Arise Fashion Week, one of Africa’s most prominent fashion showcases, organized its 20th edition from the 2nd – the 4th of February this year. Held in Lagos, Nigeria, the curated event was also experienced as a jazz festival. Running for 15 years, Arise Fashion Week has been honored to host some of the most influential designers from the African continent and the global diaspora. This year featured 28 of some of the finest designers and brands, pushing the boundaries of fashion and exploring ethical and sustainable methods to include in their craft.
AJABENG
Country: Ghana
Fashion Designer: Travis Obeng – Casper
Ajabeng is a Ghanaian unisex brand that combines minimalism with the vibrant expressiveness of African culture and tradition. Founder, Travis Obeng – Casper, created Ajabeng in 2018 through inspiration from Accra’s DIY streetwear culture, art deco architecture, as well as traditional female garments. The brand is a strong advocate for sustainable fashion practices as well as ethical employment conditions. This was demonstrated by the brand’s recent collaboration with Ghanaian artist, and social entrepreneur; Joseph Awuah-Darko.
AMEER BY AMEER
Country: Nigeria
Fashion Designer: Ameer Bunu
Ameer by Ameer is a Nigerian fashion brand by Ameer Bunu. The brand aims to highlight the elements that directly reflect traditional West African attire.
AWA MEITÉ
Country: Mali
Fashion Designer: Awa Meité
Awa Meité is a Malian fashion and textile designer who honors the history of design and craftsmanship of her country. She creates ready-to-wear garments using handwoven fabrics. She also supports local artisans and is an advocate for sustainable design practices. Her work aims to provide more equity and diversity in the fashion world, whilst ensuring that benefits and profits return to the artisans and workers back home in Mali.
BIANCA SAUNDERS
Country: British
Fashion Designer: Bianca Saunders
Bianca Saunders is a designer who takes inspiration from her Caribbean roots to create a line of menswear clothing that pushes on the boundaries of gender norms and creates garments that embody movement. and Since the launch of her brand in 2017, she has since been selected to be on the 2019 Dazed 100 list and Forbes’ ‘30 Under 30’ 2020 list.
BLOKE
Country: Nigerian
Fashion Designer: Faith Oluwajimi
A Nigerian genderless artisanal label, BLOKE, explores the capaciousness of masculinity through eccentric aesthetic choices with undertones of spiritual consciousness. Established in 2015 initially as a knitwear-focused brand, it was later expanded to include various fabrics and styles that challenge conventional masculine fashion tropes. With a strong belief in the importance of ethical fashion practices, BLOKE produces locally sourced materials whilst employing local skilled labor.
ÉKI KÉRÉ
Country: Nigerian
Fashion Designer: Eki Kere
This Nigerian fashion brand pays homage to core African traditions and craftsmanship by reimagining them in contemporary designs. As a brand whose core values focus on reducing levels of fashion waste, they aim to make designs that leave minimal carbon footprints in the environment.
FRUCHÉ
Country: Nigerian
Fashion Designer: Frank Aghuno
Fruché combines traditional Nigerian culture and techniques with contemporary design to create luxuriously modern pieces. Designed for the modern woman, Fruché’s work uses fabrics from Nigeria to create pieces that challenge societal norms imposed on Nigerian women when it comes to what they wear.
HUDAYYA
Country: Nigerian
Fashion Designer: Hudayya Fadoul Abacha
A ready-to-wear fashion brand, Hudayya was launched in 2012 aiming to be one of the top 3 fashion labels in Africa. Beginning as a bespoke tailoring service for women, they have since expanded to include a ready-to-wear fashion line, a fashion academy, as well interior decor services.
I.N OFFICIAL
Country: Nigerian
Fashion Designer: Ifeanyi Nwune
I.N. Official was officially established in 2015 after the founder, Ifeanyi Nwune, discovered the scarcity of cutting-edge fashion pieces in the Nigerian market. The brand focuses on creating fashionable domestic clothing that is rooted in contemporary African aesthetics. Since its establishment, I.N. Official has released eight collections with over ninety designs.
ITUEN BASI
Country: Nigerian
Fashion Designer: Ituen Bassey
Ituen Basi is a fashion label that celebrates the timelessness of Nigerian elegance through the incorporation of a fresh twist to the classic Ankara print. As a multi-award-winning brand, their work speaks for itself through innovative design and sustainable practices. Founded in 2008, the brand has established itself as one of the leading voices in the Nigerian fashion industry and beyond.
JOY MERIBE
Country: Nigerian
Fashion Designer: Joy Ijeoma Meribe
Joy Meribe possesses a vibrant, yet sophisticated quality that is a reflection of the experiences and journeys of its founder, Joy Meribe. Founded in 2017 the brand highlights afro culture and patterns by infusing them with western fashion designs and practices. Her collections cater to women from all varieties and styles.
KADIJU
Country: Nigerian
Fashion Designer: Oyindamola Aleshinloye
Nigerian womenswear brand, KADIJU, redefines beauty through maximalist garments and the adaptation of environmentally conscious production methods. In order to reduce waste and promote mindful consumption, the brand creates all its pieces from a variety of stock fabrics and recycled materials.
