Recap of the 2017 Lagos Fashion and Design Week

The 2017 Heineken Lagos Fashion and Design Week (LFDW) may have come to an end but it was four days of many beautiful moments filled with highs, lows, clear misses, ‘what is this’ looks as well as looks that took our breath away. Held from the 25th to 28th last month at Eko Atlantic, Victoria Island, glitz, glam and celebrities were the major components of the four-day showcase which saw the very best of African style and fashion, while also educating designers and the viewing public – those in and out of the fashion industry alike – as well as setting grounds for networking and productive socializing.

Themed ‘Africa: Shaping Fashion’s Future’, the 7th edition of the highly anticipated runway show returned with lots of innovative African designs and techniques.

Day 1 and 2 of LFDW kicked off in high gear with about thirty designers showcasing their SS17 collection, encapsulating LFDW’s running theme of showcasing the most innovative designs to come out of the Nigerian fashion industry.

There was no lack of star power as all our favourite celebrities were present from Denrele who was on the runway severally, to Davido who collaborated with Orange Culture for his collection on Day 2, Genevieve Nnaji, Bryan Okwara, Noble Igew, Kelechi Amadi Obi, Mercy Aigbe, Tiwa Savage, who sang on the last day of the event, sending the crowd into a frenzy, newspaper editors, fashion bloggers and a host of others.

Street style was overstated and over the top as usual with attendees letting loose and offering us a myriad of looks from Afrocentric to unusual styles including sneakers, berets and very colourful hair-dos. Fashion Focus talks and Business Series also held in the mornings before the runway shows in the evening and attendees had the opportunity of learning from industry experts as well as network and gain insights into what works and how to make the most of a very lucrative industry.

Day 1 and 2 had About That Curvy Life, Belois Couture, Style Temple, Titi Belo, Wanger Ayu, VLISCO, Tokyo James, T.I Nathan, Sisiano, Rayo, Onalaja, Kinabuti, DZYN, Divine Endowments and Belois Couture take to the runway. Others were Davido X Orange Culture, DNA by Iconic Invanity, House of Kaya, Elie Kuame, P.O.C, Sunny Rose, Moofa and Grey, while some were very impressive; some were quite disappointing to say the least.

Day 3 and 4 had almost 30 designers strut the runway with their latest collection including Fruche, Ladunni Lambo, Kiki Kamanu, Deji Eniola, Amede, Maxivive, Gozel Green, Ejiro Amos Tafiri, I Am Isigo, David Tlale, Odion Mimonet, Imad Eduso, Mo Agusto, Meena, Christie Brown, Tsemaye Binite, Bridget Awosika, Gert Coetzee and Maki Oh. Heineken, the main sponsor also held a Fashion show at the very end with the colour of their brand as the overriding theme.

At the end of that presentation, musician, Tiwa Savage, took to the stage to thrill the audience and draw the curtains close for this year’s edition. Time management and the location were two factors that must be mentioned and hopefully, next year’s edition would deal with these appropriately.