Editor’s Note: Dylan Jones is editor-in-chief of British GQ and the chairman of London Fashion Week Men’s. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
CNN
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We are always being told that West Africa is a coming thing in fashion. In the same way that people fell over themselves a decade ago trying to tell anyone who would listen that China was going to be the coming place for art.
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'About That Curvy Life' -- an empowerment platform dedicated to curvy women -- took to the runway at this year's Lagos Fashion & Design Week (LFDW) to showcase plus-size fashion.
Pictured: Models backstage at LFDW. Photo: Stefan Heunis/AFP/Getty Images.
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"I've always been plus size and it's always bothered me that there were never images of people who looked like me in the media," founder of empowerment platform 'About That Curvy Life' Latasha Ngwube tells CNN.
Pictured: A man photographs plus-size models at LFDW in October 2016. Photo: Stefan Heunis/AFP/Getty Images
STEFAN HEUNIS/AFP/Getty Images
"Lagos is the fashion capital of the continent, as well as being the country of bigger-boned women and men," explains Ngwube.
Pictured: Plus-size models pose for a picture prior to LFDW. Photo: Stefan Heunis/AFP/Getty Images
STEFAN HEUNIS/AFP/Getty Images
The fashion and lifestyle journalist lobbied her heart out to feature a plus-size collective at Africa's biggest fashion event of the year.
Pictured: Models at LFDW display clothes by designer Osa Aisien from MaBello Clothier, the first solely Nigerian brand catering for women with curves.
Photo: Stefan Heunis/AFP/Getty Images
Ebenezer Dada Photography
All the designers Ngwube chose for her collective were first timers on the runway. "For them to be making their first outings on such a platform was beyond belief," she says.
Pictured: A model wears a creation by designer Makioba Olugbile.
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Ngwube chose a classic black and white theme for her collective in order to present the "timeless colors of fashion".
Pictured: A plus-size model shows off a creation by designer Aisha Abubakr from Aisha Abu-Bakr Luxury Design. Photo: Stefan Heunis/AFP/Getty Images
STEFAN HEUNIS/AFP/Getty Images
"We've already got curvy bodies, there's no need for us to come out there and try to be overtly sexy," says Ngwube.
Pictured: Models get made up backstage at LFDW. Photo: Stefan Heunis/AFP/Getty Images
STEFAN HEUNIS/AFP/Getty Images
"We're trying to start a conversation, we're getting a foot in the door. People have to see plus fashion in a way they never have before."
Pictured: A male model shows off some of the new collection from ÀSSIÀN by fashion designer Matiu Gordun. Photo: Stefan Heunis/AFP/Getty Images
Ebenezer Dada Photography
Ngwube hired a veteran model to train her models four times a week, as some had never modeled before. "The training was so they would be ready to face whatever kind of energy they would be meeting, because we didn't know what to expect."
Pictured: Male models display creations from ÀSSIÀN.
Ebenezer Dada Photography
As the first model took to the runway the crowd brought the house down. Ngwube snuck into the crowd to watch the crowd standing, screaming and clapping. "I was shaking and crying in the crowd, I couldn't contain it."
Pictured: Designer Makioba Olugbile greets a cheering crowd.
Ebenezer Dada Photography
According to Ngwube the plus-size models really owned the runway. "This was a mission of firsts and they walked like their lives depended on it."
Pictured: Models sport creations by designer Tobi Ogundipe of Tosfa.
Latasha Ngwube
Looking back on the event Ngwube (pictured) is confident that they have made a real case for plus size that everyone could relate to. "We had the courage to say: 'I am not what fashion says I should be," she told CNN.
Kola Oshalusi
Now Ngwube is looking at starting a plus-size modeling agency as well as a series of Body Confidence talks.
Pictured: Ngwube takes to the runway after a successful run at LFDW.
Ebenezer Dada Photography
She hopes to return to Lagos Fashion Week next year to get another hit. "I wish I could bottle that feeling and just sip on it every day of my life," she says.
Pictured: Models display creations from Aisha Abu-Bakr Luxury Design.
So, for the last few years we’ve been inundated with opinion pieces saying that in terms of style, Nigeria is about to go global.
Having just returned from the GTBank Fashion Weekend I would say that they might actually be right. Held last weekend on Victoria Island in Lagos, the event was positioned as a way to encourage local businesses, helping them amplify their brands in the process.
