ARISE Fashion Week is set to return with a 3-day celebration of ARISE’s impact on the fashion industry in Africa and across the globe from 2nd – 4th February 2023.
Titled ‘ARISE Fashion Week & Jazz Festival’, this 20th edition will take place in the extraordinary city of Lagos, Nigeria, showcasing exceptional designers from Africa and the diaspora, against a backdrop of curated selections of jazz-themed performances from world-renowned musical talents. Meet the designers and check out some of their amazing products below:
AJABENG
Founded by Travis Obeng-Casper, Ajabeng is a Ghanaian unisex label birthed at the intersection of minimalism and contemporary African art and culture. Its pieces encompass the elements of both the purity of minimalism and the vibrancy of African culture.
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AMEER BY AMEER
Founded by Ameer Bunu, Ameer by Ameer is a Nigerian fashion brand by Ameer Bunu. The brand aims to highlight the elements that directly reflect traditional West African attire, perfected for the stylish, everyday man.
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AWA MEITÉ
Founded by Awa Meité, a Malian designer who creates ready-to-wear pieces in an array of striking silhouettes and hand-woven fabrics that pay homage to her country’s rich history of craftsmanship and design, while spotlighting local artisans and promoting sustainable design practices.
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BIANCA SAUNDERS
Founded by Bianca Saunders, The Bianca Saunders brand takes inspiration from her British and Jamaican heritage, approaching design with a multi-disciplinary attitude that brings cross-cultural references into a modern and reinvigorated evolution of menswear.
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BLOKE
Founded by Nigerian Faith Oluwajimi, BLOKE is a genderless artisanal label that introduces a distinct sense of luxury through a quirky and artsy design aesthetic, encased in an undertone of spiritual consciousness.
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ÉKI KÉRÉ
Founded by Nigerian Eki Kere, the Éki Kéré brand derives its core values from decreasing its fashion footprint and fashion wastage. The brand celebrates African heritage and craftsmanship, blending handmade looks and designs to create contemporary pieces.
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FRUCHÉ
Founded by Frank Aghuno, Fruché is a mix of traditional Nigerian culture, heritage, artisanal techniques, and contemporary design. The brand embodies a unique sensibility that seamlessly combines an outspoken narrative and a bold sensuality that is luxuriously modern.
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HUDAYYA
Founded by Hudayya Fadoul Abacha, Hudayya is a bespoke ready-to-wear fashion brand that provides high-end class tailoring and luxury dressing based in Abuja Nigeria.
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I.N OFFICIAL
Founded by Ifeanyi Nwune, one of the faces of the new wave fashion scene in Lagos, Nigeria, this eponymous fashion label draws from a myriad of experiences to create timeless pieces with a global appeal, featuring sophisticated but minimal takes on high fashion.
ITUEN BASI
Founded by Ituen Bassey, a Nigerian fashion and costume designer, famed for her unique use of Ankara to produce exceptional, wearable art pieces, which have been described as ‘contemporary expressions of enduring sophistication’.
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JOY MERIBE
Founded in 2017 by Joy Ijeoma Meribe, the Joy Meribe brand is a product of the background and experiences of its founder and her appetite for eclectic and sophisticated taste. Born in Nigeria, Joy has been living in Italy since 2003.
KADIJU
Founded by Oyindamola Aleshinloye, Kadiju is a womenswear brand led by the desire to redefine sartorial beauty through maximalist creations and conscious production from Lagos, Nigeria.
LANRE DA SILVA AJAYI (LDA)
Founded by Nigerian Lanre Da Silva Ajayi, LDA is an African eponymous label and pioneering feminine luxury brand, launched in 2005. Da Silva’s pieces over the years have been described as groundbreaking in their use of traditional African prints and striking colours and patterns.
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MARIYA SANUSI
Founded by Mariya Sanusi Abubakar and born during the COVID-19 pandemic, eponymous brand – Mariya Sanusi – designs with the intention of creating a new lifestyle that promotes self-love and values the essence of womanhood, influenced by high fashion, modesty, African nature and the culture and history of Northern Nigeria.
NiNiE
Founded by Benzito Benson, NiNiE is a contemporary Nigerian menswear brand that infuses both African and western cultural influences into its designs. The label combines the aesthetics of both traditional attire and streetwear while focusing on modern designs that continue the legacy of Nigerian fashion and craftsmanship.
NKWO
Founded by Nkwo Onwuka, NKWO is an artisanal fashion brand based in Nigeria and one of the establishments at the forefront of the sustainable fashion movement in Africa. By experimenting and exploring modern innovative techniques, NKWO harnesses the capabilities of technology as a sustainable way of preserving traditional African craft skills.
PEPPER ROW
Founded by Nigerian Omafume Niemogha, Pepper Row merges Africa’s rich heritage with modern influences, constantly celebrating the arts and craftsmanship of Africa with a contemporary touch in all of its collections.
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SELAM FESSAHAYE
Described as Sweden’s ‘fashion miracle’ and founded by Selam Fessahaye, a Swedish-Eritrean designer who aims to produce collections where each piece has its own identity, personality and character.
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SYARI BESPOKE
Founded by Nigerian Sadiq Mele Kyari, bespoke design house , Syari Bespoke, draws its inspiration from abstract and contemporary influences and infuses them with traditional approaches to create a diverse range of unique designs.
T.I NATHAN
Founded by Nigerian Temitayo Nathan, the T.I. Nathan brand is a Lagos-born label with its design aesthetic knitted around contemporary minimalism. With a penchant for philosophy, this menswear label has carved a niche for itself in telling personal yet controversial stories through its collections.
TIFFANY AMBER
Tiffany Amber is a pioneering Nigerian Womenswear Brand founded in 1998 by Folake Coker. The Tiffany Amber brand aesthetic is dedicated to a vision of style that is as sophisticated as it is indulgent, iconic as it is modern and has become a luxury lifestyle brand with global reach.
UNI FORM
Founded by South African Luke Radloff, UNI FORM is a Johannesburg-based fashion brand rooted in ideas of quality and sustainability. The brand combines the contemporary with the familiar, drawing references from its location, Johannesburg, and translating that into ultra contemporary silhouettes.
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VICNATE
Founded by Nigerian Victor Anate, VicNate transcends personal and social engagements and embraces a vision that is simple, deliberate, and packed with youthful bursts.
XULY.Bët
XULY.Bët which means “keep your eyes open” in Wolof, is a Parisian fashion house founded in 1991 by Malian/Senegalese designer Lamine Kouyaté. He is best known for its use of recycled clothing to create high fashion.
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ZIVA LAGOS
Founded in 2016 by Nigerian Tania Omotayo, this ready-to-wear brand produces print-focused, trend-led fashion pieces perfect for the stylish everyday woman.