The 8th edition of Heineken Lagos Fashion Week has come to a close. Serving as a hub to connect fashion stakeholders, the #LagosFW tent played host to over 50 designers, attracting thousands of fashion experts, enthusiasts, media across the continent and beyond.

#HLFWNG featured a series of activities including the Fashion Business Series Dinner, #LagosFWRetail in Partnership with #SheTrades and #FETSWallet, Visual Makers Fellowship with Canon, Green Access Showcase with Fayrouz  and the Heineken Live Your Music After Party.

For the eighth year of #LagosFW, the platform expanded the reach of the Fashion Focus  designer support initiative to other African countries with the 10 Semi-finalists for 2018 / 2019 season selected based on their reflection of its Pan-African focus. This year had over 5 of the Fashion Focus 2017 / 2018 finalists showcase their Spring/Summer ’19 collection including the winner of the first ever Fashion Focus X FETS Wallet Fund, Emmy Kasbit who worked with a mentor – Ijeoma Ogbechie of Avivere all season long on how to financially sustain and position a fashion business.

Designers in partnership with Lagos Fashion Week, commissioned 5 designers from Nigeria, (Tsemaye Binitie, Meena, Clan) Ghana (Christie Brown) and Senegal (Tongoro Studio) to design shirts,  produced by beneficiaries of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council owned Human Capital Development Center (HCDC), an initiative managed by Style House Files as part of its commitment to the development of skills acquisition for the sector. The shirts were sold at #LagosFWRetail.

With  the success of last years experience tent, #HLFWNG featured over 20 brands  at #LagosFWRetail curated in partnership with #SheTrades and #FETSWallet. The Creators Lounge by The Assembly in collaboration with Newton and David as well as the TECNO and Mitsubishi experience booths were a highlight for all guests who attended.

The Heineken VIP tent at #HLFWNG was the perfect spot to unwind before and during shows, It also played host to Kelechi Amadi Obi’s portrait booth, which over the years has become a fashion week favourite.

Day two welcomed the beginning of the runway shows, style enthusiasts paraded the grounds, enjoying the outdoor display by Newton and David which was the backdrop for Vogue Street Style photos.

Betty Irabor’s  “The Dew Collection” collaborated with 12 designers including Toju Foyeh and Mai Atafo to create awareness on mental health was the first to hit the glossy black runway, followed by cutting edge designs from Lagos Space Programme, DNA by Iconic Invanity fun and fearless SS19, Ladunni Lambo’s strong cultural representations, and a flawless close by Kelechi Odu, a menswear favourite.

Day three kicked off with a striking collection by Fashion Focus finalist Demure by Denike, Mitsubishi Eclipse collection with Sisiano, Ugo Monye’s Clan of Men, DZYN and Style Temple followed by larger than life pieces from JZO, Rich Mnisi and the easy breezy pieces by Tongoro, which was love at first sight!

Before the show’s began at the tents on day 4, the Adara foundation in collaboration with TAN by Tiffany Amber launched a collection designed, hand painted and printed by 24 low-income women who as a result of the collaboration are benefiting an improved income and hopefully broader markets for their skills.

The final day of the 2018 #HLFWNG opened with House of Deola’s Lagos Fashion Week debut  which lived up to its expectations. The collection was a reminder of her impeccable attention to detail with every piece infused with unmissable couture techniques, joining the line-up was  Fayrouz Presents: Green Access, an upcycled collection, produced following a training workshop in sustainable fashion, electrifying collections from Adama Paris, Eki Orleans, Elie Kuame, Maxhosa by Laduma hit the runway with Orange Culture, a finalist of Fashion Focus closing the show in grand style with “The Orange Moon“ SS19 collection.