Fashion’s Biggest Names Set to Make a Statement at Lagos Fashion Week 2026

Lagos is about to become a fashion playground again, and if your wardrobe has been asking for inspiration, consider this your official warning! Lagos Fashion Week returns from October 28 to November 1, 2026, at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos, bringing together designers, models, stylists, beauty professionals and fashion lovers for five days of creativity and industry conversations.

Since its launch in 2011, the event has grown into one of Africa’s leading fashion platforms, championing African creativity while connecting designers with buyers, investors, media and international audiences. In short, this is where the clothes do the talking, but the business conversations matter just as much.

Meet the Woman Behind the Fashion Movement

At the heart of Lagos Fashion Week is its founder, Omoyemi Akerele, a Nigerian entrepreneur and creative executive who took an unexpected turn from law to fashion.

After earning a law degree from the University of Lagos and a master’s degree in International Economic Law from the University of Warwick, Akerele built a platform dedicated to giving African fashion greater visibility and commercial relevance.

Before establishing her own platforms, she worked as a fashion designer and stylist and served as Fashion Editor at True Love magazine. Today, her work continues to influence how African designers create, showcase and position their brands globally.

Fashion, Makeup and Hair: Three Reasons to Watch

The expected lineup features established and emerging voices across contemporary African fashion. Some prominent and returning labels associated with Lagos Fashion Week include:

Designers to Look Out For

The expected lineup features established and emerging voices across contemporary African fashion. Some prominent and returning labels associated with Lagos Fashion Week include:

Abiola Olusola is dedicated to showcasing and working with local African craftsmen and women to create and highlight ways in which traditional fabrics and ethos can be part of contemporary living. She is motivated by empowering artisans, producing with sustainability and waste management in mind, carefully crafting each item of clothing from fabric to finished product and pushing the African narrative forward through fashion.
**Brand Launched**: 2017, **Category**: Womenswear

Although Andrea Iyamah is popularly recognized for its eccentric and unique take on swimwear, using vibrant colours and cuts inspired by an array of African cultures, the brand also specializes in ready-to-wear and custom made special event dresses. Strongly influenced by the brand’s African heritage, a blend of retro and various cultures inspired the colours and themes of the first official swimwear collection which launched in 2013.
**Brand Launched**: 2013. **Category**: Womenswear, Swimwear, Accessories

Awa Meite is a sustainable, eco-conscious (indigo, bogolan, bio cotton…) brand that stands for quality and high hand fashion design, dedicated to local transformation and production in Mali because made in Africa for the world. The brand is aware of what fashion represents in globalization, in which diversity is the strength and help break the stereotypes and create more equity. The challenge for Africa, in order to support the local economies, is to transform and consume what is produced locally. Cotton can help reinvent ourselves, heal from the past, history and create wealth for the future. The healing cotton process put people first.
**Brand Launched**: 2010 – **Category**: Womenswear, Accessories

ATAFO creates exquisite bespoke tailored garments as well as unique, elegant wedding gowns and recently uber-fashionable ready-to-wear pieces..The label is known for its clean cuts and impeccable fit whilst paying painstaking attention to the minute details and ensuring that every single element of each piece is created with love and expertise.
**Brand Launched**: 2011 – **Category**: Menswear, Womenswear, Bridal Last Collection: Transcendence

Banke Kuku draws on her cultural heritage to create bespoke patterns and textiles rich with colour and texture. Intricate and luxurious, her signature prints are emblazoned upon silken fabric and include adire-inspired splatter designs, animal print, and leaf motifs. The marriage of cultures comes together to create a sense of a modern Africa, with a design aesthetic that is a striking kaleidoscope of colour and vibrancy. Based in the heart of Lagos Nigeria, the brand stocks a range of luxury loungewear and lifestyle pieces. Each piece tells a unique African story.
**Brand Launched**: 2011- **Category**: Womenswear, Accessories

Cute-Saint takes pride in creating authentic edgy designs crafted with locally produced organic fabrics and batiks made by local artisans who have mastered their craft. Each piece from Cute-Saint is created with the environment in mind, as we believe that we all have a part to play in making the planet a better place to live. As an ethical brand, Cute-Saint takes into cognizance the welfare of artisans and adjudged by the rule of “fair labour”; and also use the “pre-order” model for sales of products to reduce the amount of waste to be made.
**Brand Launched**: 2020 – **Category**: Menswear, Accessories

These are brands associated with the platform, not a confirmed list of designers scheduled to appear in 2026. The final runway lineup should be checked against official announcements.

Sustainability Is Always in Style

Beyond the glamour, sustainability remains central to Lagos Fashion Week’s wider mission. Founder Omoyemi Akerele has highlighted how reusing and repurposing fabrics reflects longstanding African traditions rather than a passing trend.

That philosophy informs Green Access, an initiative that supports emerging designers in exploring sustainable production and turning waste materials into creative possibilities.

Because sometimes, the most exciting thing about an outfit is not just how it looks, but the story behind how it was made.

One Final Tip: Respect Lagos Traffic!

Planning to attend? Give yourself plenty of time to get to the Federal Palace Hotel. Lagos traffic has a talent for turning a short journey into a full-length feature film, and nobody wants to miss their favourite designer’s show because they are still negotiating with the road.

Charge your phone, prepare your camera, bring your fashion curiosity and leave room in your schedule for surprises. Lagos Fashion Week is nearly here, and the city is getting ready to serve looks.

Note: Event dates, venue and programme details should be verified against the official Lagos Fashion Week announcements before publication. The designer names above are not confirmation of participation in the 2026 edition.

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