Unusually, it was also a B2C event, targeting consumers rather than retailers or wholesalers. I gave one of the masterclasses on Sunday afternoon, and the level of feedback and interaction was more than impressive.
Courtesy Travys Owen
Androgynous brand Orange Culture, Lagos, Nigeria
Often when I speak at similar events – especially business schools – the levels of engagement can be disappointing, but I immediately sensed that the people in the audience had actually come for practical business advice, and all had pertinent questions relating to their industries.
But it was the brands themselves that impressed me most, as well as the fact that a lot of the brands were aiming at the men’s market, with a strong emphasis on tailoring.
As the chairman of London Collections Men (which has now been rebranded Fashion Week Men’s) I have already seen various Nigerian designers who have decided to show at London Fashion Week (the best of which I have to say is Orange Culture), but it was great to see so many young designers with a genuine sense of flair and originality.
Lagos is certainly no backwater in terms of upmarket consumer culture, and you only have to visit Alara, the extraordinary multi-brand store founded by Reni Folawiyo and designed by superstar architect David Adjaye to see that at its best, luxury lifestyle in Lagos is as sophisticated as it is in London, New York or Los Angeles.
Courtesy of British GQ
GQ Editor-in-Chief Dylan Jones
Alara stocks both Western brands and pan-African designs, and is a reflection of the way in which there has recently been a genuine fusion of African and European design sensibilities.
This fusion could be seen at the Fashion Weekend, as you had fashion shows from the likes of British designer Julien Macdonald, as well as from local designers such as David Tlale and Taibo Bacar.
I talked to Julien the day before his show, and he was blown away by the enormity of the project, and by the local team’s attention to detail. “It’s one of the biggest shows I’ve ever done,” he said, before rushing off to another rehearsal.
Courtesy Emmanuel Oyeleke
Menswear from the Julien Macdonald collection.
Obviously Lagos has a long-standing history of fine men’s tailoring, and this was in evidence throughout the weekend, not just on the catwalk and on the rails of the exhibitors, but also on the backs of the sharply dressed men who turned up to take selfies with each other. Most of the men I met were in related industries, and nearly all of them had bought their clothes locally.
So while they may have looked as though they had spent inordinate amounts of time shopping in independent retailers in Williamsburg, Shoreditch, or Berlin, most items appeared to have originated (designed and produced) in Lagos.
The styles themselves were largely a rather smart mix of the traditional and the contemporary, where for instance you would see a sharply cut two-piece suit (one you might see sported by the likes of Tinie Tempah, Kanye West or Justin Tiumberlake), but made from vibrant local fabrics. This was Savile Row tailoring with a twist, bespoke suits seen through the filter of modern Africa. Many of the suits also celebrated the mythic sartorial inventions of the Rat Pack.
I was asked repeatedly how small tailoring businesses in the area could attract more attention, given that hardly any of them have marketing or publicity budgets; and my answers were based around social media.
Given the way in which Instagram has taken over the world, and the way in which it has now got serious traction in the fashion, art and design micro-climates, it would be foolish not to use it as a marketing tool.
Judging by the number of photographs taken over the weekend, and the thousands of pictures posted online, this is an opportunity that is already being exploited.
In the West we still have a rather imperialistic view of the luxury goods industry, looking at every emerging market as a way of refreshing weak domestic sales. However, it is these very same emerging markets where a lot of the creativity and ingenuity is emerging from, and we should be more mindful of this.
Courtesy Deborah Benzaquen
What makes African street style? These designers and stylists are pushing boundaries with their colorful street wear.
Pictured: Casablanca, Morocco - Sofia El Arabi, designer for label Bakchic.
Courtesy Deborah Benzaquen
"The fashion and street style culture in cities like Lagos, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Casablanca are incredible at the moment", says Fashion Cities Africa author Hannah Azieb Pool. 40 designers, trendsetters and stylists in four major African cities were interviewed on their style - numbering over 160 people.
Pictured: Zhor, Chadia and Aida Rais. Caftan designer Zhor Rais' daughters are developing a ready-to-wear line.
Courtesy Debora Benzaquen
Yves Saint Laurent's 12-acre botanical garden remains one of Morocco's most visited sites. Born in Algeria, the designer found inspiration in Marrakesh. Fashion there "is like a sponge" absorbing western, African and Islamic influences.
