What Happened in African Fashion This Week
- bolaji akinwande
- Sep 27
- 5 min read
As the tides shift to Milan this week for the Spring/Summer shows, African designers are making their mark, with names such as Boyedoe, Tokyo James, and Victor Hart included on the Milan Fashion Week roster. Meanwhile, as Lagos Fashion Week approaches, womenswear brand Anko has strategically positioned itself within the yet-to-be-announced schedule, confirming a runway show for October 30. In addition, African Fashion Week Nigeria has revealed its venue and announced that the event will take place in Lagos this December.
We also spotlighted African diaspora designers who showcased their work at the recently concluded London Fashion Week.
Clearly Invincible brings you the latest in our weekly African fashion recap. Here's everything that happened this week.
Opportunity.
CANEX LAUNCHES 2025 AFRICAN SPORTSWEAR DESIGN COMPETITION
Canex Launches 2025 African Sportswear Design Competition
The Creative Africa Nexus programme (CANEX) supports the growth of Africa’s Creative and Cultural Industries by addressing challenges in the sector through access to finance, capacity building, trade, investment, export promotion, digital solutions, and policy advocacy. Its mission is to fast-track the scaling of Africa’s creative economy within the global marketplace.
The 2025 African Sportswear Design Competition is open to both emerging and established designers. It aims to spotlight the creativity, innovation, and cultural richness of African design through the development of a football sportswear collection. The winning brand will receive $30,000 and an opportunity for global exposure.
Submissions must reflect African identity and storytelling through patterns, colors, or motifs, while remaining functional and infused with a modern sportswear aesthetic that appeals to a global audience.
The deadline for applications is 28 September 2025.
Showcase.
TOLU COKER, FODAY DUMBUYA, AND PRIYA AHLUWALIA PRESENT SS26 COLLECTION AT LONDON FASHION WEEK
London Fashion Week was in full swing this week, running from the 18th to the 22nd of September. The calendar featured three designers of African origin: 2025 LVMH semi-finalist Tolu Coker; Foday Dumbuya, a British-Sierra Leonean designer and the creative director and founder of Labrum London; and Priya Ahluwalia, a Nigerian-Indian designer and the founder and creative director of the London-based brand Ahluwalia.
Tolu Coker’s latest offering, titled “UNFINISHED BUSINESS,” pays homage to motherhood and explores matriarchal relationships between mothers and their offspring. The collection featured sharp tailoring, candy-striped looks, pleated leather skirts, corseted white dresses, and earthy-toned pieces — all of which played with and celebrated the feminine figure.
Labrum London’s SS26 collection, titled “OSMOSIS,” showcased military tailoring and West African codes. Blazers and suits were decorated with cowries, creating fringes; hats were woven with cowries and adorned with feathers. The colour palette ranged from red to turquoise and lilac. The collection explored cultural osmosis — the profound exchange of cultural elements that occurs when diverse communities interact and inspire each other.
Ahluwalia’s SS26 showcase, titled “AFFINITY,” presented a collection layered with cross-continental heritage. The brand featured denim, fringed outerwear, satin tops, dresses, headwraps, hooded coats, and more standout pieces.
Together, the three designers blended African heritage with modern design.
Showcase.
AFRO FASHION WEEK MILANO HOLDS ITS 15TH EDITION THIS WEEK
Afro Fashion Week Milano is a flagship event of the Afro Fashion Association, founded in 2015. The event showcases leading and emerging collections by African and African-descended designers and fashion entrepreneurs, serving as a gateway for cross-cultural exchange during Milan Fashion Week.
The 15th edition is taking place this week, from 23–29 September, under the theme “Echo of Worlds.” It will feature shows and presentations from 10 designers, including notable African diaspora fashion creatives. Among those on the roster are London-based Nigerian designer Tokyo James; Ethiopian brand Mastewal Alemu; Lagos-originated brand Maxivive; Italian-Ghanaian designer Victor Hart; and Lagos-based label Cute Saint.
