South African designers shine at Lagos Fashion Week
One of Africa’s biggest fashion shows Lagos Fashion Week is underway at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island in Lagos, Nigeria.
Lagos Fashion Week is an event that not only supports Nigerian but African designers by giving them a platform to showcase their creations to a global audience.
The prestigious fashion event, which started on October 23 will end on October 27.
Over 60 designers are expected to showcase their latest designs and South Africa’s finest designers are part of the line-up. We have Ezoketho, Imprint, Maxhosa Africa, Munkus, Rich Mnisi and Wanda Lephoto.
Ezokhetho
Owned by Mpumelelo Dhlamini, Ezokhetho is a contemporary African clothing luxury brand that tells African stories using rich fabrics.
“We continuously aspire to find new ways of giving women clothing that makes a statement without compromising on comfort and quality.
“We aim to make pieces that cater to and enhance every day, be it business or pleasure,” read the brand’s description.
Imprint
Founded by Mzukisi Mbane, Imprint is an Afro-Futuristic Pan-African fashion brand that uses bold prints to tell the stories of African ancestors.
“I see my brand as a storytelling tool. Celebrating the stories and glamour of our African ancestors with a very modern and futuristic feel. So for me, inspiration comes from understanding who I am, where I am and where I want to be,” says Mbane.
Maxhosa Africa
Fresh from the Paris Fashion Week runway, Maxhosa is a luxurious knitwear brand that promotes sustainability. The founder, Laduma Ngxokolo, uses his Xhosa heritage to create unique designs that celebrate African people.
Munkus
No stranger to the Lagos Fashion Week runway, Munkus is owned by Thando Ntuli, a Soweto-born designer who rose to fame after winning the South African Fashion Week New Talent Search in 2022.
That same year, she made her Lagos Fashion Week debut and, this season, we are anticipating yet another mind-blowing collection as the brand is known for creating high-quality garments for sophisticated women.
Rich Mnisi
Also familiar with Lagos Fashion Week, Rich Mnisi is a contemporary, multi-disciplinary brand that makes gender-fluid clothes.
“Each Rich Mnisi offering presents a new dimension of this duality from the designer’s distinct point of view, celebrating culture, heritage, and the common human experience,” the brand’s statement read.
Wanda Lephoto
The namesake brand is known for redefining luxury dress using the plurality of culture, tradition, identity and history through storytelling.
The designer was inspired by her late sister, who passed away in 1995 after being one of the first black models in a TV commercial for a fashion advert.
“We created Wanda Lephoto so we could create a new generation of design thinking, creative approaches and solutions that aim to unite people and cultures using fashion as a tool for change,” explained the designer.
Besides the runway shows, Lagos Fashion Week will also include workshops, where industry experts will be discussing how to accelerate African fashion in the United States and other international fashion capitals.