Lagos Fashion Week is Africa’s biggest fashion multi-day event and it attracts fashion designers, buyers, consumers, stylists, photographers and filmmakers from all over the continent and the world.
It was conceptualised by Omoyemi Akerele under her company, Style House Files which operates as a creative development agency in Nigeria. Last year, Lagos Fashion Week celebrated a decade and in that time, the brand has accomplished a lot. It has propelled Africa’s fashion industry forward and helped talented designers gain international recognition.
The week is not just runways shows. It also involves workshops, exhibitions and retail experiences in the name of empowering and uplifting up-and-coming designers. Ensuring that everything is up to par and that the event runs smoothly is the production team. Andrea Obienu, head of production, has been working for Lagos Fashion Week since its inception and has seen everything under the sun when it comes to putting things together.
Bubblegum Club sits down with Obienu to get a behind–the–scenes look into what it takes to organise the Lagos Fashion Week and what the event means for Africa’s fashion and textile landscape.
Lee Nxumalo: Do you remember your first introduction to fashion?
Andrea Obienu: Not in a formal, crystallised way. My mother is a designer so there was always a new outfit, patterns and fashion magazines in the house. My grandmother used to trade in textiles so there was always some exciting new fabric to see on our weekly visits. For me, fashion just always was.
Lee Nxumalo: What compelled you to join LFW as an intern in 2011?
Andrea Obienu: Quite frankly boredom. I had just graduated from college and had some free time before NYSC [the mandatory one-year service for Nigerian youths]. One of my best friends called me and asked if I wanted to intern at this new fashion show in two days. I was hoping to go to fashion school the following year so naturally, I said yes. The rest, as they say, is history. From the minute I walked into all that backstage chaos, it felt like home.
Lee Nxumalo: It’s been over a decade of LFW. What are the seismic changes you have seen/made in organising the event?
Andrea Obienu: Lagos Fashion Week was always seismic in its DNA – it was a big vision then and it remains a big vision now. Because of this, I think the changes here have been small but focused on precision. You start with this really grand vision, and the work that actually needs to be done year after year is to focus more on precision and getting to the core of that vision. This is something we’ve adapted and championed from an organisational standpoint. Each season, we pick a few things to push the frontier from the business of fashion to nurturing young talent. This allows us to maintain focus throughout the season on what really matters because in the end, our goal is to be transformational and it’s the smaller initiatives that get you there.
Lee Nxumalo: What has remained consistent?
Andrea Obienu: I’m certain everyone on the team will have different answers for this but I think there’s a level of camaraderie that has been consistent from the beginning. There’s something about this particular chaos that bonds you. Maybe it’s because everyone involved is doing this with intrinsic motivation. It’s not about any of the glam but more of a commitment to building something we are all passionate about and invested in seeing succeed.
The chaos is the other thing that has remained constant. A multi-day, multi-brand, soon-to-be multi-location show is beyond chaotic – in the best way for those of us who like stress (laughs). There are no other words that can describe the production side of things at least.
Lee Nxumalo: Why do you think that LFW has become the biggest on the continent?
Andrea Obienu: It’s hard to say but I think there are several key aspects. Omoyemi Akerele is really a visionary, and it’s a vision that makes sense and resonates deeply within the continent. Many of our histories are populated by craftsmen, artists, and storytellers. To envision a vehicle that collates and amplifies that; as I said, resonates well. Another aspect here is the team.
As I mentioned before, everyone involved is here for intrinsic reasons so the level of commitment to the show’s success is almost unparalleled because if Lagos Fashion Week wins, we all win. And then lastly, I think timing has a lot to do with it. Being an early mover, especially when you have scale on your side, gives you an advantage. We started big, so it was difficult to ignore and we’ve stayed big, so we’ve been difficult to ignore.
Lee Nxumalo: You’ve also worked for New York Fashion Week. What would you say are the less obvious differences between working the two?
Andrea Obienu: NYFW is designed differently. There’s one calendar yes, but shows are largely produced on a brand-by-brand basis or in smaller collectives. I find that from a production perspective, there’s a lot more time to delve into the minutiae at NYFW. From the way a show space smells to the type of set, lighting etc. You have the ability to really craft an experience. We’re a multi-brand platform and there’s a level of individuality that needs to be sacrificed in order to keep things running.
At Lagos Fashion Week, there’s also less competition for eyes because we aggregate attention to one place as much as possible. At NYFW, you’re competing with the whole city it seems as if there as so many events happening at the same time. Fashion shows are an incredibly expensive undertaking so those eyes matter to your bottom line. I think this is why the platform has been so successful over the years; it takes on a lot of the lift to get the right eyes on your brand.
Lee Nxumalo: What new challenges are you presented with when organising LFW?
Andrea Obienu: When dealing with so many people, the challenges are people-related. Managing expectations from so many different parties with different yardsticks for success is quite challenging. Dealing with creatives and their labours of love adds another layer to this as emotions tend to run high. You can build as many streamlined processes as possible but as long as you are dealing hundreds of stakeholders (designers, models, sponsors, press, guests, etc.), the challenges always boil down to managing people.
Lee Nxumalo: Is there anything on the goalpost that you think LFW can accomplish?
Andrea Obienu: There are many things we can accomplish and this is a much larger vision than my little corner of production. I can only speak on our production goals and I think a key focus, beyond the usual drive to just do better, is actually centred around training and development. We talk about developing the fashion industry and production is a big part of that. Beyond the event/logistics part, it would be great to see more knowledge shared when it comes to the technical aspects. It would also be great to see more women in production.
Lee Nxumalo: What are your thoughts on Africa’s standing and influence in fashion?
Andrea Obienu: In so many ways, we’re the last frontier and I think we’ve only just scratched the surface of what that means. In my opinion, it’s our turn to shape and influence the next century of global culture. We’re lacking a lot in terms of infrastructure and the right leadership but if you think about the impact we have today, with both of these things woefully lacking, you can only imagine the sheer scale of the impact we can have under the right conditions.
