AFWL2023: African Designers Brought Elegant Drama for the VIP Catwalk Showcase

As the darkness fell over Piccadilly, the 7 pm showcase at Africa Fashion Week unfolded with an electrifying symphony of style and innovation.

The ethereal costumes of Elphis Megaloma transported the audience to a realm where fashion transcended mere attire, becoming a manifestation of artistic expression.

The menswear maestro, David Wej, followed suit, orchestrating a display of sophistication and bold masculinity that left an indelible mark on the evening.

Mary Martin London took centre stage, infusing the runway with a palpable sense of drama through her avant-garde creations that blurred the lines between fashion and art.

Sierra Leone’s standout designer, The PA Musa, brought hand printed textiles in a covetable collection of robes and pant sets for men and luxury comfort for women.

The 7 pm showcase became a testament to the diversity and ingenuity thriving within the African fashion landscape, captivating the audience with each designer’s unique narrative.

Here are the collections of the 7pm show at AFWL2023

ELPIS MEGALIO

Elpis Megalio is the epitome of bespoke and ready-to-wear fashion, curated for the modern woman seeking individuality and expression. Inspired by the fusion of art and wanderlust, the visionary creative director, Olufunke Afolabi, fearlessly explores the vibrant world of colours, pushing design boundaries with unparalleled craftsmanship.

This collection was theatrical.

See Elpis Megalio Collection at AFWL2023

HERTUNBA

Hertunba is aLagos-based sustainable women’s wear brand hand crafting durable garments. All items are locally made and the target is to provide adult education/training for women in our community growing the Hertunba brand. A lot of hard work goes in to ensuring minimal waste, and the little waste that is produces from excess fabric is up-cycled into a beautiful coat of many colours and other designs.

The brand is obviously doing the right thing and their artisans are ahead of the fashion game with the designs they are producing.

See Hertunba Collection at AFWL2023

THE PA MUSA

The Pa Musa is a Sierra Leonean designer and interior decorator who specialises in the gara-tie-die technique and the use of soft textured fabric. A well know figure in the Sierra Leone fashion scene, his eccentric character and over-the-top pieces had made him one of Sierra Leone’s most avant-garde designers.

This collection was beautifully consistent with the Head Designer’s ethos of using the Sierra Leone’s own tie dye methods.

See The Pa Musa Collection at AFWL2023

VICTORIA OWENS APPAREL

Victoria Owens Apparel is a leading women’s apparel brand based in the UK. They are known for our great service and great vibrant styles.

It was lovely to see Victoria Owens back on the AFWL catwalk. The last time we saw the brand was 2014! We saw more of their signature elegant wax print jackets and beautiful dresses and then came this gorgeous dress showed above! Made with swathes of chiffon, it looked structured and unstructured at the same time.Majestic.

See Victoria Owens Apparel Collection at AFWL2023

KINI GRAY

“Kini Gray is an attainable fashion brand that creates comfortable and classic pieces for stylish and sophisticated women.” So says their bio. We think they’re underselling themselves.

The collection was cool, sleek, elegant, quirky, unusual, chic, unconventional, offbeat, whimsical…we could go on about how lovely this collection was. For the lovers of long dresses – this is the brand for you.

We’re excited to see how this designer cements itself as a master of creating cross-over day/night outfits for the very well-dressed woman.

Take a look.

See Kini Gray Collection at AFWL2023

DAVID WEJ

Established in Lagos, Nigeria in 2008 by Adedayo David Eweje, David Wej is an award-winning international premium lifestyle brand renowned for their distinctive traditionally inspired bespoke jacquard suits, classic shirts and accessories.

David brought elegant stripes with matching accessories to his menswear proving the designer has a master eye for sartorial elegance.

See David Wej Collection at AFWL2023

MARY MARTIN LONDON

Mary Martin London is an internationally acclaimed fashion artist known for her bespoke designs, favoured by celebrities on red carpets worldwide. Her vibrant and boundary-breaking creations have sold out catwalk shows in various destinations, including London, Accra, Brazil, Ghana, South Africa, and Scotland.

We’ve come to expect the unexpected from Mary Martin London. She never disappoints to bring her own drama to the catwalk and for that we love her!

See Mary Martin London Collection at AFWL2023

SIMEOGIEME

Simeogieme is a fashionably diverse luxury clothing brand priding itself in exclusivity, originality and quality. Our ethos is simplicity, sensuality and sophistication. The Creative Director, Osime Saibu, is a fashion enthusiast with a passion for designing clothing and accessories. She launched the clothing brand in 2010.

This collection was one of the standout collections of the show. Deceptively simple, but with extraordinary grace, architectural detail, tightly pleated fabrics and original patterns, Simeogieme had her exhibition stand downstairs, she was definitely one to visit to buy straight from the catwalk.

See Simeogieme Collection at AFWL2023

BANTU GOLD

Bantu Gold is a Botswana-based fashion brand that beautifully blends cultural heritage with contemporary style. Committed to local craftsmanship, the brand creates garments that authentically represent our nation’s traditions and modern creativity.

Their journey has included prestigious showcases at events like Mr. Price’s esteemed incubation program—an honour granted by one of Africa’s largest retailers.

The second designer from Botswana on our catwalk showed that the country is up and coming and showing commitment to quality design.

This collection showed a playful design aesthetic in their casual wear. Traditional patterns peeping out here and there bended beautifully with the comfortable designs.

See Bantu Gold Collection at AFWL2023

IFFIZI

IFFIZI is fashion for bold and fabulous people, made in Nigeria. IFFIZI works with African fabrics and tailoring, infused with European style.

IFFIZI is a Belgian-Nigerian power tandem coming together to build a sustainable and innovative brand. Sandra Alonge, IFFIZI’s creative director, started making her own clothes as a young teenager and has worked both in development and fashion communication before falling in love with African fabrics.

The name of the brand mixes Nigerian and European culture, referring to the UFFIZI gallery in Florence, Italy and EFIZI in Yoruba slang, meaning cool, trendy, stylish. The tagline – Na shakara – signifies drop dead gorgeous and is also a reference to one of Fela Kuti’s hits.

The collection brought us elegant tea dresses perfect for that important lunch date. Adire patterns sat comfortably with the western design to make a highly wearable collection and wardrobe staples.

See IFFIZI Collection at AFWL2023

ADIRE OODUA TEXTILE HUB

At its core, the textile hub is a beacon for preserving and promoting the indigenous fabric of South West Nigeria, and its significance goes beyond textile production. Queen Ronke’s initiative empowers women entrepreneurs as the majority of the workforce at the hub. It also doubles as a teaching facility, passing on the invaluable heritage skills of Adire.

This collection, developed through a collaboration with students from Obafemi Awolowo University and The Adire Oodua Textile Training Hub, is a strategic initiative. By crafting contemporary pieces that resonate with their generation, the endeavour ensures the practical sustainability of adire indigenous textiles.

This is achieved by actively engaging and training the next generation of designers, fostering a connection between tradition and modernity while securing the longevity of this cultural heritage.

See Adire Oodua Textile Hub Collection at AFWL2023

JURIO LUTI

JURIO LUTI is a fashion brand that originated from Lagos Nigeria driven by an unending passion to connect aesthetic dots and lines together in order to bring to life fashion art pieces that tell value added stories. The brand strongly believes in motivating the coming generation of fashion designers to hold on to their dreams and be the best they can be by contributing their intellectual properties to move the industry forward via sustainable practices.

The collection showed that this designer revels in designing for the successful couple who, not only wants to look lux, but match at the same time. We saw very beautiful dresses and immaculate men’s suits for the very special occasion. His separates (non-matching outfits) were also sublime.