Kicking off the fashion season with its fourth edition showcase, Lagos Fashion Week will present Woven Threads IV: Standing The Test Of Time from 21st – 23rd April 2023.

Fashion has always been an industry in motion, continuously evolving, adapting, and pushing boundaries. At the core of this evolution is the theme “Standing the Test of Time,” which highlights fashion’s longevity, resilience, and its unique ability to adapt to changing times while preserving its core values and principles. From traditional African craftsmanship to contemporary fashion design, fashion has proven its ability to evolve while retaining its essence and cultural significance.

Adopting a hybrid showcase of physical and digital expressions, Woven Threads will give prominence to African design principles and its intrinsic circularity, which are best exemplified by designers known for innovating through textiles, exploring various avenues for creativity on the continent and the role of responsible practices play in building their brands.

Woven Threads will exhibit the work of designers trying to close the product life-cycle thus emphasizing traditional design processes, approach to waste, and recycling. Some of the designers participating include Abiola Olusola, KKerele, Nkwo, KikoRomeo, Diakwu Cloth, Kilentar, Kadiju, TJWho, Pepperrow,  Green Access 2022 finalists and more.

With a focus on environmental preservation, community building, cultural sustainability and consumer education, Woven Threads IV is a targeted approach to emphasise the role fashion must play in today’s world.

Producing responsibly is not a choice, but a deliberate and urgent action that we must take. As we face the realities of waste colonialism, climate change, and scarcity of resources, we must not stop considering the environment and the people we source from. It is our duty to drive this conversation, and shape what must be today by casting a lens on maker communities who are deliberately embracing a more circular approach says Omoyemi Akerele, Founder of Lagos Fashion Week.

Woven Threads IV will feature:

  • Workshops – physical and practical workshops hosted by Nigerian-based arts, crafts and design company, MitiMeth; Chibuzor Emodi, creative director ZuriZola; and Diakwu Cloth.

  • Digital Presentations – a digital workshop in partnership with Informa Markets. Using tangible aspects that foster community interaction with the Woven Threads themes, this digital event will harness technology to speak on the current fashion retail market, US distribution overview and the evolution of retail: statistics, news, trends, and changes in the sector post-pandemic.

  • The Woven Threads Interactive Installation – As sustainable practices become increasingly critical to building circular value cycles that prioritize efficient social and economic growth models, Woven Threads IV is set to welcome an interactive installation.

  • Swap Shop – Putting into practice the foundations of a circular economy that prioritises reuse, reduce & recycle, the SwapShop initiative invites consumers to think about the ways they can effect change with their own buying choices by facilitating the exchange of pre-owned items through swapping, sharing, donating and resale.

Woven Threads speaks to the evolution and versatility of fashion in Africa, highlighting the importance of responsible practices in the industry through rich stories by maker communities and creators, that force us to look beyond the collections to the process of making.

Woven Threads IV is an initiative of Style House Files and Lagos Fashion Week.

For more information on Woven Threads x Lagos Fashion Week, visit the Instagram @lagosfashionweekofficial or visit lagosfashionweek.ng