Nigeria is a country with a diverse cultural heritage which acts as a springboard for its very unique and distinct fashion inspirations. Fashion is a projection of our life, our culture, our heritage and essentially everything that makes us who we are as Nigerians.
The perfect blend of color, patterns, style, and shape in the Nigerian fashion world coupled with its ever-evolving nature is what has propelled it to the spotlight but sadly, the required framework and structure needed to enable the fashion industry to sustain itself has not been present.
This had really hampered the industry from being hugely commercially viable until an initiative sponsored by Heineken, came into play. The international beer brand had always shown a keen interest in developing the Nigerian fashion industry as the brand celebrates and encourages the innovative diversities the fashion industry offers.
The Senior Brand Manager Heineken, Obabiyi Fagade while commenting on Heineken’s interest in developing the Nigerian Fashion industry, said:
“Heineken is the most international premium beer in the world, with its presence in 192 countries around the world. This internationality is reflected in all we do, from sponsoring the most prestigious club football competition in the world – The UEFA Champions League, to Formula 1, music, rugby and of course here in Nigeria, fashion.
“For 3 years now, Heineken has thrown its weight behind the Lagos Fashion Week as title sponsor. This is because as a brand, Heineken is keenly interested in the development of the Nigerian Fashion Industry – first because the brand embraces and celebrates the world’s diversity and second because the fashion industry is a typical example of an industry that constantly innovates in order to rise to the changing consumer demands.”
The Initiative identified the need of a network structure and platform that would support the many ingenious designers in the industry. The platform would essentially give the Nigerian and ultimately, the African fashion industry a huge boost by connecting all the important stakeholders including the media, consumers and buyers.
The platform created was tagged the Heineken Lagos Fashion Week, a four-day fashion event meant to present the fashion industry as a commercially viable sector as well as showcase the diverse and artistic works and creativity of Nigerian designers.
The 4th edition of the fashion week was just concluded on the 27th of October and it differed from other fashion shows in that it presented opportunities for the upcoming designers to learn more and hone their skills through various business development workshops, creative workshops and mentorship sessions.
The experience at the Heineken Fashion week is not limited to fashion alone as the event also showcase top entertainers in the Nigerian music sphere and the exclusive signature Heineken Live your Music party in which music fans get to request the songs they want to be played at the event.
The Live your Music party also delivered a futuristic Africa theme that creates an exciting prospect of the future of the African Fashion world. Top music stars were not left out the event as Heineken brought three A-list DJs, DJ Jimmy Jatt, DJ Sose and DJ Neptune to thrill fans all through the party.
The showmaster of the night, Denrele Edun unveiled the Acolytes who dazzled the guests with their magical performance.
Not leaving out Kiss Daniel also, the talented singer has had an amazing year releasing various hit song including “YEBA”, “FOR YOU” (featuring Wizkid) and most recently, “LOYAL”, (a collaboration with Major Lazer)
Without a doubt, the perfect of people, fashion, music, culture and lifestyle experienced at Heineken Lagos Fashion Week has truly helped in providing a means of exposure for all stakeholders to move beyond their current reach and open gateways for more business opportunities.