LANRE DA SILVA AJAYI
Country: Nigerian
Fashion Designer: Lanre Da Silva Ajayi
Pioneering African feminine luxury brand, Lanre Da Silva Ajayi has been in the industry since 2005 creating pieces out of traditional African prints with vibrant colors and striking patterns. A favorite amongst personalities, LDA personifies femininity and sophistication.
LISA FOLAWIYO
Country: Nigerian
Fashion Designer: Lisa Folawiyo
Lisa Folawiyo marries modern tailoring with traditional West African fabrics and beaded/sequined accessories. Her work lives to elevate African prints and give them global recognition. With showrooms in New York and Nigeria, the brand has had its fair share of critical acclaim globally.
MARIYA SANUSI
Country: Nigerian
Fashion Designer: Mariya Sanusi Abubakar
This Nigerian brand was founded during the COVID-19 pandemic with the aim of birthing a new lifestyle centered around self-love and celebrating all facets of womanhood. Socially conscious, a percentage of the brand’s sales are donated to women in Kano, Nigeria who are less privileged.
MOKODU FALL
Country: Senegalese
Fashion Designer: Pape Macodou Fall
Mokodu Fall is a brand created by Senegalese painter and caricaturist; Pape Macodou Fall. Based in Italy He transferred his passion for art into fashion when he began painting on statement clothing pieces such as jackets, jeans, and dresses.
NiNiE
Country: Nigerian
Fashion Designer: Benzito Benson
A contemporary Nigerian menswear brand that embraces traditional garments with modern streetwear through the lens of Nigerian perspectives. With a focus on creating clothes that have no rules and boundaries for everyday people, NiNiE forging its own path in the industry.
NKWO
Country: Nigerian
Fashion Designer: Nkwo Onwuka
An artisanal fashion brand based in Nigeria that has moved to the forefront of the sustainable fashion movement on the continent. Established in 2012 by Nkwo Onwuka, the brand works to preserve traditional creation practices whilst reducing the effects of waste in the fashion industry using technology.
OLOOH
Country: Ivorian
Fashion Designer: Kader Diaby
This francophone brand created unisex clothing with a modernist twist using organic fabrics. With each piece carefully hand-crafted in the Ivory Coast. Olooh’s designs are recognizable through their bold use of color and usage of modernist shapes influenced by the malinké aesthetic from founder Kader Diaby’s hometown in Abdijan.
PEPPER ROW
Country: Nigerian
Fashion Designer: Omafume Niemogha
This sustainable luxury fashion brand uses fashion as a tool for social and environmental change whilst working to preserve African traditional craftsmanship and culture. Based in Lagos, Nigeria Pepper Row creates clothing, footwear, and accessories for the bold, sophisticated yet playful.
SELAM FESSAHAYE
Country: Swedish/Eritrean
Fashion Designer: Selam Fessahaye
Selam Fessahaye is a Swedish-Eritrean designer who creates pieces with a strong stance on individuality and identifiable personality. Her collections have won four awards with critical acclamations from notable personalities across the globe.
SYARI BESPOKE
Country: Nigerian
Fashion Designer: Sadiq Mele Kyari
Nigerian bespoke apparel brand creates fashionable menswear clothing for clients who desire a personalized relationship with their outfits. Designer, Sadiq Mele Kyari, draws great influence from his northern Nigerian roots to create fresh and modern pieces.
T.I NATHAN
Country: Nigerian
Fashion Designer: Temitayo Nathan
This menswear label is notable for the controversial stories they tell with its collections. With a contemporary approach to minimalism, T.I. Nathan has had the opportunity to dress the likes of Wizkid, Patoranking, and Ebuka.
TIFFANY AMBER
Country: Nigerian
Fashion Designer: Folake Akindele Coker
Pioneering Nigerian Womenswear brand, Tiffany Amber was founded in 1998 and revolutionized the Nigerian fashion industry with the introduction of the ready-to-wear market. Now a luxury garment brand, the brand aims for luxury and quality whilst empowering its artisans.
UNI FORM
Country: South African
Fashion Designer: Luke Radloff
UNI FORM is a sustainable brand based in Johannesburg that aims to move past the stale ideas of the African experience and story, create contemporary designs as well as develop a functional design economy. With Johannesburg as the lens through which they view the past, present, and future, UNI FORM has developed a timeless aesthetic with its pieces.
VICNATE
Country: Nigerian
Fashion Designer: Victor Anate
This youthful Nigerian brand was founded by Victor Anate and is a favorite amongst influential women in the fashion industry in Nigeria and the diaspora. His debut success was as a result of his first collection, Exordium.
XULY. Bët
Country: Malian / Senegalese
Fashion Designer: Lamine Kouyaté
XULY.Bët is a Parisian fashion house founded by Malian/Senegalese designer, Lamine Kouyate who is noted for his use of recycled garments to produce high fashion pieces. Using innovative techniques, he reinvents what one would term waste and breathes new life into it. His work incorporates the styles and stories of Paris and New York with that of the urban African.
ZIVA LAGOS
Country: Nigerian
Fashion Designer: Tania Omotayo
This ready-to-wear brand was founded in Lagos,Nigeria in 2016, creating fashion-forward print garments for the everyday woman. Founded as an outlet to provide fast fashion at affordable prices to women across the African continent. They aim to make fashion accessible and boost the confidence of every woman who purchases a piece from their collection.
Written and Compiled by Anabel Rose Kubabom.
