Words by Francis Davis

Edited by Rachel Hambly and Bailey Tolentino

For most of this past century, models, designers, and organizers have flitted exclusively between the well-established fashion hotspots of Paris, Milan, New York, and London, with few looking beyond those boundaries. But just because the West isn’t looking for new perspectives and approaches, it doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

Lagos, the capital city of Nigeria, represents the ever-growing design culture in Africa — drawing young designers and creatives from all corners of the continent into a space emphasizing traditional styles, sustainability, and wearable art. LagosFW 2025 brought the creativity of the African diaspora to the runway, highlighting countless women designers and continuing a critical conversation on value and sustainability within the fashion industry. One visit to their website echoes a wider call for the world to pay attention to the development and innovation currently blossoming across Africa.

Nigerian brand I A M I S I G O is a prime example of said Pan-African effort, with a self-declared mission to “preserve history and transmit knowledge through fashion and textiles, utilizing the human body as the ultimate canvas and vehicle of communication.” Their online page is remarkably unique from a marketing perspective. Visitors are welcomed by programmed imagery that juxtaposes the brand's historically critical undertones. On the left is a ladder of hyperlinks to other sections of the site: each tab is represented by a letter from the brand name, reminiscent of antique keyboard keys. The rest of the page is filled with a glitching graphic featuring interrupted images of trees and brush, and a red-and-black checkered coat hanging in the air. The overall product presents as discombobulating, reminiscent of the early days of tech, and ultimately manifests a different voice than Western fashion brands.

Their ‘Info/About’ section explains that their “work reclaims forgotten historical narratives, converting them into garments and fibers that serve as a form of silent protest against post-colonialism.” Through incorporating African histories, highlighting and championing sustainability, I A M I S I G O takes an active stand against passivity.

SS26 Looks (Source: I A M I S I G O Instagram)

I A M I S I G O presented their first LagosFW collection in 2011 and returned annually through 2024. While the brand had been featured at some international fashion events over the past decade, these appearances were few and far between. This year, that changed. When I A M I S I G O presented their SS26 collection at Copenhagen’s Fashion Week, they were met with a flurry of positive feedback and support coming from the likes of ELLE, Vogue Scandinavia, and Vogue Business. This marked a major step forward in their global outreach and industry-wide name recognition.

Founder and Creative Director Bubu Ogisi is driven by her passion to challenge narratives that have dictated how the world has regarded Africa for centuries. Her focus remains tightly bound to memory and feeling, often resulting in pieces that invite audiences to think critically. One piece that struck me particularly was her SS25 gold look, composed of interlocking gold star shapes, hammered flat to create a chain-mail-inspired tunic. Paired with a similarly hanging headpiece that covers the model's face and a bag that resembles discarded trash, Ogisi creates a formidable juxtaposition of materials, shapes, and emotions.

Often, pairing glittering dresses that immaculately capture movement and light with dramatic headpieces is a motif frequently explored in Ogisi’s designs. The erasure of the models’ individuality through shielding their faces with oversized hats and draping veils is a commentary on the state of African individuals in the postcolonial state. It also invites audiences to focus on the pieces themselves rather than the faces of the models, and over time has developed into an easily-recognizable style of Ogisi and her brand.

LagosFW is a hotbed of new designers who are fearlessly pushing creative boundaries and redefining what fashion means within their context and cultural experience. I A M I S I G O embodies innovative design and has built its brand upon a blurring of the line between fashion and advocacy. While their recent features in high-profile magazines and at CPHFW26 have bolstered their reputation, numerous other African designers and brands are also doing fascinating work and yet do not receive equal recognition as American and European brands do. I A M I S I G O’s anthropological approach to fashion has emphasized the importance of heritage-based sincerity, especially in the context of historically-ignored communities. The growing global recognition of this brand —and all that it stands for —represents a promising first step towards a more diverse world of fashion.

LagosFW: Championing Prodigious African Designers