afropunk, afrochic: lagos fashion & design week

Afropunk’s second style house might be in Lagos, with looks that easily cross continents and streets. Last week, I hit up Lagos Fashion & Design Week (LFDW) to celebrate its 3rd installment with a crop of hot designers in African fashion. Set up in makeshift tents along the beach, Lagos’ freshest designers showed their threads for Spring/Summer 2014— a bright mix of traditional prints, Ankara and dapper menswear. With the lack of diversity throughout the world’s fashion weeks, seeing this dreamy—downright stunning—crew of all-Black models was a rad experience.

By Tanwi Nandini Islam, AFROPUNK Contributor

Check these six designers from LFDW:

1. Orange Culture

This was among the strongest lines to show at LFDW. Besides the fun Dr. Seuss makeup, the structured lines and layers make it wearable for many seasons—whether you’re in the sultry heat of Lagos or spending fall in Brooklyn. The designer is 23-year-old Adebayo Oke-Lawal, who has his tribe of fashion devotees that love his modern take on indigenous textiles. The Orange Culture philosophy is simple: “Orange Culture is more than a line; it’s a movement. A movement for men and women who don’t allow clothes determine who they are.” Follow @TheOrangeNerd

Photo credit: Lagos Fashion and Design Week Photo Credits: Kola Oshalusi (Insigna).

2. Samson Soboye

London-based Samson Soboye reclaims Dutch Ankara wax fabrics we usually think of as “traditionally West African.” (They’re actually designed and manufactured in Holland by a company called VLISCO—literally part of the cultural fabric). Soboye transforms what’s considered an ordinary old fabric in Nigeria and transforming it into something dapper and dressy. He owns a shop in London called Soboye, which carries his line and many African-inspired accessories. Follow @SamsonSoboye

Photo credit: Lagos Fashion and Design Week Photo Credits: Kola Oshalusi (Insigna).

3. Maki Oh

If anyone’s got hype surrounding her as an emerging Nigerian fashion superstar, it’s Maki Oh. Designer Maki Osakwe showed her SS 2014 Collection during NY Fashion Week to stellar reviews, and now she was just bringing it home. Her silken pieces use the age-old indigo dip ‘n dye technique adire, which is a sweet commentary on taking the old and seeing it reborn as something totally new. Her SS 2014 collection starts with a story:  “She was a litany of adire blue and porcelain, a thing of jade and blood, polished in sand and soft sorbet.” We want MORE. Follow @MakiOh.

Photo credit: Lagos Fashion and Design Week Photo Credits: Kola Oshalusi (Insigna).

4. Jewel by Lisa

This queen bee of the African fashion scene calls her look Afro-Modern, and it’s easy to see why—her fantastic SS 2014 bicycle print just speaks to the Brooklyn girl in me. Riding the line between international hipster and luxury fashion, Jewel by Lisa has not only shown at NY Fashion Week, as well as all over the world in London, Milan and Paris. Follow @JewelbyLisa

Photo credit: Lagos Fashion and Design Week Photo Credits: Kola Oshalusi (Insigna).

5. Tumiila

First things first, the designer, Tumisola Ladega, is 15-years-old! With a simple tri-color palette, she masters geometric, architectural silhouettes and makes them sexy, feminine and badass. Her dream is to show her work at New York Fashion Week, and I’m sure that this collection is the first of many stories this young designer has to tell.

Follow@TumisolaLadega

Photo credit: Lagos Fashion and Design Week Photo Credits: Kola Oshalusi (Insigna).

6. Shirts by Tzar

I was lucky enough to meet Tzar at a tea party in this concept store-slash-menswear boutique called Stranger. The first thing that immediately caught my eye was Tzar’s t-shirt, and he let me know that he had a fresh new line of t-shirts and button downs that play on familiar motifs (mallard ducks and flowers) and African geometries. If you want to custom order a shirt, hit up Tzar at shirtsbytzar@gmail.com

Photo Credit: Alistair Englebert Preston

* Tanwi Nandini Islam on Twitter: @tanwinandini