Event.
AFRICA FASHION WEEK NIGERIA TO HOLD THIS DECEMBER IN LAGOS
Africa Fashion Week Nigeria is one of the country’s leading fashion events, dedicated to showcasing and celebrating fashion from across the continent. Founded in 2014, it is often referred to as the “sister event” to Africa Fashion Week London. The platform primarily highlights emerging African designers, models, and fashion enthusiasts.
This year’s edition is scheduled to take place from 20–21 December 2025 at the J. Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History. The program will feature exhibitions, a competition for emerging designers, a runway show, and an award presentation.
Showcase.
NIGERIAN WOMENSWEAR BRAND ANKO TO HOLD RUNWAY SHOW THIS OCTOBER
Anko is a Nigeria-based womenswear brand known for its clean lines and refined silhouettes — an approach that makes its pieces feel sophisticated, wearable, and elegant. The brand will host its first runway presentation on 30 October 2025 in Lagos, Nigeria.
Brand.
PITH AFRICA ANNOUNCES POP-UP COLLABORATION WITH BYD NIGERIA
Lagos-based streetwear brand Pith Africa is hosting a one-month long pop-up at BYD Nigeria’s newly launched showroom in Lagos. BYD Nigeria is an automobile company operating in the country. The pop-up will run from 4–31 October and will feature Pith Africa pieces, the screening of the brand’s new film, and the launch of a sustainable capsule collection titled “Second Time Around.”
Collection.
KENYAN JEWELLERY BRAND ADELE DEJAK LAUNCHES “JASIRI” COLLECTION
Adele Dejak is an eponymous, Kenya-based luxury accessories brand founded in 2008. The brand fuses Nigerian heritage with European and Kenyan influences to create bold, standout pieces. On 26 September, Adele Dejak will launch a new collection titled “JASIRI,” which will feature hoop earrings, necklaces, and more.
Showcase.
THREE AFRICAN DESIGNERS BOYEDOE, CONNADE, AND LATE FOR WORK TO SHOWCASE AT CANEX FASHION SHOW DURING PARIS FASHION WEEK
Three African designers have been selected by a jury of experts to present their SS26 collections during an exclusive fashion show at Tranoï Paris, held as part of Paris Fashion Week. The show is spearheaded by the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) and will spotlight the three designers.
Boyedoe is a Ghana-based Afro-luxury brand and 2025 LVMH semi-finalist, recognized for its upcycling and recycling techniques with denim. Since 2024, Boyedoe has become a regular on the Parisian fashion calendar, showcasing collections at the Tranoï Show in both Paris and Tokyo — a B2B event that brings together emerging and established brands during Paris and Japan Fashion Week.
Connade is a South African brand that creates couture and ready-to-wear womenswear luxury pieces. It is described as a “radical minimalist” label, celebrated for its handcrafted, sustainable designs.
Late For Work is a Moroccan unisex brand known for merging structure and fluidity, using bold silhouettes that draw from African heritage and Japanese culture.
Personality.
LAGOS FASHION WEEK ANNOUNCES BUBU OGISI, ABASIEKEME UKANIREH, AND FELA AKINSE AS 2025 GREEN ACCESS FACILITATORS
Ahead of this year’s Lagos Fashion Week, scheduled for 29 October – 2 November, the platform has announced its 2025 Green Access Facilitators. The cohort includes Bubu Ogisi, founder and creative director of the wearable art brand Iamisigo, who will spearhead a course titled “Textile Alchemy: From Waste to New Surface.”
Abasiekeme Ukanireh, founder and creative director of Eki Kere, a modern African fashion and lifestyle brand that blends heritage with contemporary design, will anchor a course titled “Applied Textile Dyeing.”
Fela Akinse, founder of Salubata, an eco-friendly footwear brand with a presence in over 55 countries, will host a course titled “Turning Waste into Wearable Solutions: Scaling Sustainable Product Design in Africa.”
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