Pictured: Louis Phillipe de Gagoue is a stylist and fashion blogger originally from the Ivory Coast. He regularly posts images of the country's fashion scene on Instagram.
Courtesy Deborah Benzaquen
Pictured: Safae Bennouna is a fashion designer for He.Do. "I make simple pieces with powerful embroideries from Rabat and Fes" she told Fashion Cities Africa.
Courtesy Deborah Benzaquen
Amine Bendriouich is designer for fashion label Couture & Bullshit better known as 'AB-CB'. "I love the tailoring and playfulness of Amine Bendrouich" says author Hannah Azieb Pool. His unisex collections are iconic to Morocco's younger generation
Courtesy Deborah Benzaquen
Inass Saghdaoui, Fashion Graduate. Saghdaoui is interested in the use of industrial fabrics to make feminine clothing, she says.
Courtesy Lakin Ogunbanwo
Africa's most populous city is known for its flamboyancy. "Wallflowers need not apply", writes Helen Jennings, journalist and former editor of African fashion magazine Arise. Women mix African and European styles by wearing tailored dresses with the gele, a traditional African head wrap.
Pictured: Lagos, Nigeria - Nike Davis Okundaye, Nike Art Centres
Courtesy Lakin Ogubanwo
Amaka Osakwe, designer, Maki Oh. Osakwe's designs have a celebrity following including Michelle Obama, Beyonce, Kerry Washington and Rihanna. "Lagos inspires my work because I live within a culture that I love" she told Fashion Cities Africa.
Courtesy Lakin Ogunbanwo
Eku Edewor is a TV presenter and actress. She hosts Nigeria's 53 Extra, a celebrity entertainment program.
Courtesy Lakin Ogubanwo
Zara Okpara, PR Consultant. Okpara represents Nigerian designers, most notable being Jewel by Lisa whose pieces are stocked internationally.
Courtesy Travys Owen
Androgynous brand Orange Culture. The brand is to take part in London Fashion Week this season.
Courtesy Travys Owen
Androgynous brand Orange Culture. "In a few years [Africa] is going to be a completely different landscape" says Adebayo Oke-lawal, the designer behind Orange Culture. People have the skills and textile factories are popping up he explains.
Courtesy Lakin Ogunbanwo
Reni Folawiyo, owner of Lagos' first luxury concept store Alára. She is also a furniture designer. "We love color, print and beading" she told Fashion Cities Africa.
Courtesy Sarah Marie Waiswa
Mitumba is a Swahili word for secondhand clothing. Secondhand clothes shopping is a key part of Nairobi's fashion scene. Flea markets are popular. "there's a renaissance happening in Nairobi. the creative industry is doing extremely well and that's affective the fashion scene", says stylist Sunny Dolat in Fashion Cities Africa.
Pictured: Jacky James, performing artist
Courtesy Sarah Marie Waiswa
Brother and sister Velma Rossa and Papa Petit are founders of fashion blog site 2ManySiblings. "Our mother instilled the culture of thrifing in us when we were small" they told Fashion Cities Africa.
Courtesy Sarah Marie Waiswa
Kiongera Ndugire is a stylist and freelance model working in Nairobi. He often tweets on the latest fashion shows.
Courtesy Sarah Marie Waiswa
Lyra Aoko, photographer and blogger, wearing Kenyan designer Kepha Maina. Traditional fabrics such as Kanga are often used to produce bespoke pieces in Nairobi.
Courtesy Victor Dlamini
The city's street style has a relationship with its history on race and politics. It's Citizens are "full of attitude, and much dressier than its laid-back cousins Cape Town and Durban" according to Fashion Cities Africa.
Pictured: Lerato Tshabalala Writer and Editor
Courtesy Victor Dlamini
Laduma Ngxokolo, founder of knitwear label MaXhosa by Laduma. The brand is 'a celebration of dark skin tones contrasted with bright hues to elevate the appreciation of color diversity' says its creator.
Courtesy Lauren Mulligan
Clothing brand Loin Cloth & Ashes. Anisa Mpungwe's brand has been involved in fashion weeks in South Africa, Mozambique, Angola, Italy, Sweden and New York.
Courtesy Lauren Mulligan
Anisa Mpungwe's Loin Cloth & Ashes. There is so much awareness of African brands through new online publications and blogs explains Mpungwe.