For 15 Creatives, These Lagos Fashion Week Moments Were Instrumental in Their Journeys

Lagos Fashion Week means a lot of things to a lot of people. Community, a fashion playground, space for discovery and to be discovered, a melting pot of the African style and culture, a space for unbridled creativity, and perhaps most importantly, one of Africa’s most important red carpets. For a decade and a half, Lagos Fashion Week, an annual multi-day fashion experience founded by Omoyemi Akerele, has confidently transformed Lagos and, by extension, Nigeria, into a formidable fashion capital. Through a large-scale runway show featuring different designers, off-site shows, masterclasses, workshops, sustainability programs, and talent development initiatives, LFW has situated itself as both a tasteful gathering point and a strong component of the Nigerian fashion ecosystem.

On its runway, many of Africa’s biggest fashion brands and designers have emerged. Orange Culture, IAMISIGO, Fruché, Kenneth Ize, and many others have found and continue to find community and launchpads at LFW. There are also the photographers, stylists, writers, back-stage assistants, models, makeup artists, publicists, creators, and creatives who have intersected with LFW in some form, extending its influence into various aspects of culture.

While reflecting on LFW’s 15th year, OkayAfrica spoke with 15 creatives, including designers, writers, photographers, publicists, and creators, on their most memorable Lagos Fashion Week moments and what LFW has come to mean to them.

Temi Oni (Artist)

Seeing a pregnant model walk down the runway during Orire’s show was a highlight for me because it’s not something I’ve seen at LFW. It’s really refreshing and reflective of how multi-dimensional we are as women. For me, LFW means innovation, inspiration, and an opportunity to constantly remind the world that Africa is the moment.

Mikey Oshai (Photographer)

My Lagos Fashion Week highlight was Orange Culture’s show by Adebayo Oke Lawal. He was the first designer I ever photographed, and to be called every year to shoot is something I don’t take for granted, from shooting the BTS moments to creating the lookbook images. I got to witness the entire process come to life, and seeing the story we built behind the scenes unfold on the runway was surreal. It wasn’t just a show; it felt like watching a vision evolve from concept to movement. That’s what Lagos Fashion Week means to me. Collaboration, creativity, and community.

Adebayo Oke-Lawal (Designer, Orange Culture)

My most memorable Lagos Fashion Week moment has to be my first time showing — when I participated in the Young Designers competition. I’d been rejected by a few fashion weeks before for being “too edgy,” but Lagos Fashion Week gave me my first real chance. They accepted me for who I was, and that moment honestly changed everything for me. And then my off-schedule show yesterday — that was another emotional one. Just feeling that support again, being reminded of how far things have come — it really meant a lot.

Ugonna-Ora Owoh (Writer and Editor, Guzangs)

I would say 2022 because it was my first-ever Lagos Fashion Week and the briefest I ever spent. I remember that it was the 28th of October, and just seeing the beauty of what it meant to work in the fashion industry. I was at a Denola Grey party the following day, and just seeing everyone in their element still lives rent-free in my head. Lagos Fashion Week showed me what could be, what it meant to create and impress people with your creations.

Dolapo Habeeb (Talent Manager, Inline Management)

My most memorable LFW moment always shuffles between Orange Culture and Lisa Folawiyo, but Orange Culture SS24 stands out for me. Beyond handling the casting, it was truly special witnessing the magic that unfolds backstage, the energy and chaos that all come together so beautifully once the show begins.

Lagos Fashion Week, for me, has been an evolution over time, a true celebration of countless creatives, not just the designers, but everyone who contributes to the experience. I especially love seeing the joy on models’ faces as they do what they love, and watching some of my talents shine through, producing and styling the shows. It’s a powerful reminder of community, collaboration, and the beauty of togetherness in our industry.

Ikechukwu Urum (Stylist and Talent Manager, Jabari Models)

My most memorable Lagos Fashion Week moment has to be seeing talents I’ve worked with — both models and designers — own the runway with confidence and grace. Watching their growth and witnessing the magic that happens when creative collaboration comes to life always fills me with pride. There’s something electric about that moment when vision meets execution. 

Lagos Fashion Week, for me, is more than an event; it’s a celebration of progress, creativity, and connection. It represents a space where fashion, culture, and storytelling intersect. It is a place where emerging and established talents alike are given the platform to shine. It’s a reflection of how far the Nigerian fashion industry has come and a glimpse into the incredible future we’re building together.

Demond Vincent (Writer)

Fashion week has very personal importance to me. It was one of the first times I traveled. Then I had gotten a surprising opportunity to cover the show and sit with some of the best, and through doing so, I got to experience a strong concentration of fashion enthusiasts and people I admired in one experience. I left feeling so validated. Since then, I have enjoyed the yearly cultural pilgrimage and the opportunity to celebrate one of my favorite cultural exports that Nigeria has to offer: fashion and its fashion talents. 

