Styles and Glamour roar at Africa Fashion Week Nigeria 2018 (AFWN2018)
The long awaited and talked about Africa Fashion Week Nigeria 2018 (AFWN2018) took place over the weekend at the banquet hall of the Lagoon on Ozumba Mbadiwe Street, Lagos. It is best described as a roaring of African fashion, styles and glamour.
In every bit, the show lived up to expectations and to its billing. Eighteen designers had their designs dazzle the audience by various models on whose bodies the styles stuck as if made and measured from birth.
The designs on the run way included those of Modella Designs (12 designs), Ama Ariol (12 designs Designs), Claire Albert from Zimbabwe (12 designs), Grapes Pattern (6 designs), Erenti menswear (12 designs), Jazz Effect Designs (12 designs), Ara Ewa Couture (8 designs), Arazu (6 designs), Dell Africa Fashion House (12 designs), Sista by Eyoro (12 designs), Vogue Regalia (6 designs), Kunle Afolayan’s Kembele Designs (18 designs).
Other designers include Bushai Weave from Ghana, Maxivive, Moremi Collections, Godwin Green, Kola Kudos, SOA and Elegante by Tiannah Styling. Earlier on Saturday some 30 designers had show cased their designs through the run way.
It cannot be said whose design won the night as each designer had his unique design and unique combination of African materials, styles, colors and trend. This year’s event has as its theme “Africa Heritage Arise” and it did brought out the best in African Fashion designs revealing that the Designers are ready to take the World Stage with their Afrocentric designs. As a further roof of this is the emergence of celebrity designers and celebrity models.
Jazz Effect Designs was just jazzy with what may be called royal wears for queens while Sista by Eyoro was simply out of this world as it took the traditional Urhobo men’s wears and transformed it into some elegant ladies wears complete with hats and walking sticks. On the other hand, Modella Designs were all inspired by Fela Anikulao Kuti while Kunle Afolayan’s Kembele Designs took inspiration from traditional Yoruba wears and fashioned it into unique wears for all ages.
The night took a different turn and became livelier when the BBA Winner and Jara Presenter, Uti Nwachukwu and former Mr. Nigeria, Bryan Okwara donned the styles of Erenti on the run way and when movie maker, Kunle Afolayan’s Kembele Design took the run way. Kunle’s Kembele design had 18 designs on the run way and featured both adults and kids. One of the kids left no one in doubt that he is taking the runway by storm as he boldly and audaciously showed off his wears in imposing manner.
As part of the gala night activities was a presentation of the Ogaja fashion institute by the House of Oduduwa Foundation. The Ogaja Fashion Institute focuses on imparting fashion making skills to youths towards community development. The trainees are sponsored by the Ooni of Ife, H.I.M., Oba Adeyeye Enita Ogunwusi. The trainees are being trained in such fashion areas as merchandising, textile design, pattern making, designing, etc.
The night further featured presentation of awards to imminent personalities for their various contributions to the fashion industry. They include Princess Abba Folawiyo, Senator Florence Ita Giwa, Ovation Publisher, Chief Dele Momodu and the wife of Ekiti State Governor Elect, Erele Bisi Fayemi, among others.
