Fashion – Nigerian brands I love.

I am a big supporter of Nigerian and generally African indigenous Fashion brands. As a lover of fashion, I have been blown away by the talent that has been coming out of our continent, most especially, Nigeria.

It is my belief that the fashion industry has a huge potential to diversify the Nigerian economy. Achieving this means not only embracing our designers but also showcasing their work to the world as much as possible.

There are a few pioneers of-course like the renowned Deola Sagoe, Otumemine and a few others who are the doyens of the industry. They paved the way for the younger brands I’ll be profiling – with their impressive haute couture.

I have chosen to focus on the younger brands because they brought the wear Nigerian appeal to the younger Nigerian consumers with their Pret a porter (ready to wear) and streetwear.

Have a look at the work of my favourite Nigerian designers – charity they say begins at home 😊, so I will be starting with Ilàré and Lanre Dasilva Ajayi (LDA).

Please enjoy and leave your comments as usual 😘.

Ilàré

This is very close to home and dear to my heart as the brand is owned by 3 beautiful sisters and one of them is married to my brother.The brand made my list simply because of talent, trust me😊.

Aptly described as a brand for “Girls By Girls, the Ilàré brand is young, fun and contemporary.

Ilàré is a high-end ready-to-wear womenswear brand that focuses on the African woman’s body and creates pieces that are both flattering and celebratory of her frame. The brand has a creative approach of integrating bold designs with solid colours.

LANRE DA SILVA AJAYI

LANRE DASILVA AJAYI (LDA)

This eponymous fashion brand is clearly one of my favourite Nigerian brands. It certainly is a no-brainer that she designed my bridesmaids dresses at my wedding 10 years ago. Yes, she’s being in the game for that long.

LDA was launched in 2005 and the label includes couture and ready-to-wear. She is one of the pioneers of Nigerian ready to wear fashion as a lot of people started taking Nigerian fashion seriously after she and a few others entered the market with their professionally made ready to wear outfits.

Before then, most Nigerians only wore Nigerian made clothes for weddings and other traditional festivities, but their entry into the fashion scene changed the game in Nigerian fashion.

Her collections often incorporate metallic fabrics, lace, and African patterns. She draws a lot of inspiration from 1940s and 1800s fashion.

LDA is one of the most successful Nigerian designers. Her brand has earned international acclaim for re-interpreting and modernising traditional motifs in her designs.

She has presented a collection at the New York Fashion Week, had her clothing line sold at Dolce &Gabbana’s “Concept Spiga 2” store in Milan and has been featured in Italian Vogue and other magazines.

The affable designer’s brand is sought after by the Nigerian celebrities and upper class.

I am bursting with pride and all giddy at the moment. This is because of the amazing fashion from the Nigerian brands I’m going to be profiling on the blog.

I hope you enjoy the ride with me.

Auntylulu.

Credits

@ilare_official

@lanredasilvaajayi

wikipedia