I keep going back to Orange Culture’s 2019 show. I remember that show vividly; the pieces, the models, but particularly the ending with Falana performing, which just gave it an oomph. That was when it settled in me that a show and collection can be beautiful and also deeply moving. I am glad I experienced it so early because it became a benchmark for how I think about showcases.

Sade Teyibo (Publicist and Founder, Fola PR)

Experiencing Lagos Fashion Week over the years has been about witnessing the remarkable evolution of African fashion and its expanding global impact. From a communications standpoint, it’s been inspiring to see how storytelling, visibility, and representation have transformed the perception of African design. This year felt particularly special, not only celebrating the platform’s fifteen-year milestone, but also contributing to moments that bridged local creativity with international recognition, like Ciara’s presence in Lagos. As a public relations professional, I take pride in amplifying these narratives and supporting the designers who are shaping the continent’s creative identity. There was a distinct energy throughout the week, a sense that the world is watching, and African designers are more than ready.

Abelia Franklyn (Creative Director, Weiz Dhurm Franklyn)

My most memorable moment was being a young designer finalist at the 2013 LFW stage; the level of hope for the future embedded in my brain cells can't be replaced. I am eternally grateful.

Ekow Barnes (Multidisciplinary Creative)

As a multidisciplinary creative, LFW is my favorite kind of chaos — a space where music, movement, texture, and storytelling all collide. I remember one show where the atmosphere felt electric, like every look carried the pulse of Lagos itself. That’s what Lagos Fashion Week means to me: a celebration of our collective imagination and the power of Nigerian creativity to shift global conversation.

Adebayo Jalaoso (Photographer)

My best memory of Lagos Fashion Week is from 2018, when I worked on a sustainability campaign at Aswani Market with Onyinye Fafiobi. It felt like stepping into a whole new world, one that made me reflect on how our consumption habits shape the fashion industry. That experience gave me a new perspective and taught me so much about the deeper impact of what we create, wear, where it ends up, and who it ends up with.

Lagos Fashion Week means a great deal to me. It’s a platform that has pushed so many creative voices to international stages while growing incredible homegrown talent and the fashion market. They truly walk the talk when it comes to supporting innovation and sustainability. For me, Lagos Fashion Week continues to be a powerful source of inspiration and a driving force in the global conversation about fashion’s future and development in Africa.

Kanyinsola Onalaja (Founder, Onalaja)

My first runway was at Lagos Fashion Week, just after I graduated. I remember standing backstage, holding my breath, wondering if the world would understand what I was trying to say through these pieces. From sketching ideas in my notebook as a student to watching them come alive in Lagos, that moment told me our story resonated far beyond what I could have hoped.

Since then, LFW has become a symbol of everything I believe fashion should be. It is a place where a new generation of African designers takes up space with confidence and creativity. There is a spirit in Lagos that cannot be replicated anywhere else. Lagos Fashion Week is more than a runway to me. It is a cultural movement. It embodies our resilience, our originality, and the belief that our stories deserve to be seen on a global stage.

Abiola Sonaike (Model)

My best Lagos Fashion Week moment was the Maxivive show in 2019, which perfectly captured the fearless creativity that LFW stands for. Lagos Fashion Week, for me, is a celebration of creativity, courage, and the ever-evolving spirit of African style.

Frank Aghuno (Founder, Fruché)

My most memorable Lagos fashion week moments from across the years would be qualifying for the fashion focus program in 2014, showcasing after I won Fayrouz L’original in 2015, and, of course, having Ciara close the show for Fruché in 2025. It’s the highlight of my career so far. I went with a few pieces from previous collections and an Agbada/ kaftan sample I had for a while. When she saw the piece, it was the first thing she picked up and tried on. She absolutely loved it. She also asked if we had a cap or some sort of headgear, and I turned to my assistant and gasped because we had worked with a gele artist to create headgear for the collection. It was a match made in heaven. This was about an hour to my show, and the rest is history. 

I’m forever grateful to Omoyemi Akerele and the incredible platform she has created to nurture creative talent and grow the Nigerian economy. I wish the Lagos Fashion Week team nothing but growth and success for many more years to come.

Tia Adeola (Designer, Tia Adeola)

Being in Lagos and part of this year’s Lagos Fashion Week panel on Africa’s creative frequency was deeply inspiring. Having just celebrated my brand’s ten-year anniversary, it felt meaningful to share space with a platform now marking fifteen years of shaping and amplifying African fashion. 

Lagos has always carried a creative rhythm unlike anywhere else, one rooted in community, authenticity, and an unapologetic sense of self. To be surrounded by designers and visionaries who continue to shape what creativity from this continent looks like reminds me why I do what I do. There’s a powerful energy here, one that continues to inspire and push us all forward.