“Eclectic” Captures the Backstage Chaos and Rush at Nigerian Runway Shows

Even as a child, Adebayo Jolaoso knew just how chaotic the fashion industry could be. He figured this out from reading the many fashion magazines his parents collected and avidly watching fashion shows like Video Fashion! 

In its heyday, Video Fashion! covered the various sides of the fashion industry, from designer profiles to fashion events and, most importantly, the dizzying bustle that took place backstage at runway shows. “I knew there was this chaotic environment, but I didn't yet understand the depth of it,” Jolaoso tells OkayAfrica. It was in 2018, while covering backstage at different fashion events in Lagos, that he began to get a full grasp of the beauty, the rush, and the dedication found in the people working backstage at fashion shows. “I loved the imagery. I loved the passion, I loved that environment so much. After the shows, I did a bunch of social media posts, and people really liked them.”

It is that passion that Jolaoso now captures in his debut photo book, Eclectic. In 704 pages and over 700 images, Eclectic documents the frantic, joyful, and dizzying backstage moments of three major Nigerian fashion events: Lagos Fashion Week, Arise Fashion Week, and GTCO Fashion Week. These images were collected from over six years of coverage.

In Eclectic, Jolaoso takes on an ambitious archival work, capturing and observing the change and evolution of Nigerian fashion through the eyes of the models, stylists, assistants, makeup artists, and workers who use the backstage as their canvas. The people, without whose hard work, many fashion shows would be impossible to pull off.

Joaloso says it was crucial to immortalize these stories in an age where attention is fleeting and fashion photography is tied to hyper-consumerism, stripping these moments of any historic significance.

“I was becoming aware of how things die on social media. You have these photos, you put them online, people like and interact with them, and that's really where it dies,” Jolaoso explains. 

Eclectic is not merely a book of photos; it’s also a site for reflection. In between the photos, there are notes and observations on the changes that have taken place in the span of time when these photos were taken. Some of the subjects in this book are photographed throughout the years, the evolution of their growth and confidence palpable. The book captures the restlessness, excitement, chaos, conflict, and apprehension that go into bringing a fashion show to life.

For Jolaoso, working on Eclectic reshaped his idea of what storytelling can look like and whose story can be considered worthy of documenting.

“It started out with the love of good image making and being in an environment that made me feel good, and as I went into this, it really helped me grow in terms of perspective, and I let the story define itself.”

As the Nigerian fashion industry expands its reach, gaining international momentum and solidifying its legacy with platforms like Lagos Fashion Week turning 15 this year, Eclectic presents a necessary reminder of how far the industry has come, but it does that while centering the humaneness and honesty of imperfection that fashion often seeks to tuck away.

Jolaoso’s goal for Eclectic is simple: “I'm just hoping it sparks more conversation around documentation, sparks more conversation around, you know, economic growth, humanizing people that work in these spaces.”

Below, the photographer shared some exclusive images from Eclectic with OkayAfrica.