected me to the right people. I love fashion, I love Nigeria. So it was a match made in heaven," Achiuwa tells OkayAfrica.

For Achiuwa, the most significant part of the experience was seeing the range and breadth of Nigerian designers. "It's just beautiful to see Nigerian designers that are high level," he says. "When people talk about fashion and designing, a lot of times they refer to Europeans or sometimes Americans. To represent Nigerian designers on what I think is the world's biggest stage: Madison Square Garden. I thought it was really beautiful."

Seamless curation

How does one highlight one's culture while wearing culturally ambiguous pieces? Much of what Achiuwa rocked during tunnel walks this past season is from streetwear designers in Nigeria. There aren't Agbadas or traditional ceremonial garbs. For Achiuwa, the goal wasn't merely to walk around in obvious symbolism; his mission was to showcase designers whose works speak a global language from a contemporary Nigerian perspective.

For Ashluxe, a luxury streetwear brand based in Lagos, Achiuwa wore a green jacket dotted with white blocks, paired with a button-down shirt and beige slacks. The outfit presents a play on corporate wear. By deconstructing the suit and tie, Achiuwa allows the jacket, which will work well on the streets of Abuja as it would at a fashion show in London, to be the center of attention.

"I don't necessarily start my outfit with a pair of pants, or trousers, or a t-shirt. For me, if I want to highlight a t-shirt, I'll dress around it. If I need to highlight a pair of pants or trousers, then I start my outfit there," Achiuwa, who favors elevated streetwear, says of his styling process.

And for the Kowa Studio, Achiuwa wore two of their most notable pants. One features patchworks, while the other, a slightly deep purple lounge pant, features symbols and characters that speak both to the jovial artistic sensibility of the designer and also inspire curiosity about the hidden cultural significance tucked into it.

Where others may have taken the obvious route of cultural attire, Achiuwa offers a critical angle, which primarily comprises how young Nigerian designers view the world and how they, like Achiuwa, are reinterpreting their cultural heritage.

"Designing pieces specifically for Precious was fun and surreal," Namir Dankaro, the founder of Kowa Studio, says. "We were inspired by what he wears regularly- muted colours, etc, and fused that with our signature stick figures. We tried to imagine what he would wear if he came into our space and ran with what we imagined."

So far, Achiuwa's campaign has been well-received. According to Akinkunmi, "The feedback has been amazing. It's shown us that people want to see more campaigns like this, which position Nigerian products to a global audience and reinforce national pride."

For Achiuwa, the best part of showcasing Nigerian designers during the game season came mainly from the curiosity his outfits inspired in other people. "Whenever I walked, people asked me what brand I was wearing; that alone helped make me understand that Nigerian designers are on the stage to compete with a lot of big brands," he says. "Tailoring-wise, Nigerian designers are also getting better."

As more Nigerian brands make their way to the international stage, campaigns like this may become the next frontier in cultural expansion. This is particularly timely, given the numerous African athletes who have consistently made waves in the world of international sports. Through this cultural collaboration, Achiuwa has developed a deeper sense of respect for Nigerian designers. The industry, as Achiuwa sees it, is well-positioned to form closer relationships with the global sports community.

"I think Nigerian designers should be very intentional about how they push and market their ideas," Achiuwa says. "They should be more involved in the global [sports] scene, whether that's through doing stuff like this, or having an athlete wear them on an international stage."