If You Want To Look Like Royalty, Choose Hertunba
Models adorned in Hertunba
I’ve always been fascinated by the way clothes can change the way you move through the world. Some outfits make you disappear into the background. Others make you feel like you're in control of the room. With certain outfits, attention has no choice but to find you, and that is what happens with Hertunba.
Hertunba is known for its bold reinterpretations of local textiles, but the brand's story begins with its founder, Florentina Agu. Based in Lagos, Florentina’s relationship with fashion started way before Hertunba was established in 2020. As a child, she often altered and reimagined old clothes from her parents’ wardrobe.
When she launched Hertunba during the pandemic, she was driven by the need to make outfits that are playful, sustainable, and still fulfill what people expect from clothes. The answer became a brand that doesn’t try to convince anyone that African fashion has to look a certain way. The focus is on using African textiles to create outfits that stand out on the red carpet and runways.
Hertunba’s pieces tell you that presence matters. It’s not about embellishment or extravagance. It’s about intention, and that intention begins with the hands that make the clothes.
Model in Hertunba’s ‘Ure Woven Skirt’
There’s a moment in every Hertunba piece where you can feel the maker’s touch. Sometimes, it’s at the point where the outfit takes the shape of the wearer; it could be the unexpected but perfect placement of a belt loop, or the way the fabric forms on the body. These are not random choices; they are decisions made by people who understand the body, who think about how posture feels, how shoulders relax or rise when a garment sits the way it should.
And when you wear something like that, something that seems designed not to impress but to embody, you feel different.
It is perhaps no surprise, then, that Hertunba has grown from a personal creative experiment into a brand worn and admired far beyond Nigeria. What began in 2020 with Floretina creating pieces for herself, posting videos online, and documenting her work on social media soon gained unexpected momentum.
Beyond the notable recognition the brand continues to receive, Floretina remains committed to the values that shaped her brand from the beginning. As an environmentalist, she continues to integrate sustainable practices into the brand.
Hertunba’s pieces are not merely fashion pieces; they’re stunning, creative work with artisans, techniques, and history backing it.
Perhaps that’s why I find myself returning to Hertunba again and again, not just to admire the clothes, but to remind myself of something I forget too often: that clothing can be a form of self-acknowledgment. When you dress with intention, you aren’t just choosing fabric, you’re choosing how you want to be addressed by the world.
When I look at Hertunba, I see outfits that don’t come across as you trying to be something different from yourself. I feel like with these pieces, you get to show up as yourself, but the best-dressed version.
If you want to look regal, I’ve learned, you may not need jewels or fanfare. You need to feel like your clothing understands you. You need to wear something that was crafted by hands that cared. You need textiles that carry thought. You need silhouettes that are truly regal. And Hertunba does that. One stitch at a time.