Top 5 fashion designers in Nigeria

In a former article, we talked about men who are the best in the line of fashion in Nigeria, however, not all of them make the list of the best fashion designers in the country. Below are the individuals who are considered the best in the Nigerian fashion industry and some of them are also considered to be among the best in the world.


Folake Folarin-Coker

Folake Folarin-Coker was born in Lagos State, Nigeria. She got her education in Europe (England, Scotland, and Switzerland) and this was what presented the chance to interact with diverse cultures while she was still young. She has a MastersDegree in Petroleum Law from Switzerland. However, her passion for fashion led her into fashion design and that was when she established Tiffany Amber, which happens to be a well-known label in the world in the year 1998. It was this passion, put together with her interest in different cultures that motivated her to produce exceptional designs that suit women with diverse senses of taste.

Her designs have made her recognized around the world. She was the first African fashion designer to display her designs in the New York Mercedes Fashion Week for two years in a row.

Duro Olowu

Duro Olowu is a man of both Nigerian and Jamaican roots, although he is based in London, England. He is a big name in the Nigerian fashion industry one that is highly respected for his special African designs. He is very talented when it comes to working with patterns and his designs are rich in the Nigerian culture, spirit, and diversity. Olowu’s interest in fashion design started was he was 6 years old and onward from then. His work has gained him renown with personalities such as Solange Knowles, Uma Thurman, and Michelle Obama.

He has won a lot of awards in the world’s fashion industry. In the year 2005, he was the first to be titled New Designer of the Year at the London Fashion Week. He was also named Best International Designer at the African Fashion Awards in 2009.

Deola Sagoe

Deola Sagoe is a popular Nigerian fashion designer and entrepreneur. She established The House of Deola Sagoe. Her designs have gained her recognition globally and celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith noticed her for the way she celebrates African clothing. She has a Masters Degree in Finance and Management and she studied in both the University of Lagos and the University of Miami.

She started her line of business in the year 1989. Two of her distinguishing designs, Attitude and Elegance are inspired by textiles having the old-fashioned Nigerian touch combined with western aesthetics. Sagoe designed the Odua label for her mother who introduced her into fashion. One of her most recent works is the Adire fabric which hand dyed.

Showcasing her couture collection at Cape Town and the New York Fashion Weeks put aside, she won the MNET/Anglo Gold Africans Designs 2000 Award. Three of her daughters named Teni, Tiwa, and Aba Sagoe have followed in their mother’s footsteps and they established the CLAN fashion label.

Lisa Folawiyo

Lisa Folawiyo is another well renowned fashion designer in Nigeria that is well-known for her creativity in combining traditional West African fabrics with modern day fashion design. Her line is called Jewel by Lisa that was launched in the year 2005 and it grew to be a well-recognized fashion line in the world with display stores in New York and in Nigeria.

She makes use of the popular traditional West African fabric known as Ankara to create fascinating clothing. She also owns a clothing line that produces clothing accessories like jewelries and purses. Her diffusion clothing line called Line J Label displays the Nigerian culture through a combination of Afropop with modern designs.

She won the African Fashion Award in 2012 and she was featured in Vogue Italia in that same year. She was named among the 8 emerging talents in the Women’s Wear Daily (WWD) in 2014.

Soares Anthony

Soares Anthony is another one of Nigeria’s creative and talented fashion designer whose designs is focused on men. His clothing line is named after him, Soares Anthony. Anthony’s designs are inspired by local Nigerian fabrics fused together with Japanese tailoring designs. They (designs) are masculine in outlook, modern in a way that’s fashionable, elegant and stylish such that it kind of transforms an ordinary design into a more complex one. His passion for fashion started at a time when he was only a child and because of his talent he gained recognition and became successful in the fashion industry at a very young age.

His designs are sold both in Nigeria and around the world in places like the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and France. He also runs a programme where he mentors young individuals who have an interest in fashion design so as to help them develop their talents and skills and make it in the industry.



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