Connectnigeria Articles

Lagos will be home to Africa’s prime creative geniuses and fashionistas, at the 2018 edition of the Lagos Fashion Week (LFW). The four (4) day event designed to expose attendees to the trends in Africa’s booming fashion industry is scheduled to hold in the fashion capital of Lagos from Wednesday 24^th to Saturday 27^th October 2018. Themed ‘Africa: Shaping Fashion’s Future’, this year’s event will feature a thrilling lineup of activities including runway shows, Fashion Business Series, and Fashion Focus Talks.

Omoyemi Akerele- Founder, Lagos Fashion Week

Speaking at the Press Cocktail held at South Eatery and Social House Victoria Island (Lagos) on the 11th of October 2018, the premier sponsor of the event, Heineken, expressed commitment to inspiring the growth of young entrepreneurs in the fashion industry through the LFW platform. Londe Thompson –Programme Director of the emerging talent development arm of LFW, Fashion Focus Africa – gave a brief progress report on the initiatives embarked on by the department in the year 2018.

Londe Thompson (Programme Director, Fashion Focus Africa) speaking at the Press Coctail.

The Fashion Focus Talks (FFT) of 2018 were held in Lagos and Abuja, and for the first time since the inception of the project, three other African cities – Nairobi, Kenya and Ghana (Accra). In an exclusive interview with Connect Nigeria, Okoro Emmanuel― Creative Director of Emmy Kasbits and Winner of Fashion Focus Fund 2017/2018 ― emphatically thanked organizers of the LFW for the initiative that has put his brand in competition with top brands in the fashion market.

Emmanuel Okoro, Creative Director of Emmy Kasbits and Winner, Fashion Focus Fund (2017/2018)

“This year, I feel like there is a lot of pressure on me to meet up with the expectations as Last Year’s Winner of Fashion Focus Fund, and I’m going to try my best not to disappoint. And at this point, all I can say is that I am ready.” – Emmanuel Okoro

Speaking on the importance of the Fashion industry to Nigeria’s growing economy, Emmanuel enthused that fashion in Nigeria has reached a stage where even foreigners have begun making Nigeria-inspired designs. However, it would be much better if we delegate resources to tell our own story ourselves. Founder of the LFW, Omoyemi Akerele, closed the cocktail with a vote of thanks to especially the official sponsors for their commitment to the success of the LFW, while reiterating the lineup of activities for the event.