The Year of the Everyday Woman
Model walking at Lagos Fashion Week 2025 for Studio IMO photographed by Precious Akpevba
At Lagos Fashion Week SS26, the spotlight was on a refreshing muse, “The Everyday Woman”. The designers looked beyond fantasy and grandeur. They channeled comfort, ease, and functionality into pieces that still felt vibrant and expressive. This resulted in collections that spoke to real lives, real movement, and the real women of Africa, who make Africa vibrant.
Elexiay
Elexiay brought craftsmanship to center stage with a collection that blended intricate crochet work and color play in pinks, oranges, blues, and reds. The designs were form-fitting yet soft, vibrant yet grounded. It was a celebration of the handmade. Some pieces adorned with stripes and polka dots reflected the brand’s deep affection for the everyday woman who wears it.
Garbe
Garbe captured that same spirit with ease. The show lulled us into a sense of casualness, then brought a bit of color to spice up the moment. It featured sun-soaked Adire in shades that felt like a Lagos sunset. There were also neutral-toned pieces and structured dresses that exuded confidence without effort. The bags were a quiet highlight, balancing the casual with the elegant. It was a reminder that simplicity can still turn heads. This debut collection, titled Adepeju (Omo Dolapo), was created as a love letter to Lagos, Festac Town, and the late ‘90s and early 2000s. It did so well as a love letter, featuring inclusivity and casualness on the runway.
Hertunba
Model walking at Lagos Fashion Week 2025 for Hertunba photographed by Precious Akpevba
For Hertunba, the focus was on strength and grace. The collection had a regal poise. It featured Aso Oke in rich textures, sculptured silhouettes, and essentially a sense of power that comes from within.
Speaking with Ekinken about her inspiration, designer Florentina Agu shared, “The collection is called Today, inspired by the women of today. Our collection last year was called Women of Before, and it was inspired by the women who came before us. Our grandmothers and mothers. This year, we’re taking inspiration from the women who already exist. It’s not about youth or becoming; it’s just about women today, women who already ‘are’. What they’re wearing, how they’re dominating this world, how we find them so cool. Just doing things, all these feminists, Nigerian women breaking barriers.”
Her words captured the energy of the collection, which was modern, grounded, and deeply connected to the women they were made for.
Hawa Paris
Model walking at Lagos Fashion Week 2025 for Hawa Paris photographed by Precious Akpevba
Hawa Paris offered another perspective on the everyday woman. The collection was sleek and structured, balancing sophistication with simplicity. Every look showed strong silhouettes and seamless color transitions. The aim was a visual harmony that felt both modern and timeless.
Studio IMO
Model walking at Lagos Fashion Week 2025 for Studio IMO photographed by Precious Akpevba
Studio IMO’s collection turned crochet into poetry. If there’s one thing this collection has covered, it's the pretty outfits that glided down the runway. Fluid dresses, coats, and tops were the pieces of the day. It was soft, elegant, and entirely wearable. Essentially, the Studio IMO collection was a testament to how tradition continues to evolve in the hands of modern designers.
Across the board, this year’s Lagos Fashion Week was less about spectacle and more about the soul. Designers celebrated ease and comfort without sacrificing creativity or ambition. In a city that thrives on movement, the collections reflect the everyday women who move, live, work, and dream. This was, without any doubt, the Year of the Everyday Woman.