Nigeria news and archive

Nigerian designer embraces 'clashes' and 'chaos' at Lagos Fashion Week

Models strutted down the runway, their beaded and sequined dresses evoking the traditional facial scarring still done in some parts of Nigeria. Others donned outfits paying homage to adire, a traditional Yoruba indigo fabric long prized for its craftsmanship. Kanyinsola Onalaja's show kicked off Lagos Fashion Week in style, in what has been a...

Fashion

Sought by luxury labels, Nigerian leather reclaims home market

Most Nigerian leather, often semi-finished, is exported to Europe and Asia and turned into luxury items bearing international brand labels, with zero trace of its origins. But with her homegrown brand, Isi Omiyi creates high-end pieces to try to reclaim Nigeria's leather identity. In her apartment in the Lagos metropolis, she has created a...

Fashion

Nigerian designer pushes 'Afro-lux' onto the global fashion scene

Its modern architecture complemented by latticework inspired by local Yoruba textiles, Alara, west Africa's first fashion and design "concept store", is an imposing sight in Lagos, Nigeria's bustling economic capital. Founder Reni Folawiyo is now 10 years into forging what she calls "Afro-lux", Alara serving as a homebase for designs that "play...

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Business

Nigerians lead the way in UK fashion visas according to report

New data has shown that Nigerians make up the majority of accepted British visas in relation to fashion when compared to people from any other country. According to the Telegraph’s analysis of official data, there have been 291 Nigerian applications for fashion visas between 2019 and 2014, the highest number among all countries. This was...

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Business

UK government introduces new trade measures for developing countries

The UK government has introduced new measures that intend to simplify imports from developing countries. The changes come under the Developing Countries Trading Scheme and, according to a press release, aim to “lower prices on everyday goods while supporting growth in some of the world’s poorest nations”. The measures particularly address...

Fashion

Condé Nast College students collaborate with Nigerian fashion entrepreneurs

Master’s students at the Condé Nast College in London are joining forces with entrepreneurs from The Assembly Hub in Nigeria for the Unleash Fashion Business Exchange Programme, which is sponsored by the British Council. The Assembly hub is a fashion hub platform that entrepreneurs and young creatives in Nigeria can consult for training,...

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Culture

'A Nasty Boy' tests Nigeria's masculinity

Make no mistake -- Nigeria's "A Nasty Boy" is not a gay online magazine. In a country where homosexual acts can be punished with 14 years in prison, this provocative website featuring photos of men in mini-skirts is simply "pushing the boundaries and exploring masculinity". Richie Akuson, the 23-year-old founder, makes up for what he lacks in...

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Fashion

Curves rule the Lagos catwalk

Karl Lagerfeld once sniffed that "no one wants to see curvy women" on the runway, but a wave of Nigerian designers are proving him wrong. The opening night of Lagos and Fashion Design Week on Wednesday featured five designers showcasing plus-size collections in a defiant celebration of all things curvy. "Everyone is entitled to their own...

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Business

Nigeria: India to set up apparel training centre

India's department of commerce announced in a press release on Friday that it has set up the first of its kind apparel training centre in Kaduna, Nigeria, as part of the Cotton Technical Assistance Programme (Cotton TAP) for Africa. The centre has been set up in partnership with the Nigeriam government under the Second India Africa Forum Summit...

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Business

Nigerian textile and garment industry loses billions due to cheap imports

According to World Bank estimates, Nigeria's textile and garment industry loses billions of US dollars in garments and textiles each year because of cheap imports that are smuggled into the country. Local production has dropped to a mere 40 million US dollars annually. The cheap imports, particularly from China, are smuggled into the country...

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Fashion

Looking Beyond the Obvious in Sub-Saharan Africa - Part I

For many fashion brands, South Africa has been the stepping stone into the sub-Saharan region due to the attractive economic growth and affluent market. But has the time now come to start expanding north? According to Euromonitor International, sales through apparel and footwear specialists in Nigeria and Kenya are expected to grow by 93 percent...

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Fashion

Zashadu luxury handbags making a mark overseas

Mention northern Nigeria and the first thing that may spring to mind is Boko Haram. Zainab Ashadu is hoping to change that -- by selling designer handbags. The Nigerian designer is the brains behind the Zashadu brand, whose modern, colourful creations use the ancient art of tanning and leather-dyeing from the country's north. "I think people...