The ability to blend bespoke design with the current trend is something the fashion world has a lot of; and this has led to scores of creatives embracing this industry making the sector one of the fastest growing in the world..
Many lawyers, doctors, business managers, engineers and architects have veered off their potential career path to embrace the creative fashion world and this has led to many of them founding their own companies.
Many of these firms have become quite popular and some of the founders have become icons in the industry. These include the likes of Deola Sagoe, Folake Coker and Ohimai Atafo.
In fact, these companies have become the reference point not only for the fashion space in the country but even in Africa. The stories of how they started, their accolades and achievements will certainly inspire anyone that is looking to start his/her own business.
This explains why we’ve decided to compile a full list of the fashion companies in the country to inform and inspire fashion enthusiasts as well as those looking to use their service.
In this post, you will find our comprehensive list of these fashion companies in Nigeria.
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House of Deola
House of Deola is a popular fashion brand owned by Deola Sagoe. Sagoe is one of the pioneers of contemporary Nigerian fashion. She used to work with her mother’s label, Odua Creations for ten years where she made a name for herself.
Her brand launched in 2008 and has grown to become a prominent name in Nigeria. Deola Sagoe is known for her glamorous couture pieces. The brand also produces menswear, jeans and polo.
Deola’s designs involve using hand-woven materials to bring to life the distinct African culture. Interestingly, these styles have a global and Deola became the first black woman to present a collection at AltaRoma, Rome’s celebrated fashion week back in 2004.
Also, Deola’s designs have been worn by the likes of Lydia Hearst, top model Alek Wek, and famous personalities such as Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith.
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Tiffany Amber
The brand is the brainchild of Folake Coker. When it comes to using the finest fabric to create glamorous pieces, Tiffany Amber is the way to go.
Tiffany Amber is quite popular among the crème de la crème of Nigeria. Also, the brand has enjoyed international success over the years.
The first ever Tiffany Amber collection was shown in 1998 and the brand still remain quite prominent in the fashion industry in the country.
Two years ealier, Folake Coker had made her entry into the fashion world in 1996. She had just returned to Nigeria to commence Law School.
In 2008, Tiffany Amber showcased at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York for the first time. The collection enjoyed such rave reviews and this led to her designs being showcased a second time. This made her the first African based designer to showcase for two consecutive shows at the New York Fashion Week.
In 2009, Tiffany Amber created two more lines which were the Tiffany Amber Nigeria: TAN by Tiffany Amber (a Diffusion line) and Folake Folarin (a Couture line).
In 2013, Folake became the first African Fashion Designer to make the Forbes Women Power List. Also in 2013, the designer was awarded the Enterprise Award by the Women Inspiration and Enterprise (WIE).
In 2014, Folake launched her home line, Tiffany Amber Living, fortifying Tiffany Amber as a complete lifestyle brand. The home line captures the rich African culture embodied by the brand, and the high sophistication of fine living.
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Ade Bakare
Ade Bakare is a brand known for its classic look with a modern twist. The brand was founded by Ade Bakare in 1991.
The founder began by selling his collection twice a year (Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter). His clients were boutiques situated in various parts of England, Scotland and the Channel Islands such as Chic of Hampstead, Adele Davis of Bond Street and Lucienne Phillips of Knightsbridge and Amersham.
He made great waves with his bridal collection and was selected by Bride magazine as one of London’s most influential designers. Due to his enormous popularity, he has showcased his collections in Morocco, Capetown, Mozambique, London, New York and Paris where he was given an award.
Ade became involved in another aspect of the fashion Industry when he created the perfume, Breeze, in 1998. This scent was inspired by his childhood days spent along the breezy West African coast of Lagos, Nigeria. He followed up the perfume with the introduction of Bakare Breeze, a moderately-priced diffusion line which offers a collection of bridal dresses to cater for the design-conscious bride, award-winning signature jersey dresses teamed with ethnic textile adire as well as a series of kaftans, boubous and bubas and iros in silk and chiffon.
Although the founder resides in London, he has continued to play an important role in Nigeria by promoting his fashion label in the country.
Apart from his brand, Ade Bakare also dedicates time and efforts into harnessing budding fashion brands in the country. One example is the Young Designers Creative Competition.
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Jewel by Lisa
Founded by Lisa Folawiyo, Jewel by Lisa is at the centre of Ankara trend with the founder been able to re-invent the Ankara fabric and made it into a modern African print.
Popularly called JBL, the brand is one of the popular Nigerian fashion designers and it is well known for its signature aesthetics which have been used to transform the African prints into luxurious pieces.
Lisa Folawiyo is a multi-faceted global womenswear and accessories collection.
Designer, Lisa Folawiyo perfected the art of wearing Ankara (local West African cloth) through the use of ornate embellishment. By incorporating texture with this culturally established traditional textile, Lisa Folawiyo transformed the textile and created a globally coveted print. This conceptual and global design hybrid has been the key to Lisa Folawiyo ʼs success.
Fused with its very own African-inspired custom luxury prints, the Lisa Folawiyo collection skillfully delivers contemporary garments. With a strong eye for tailoring and fit, Folawiyo creates feminine and modern silhouettes with nods to traditional African aesthetics.
Each Lisa Folawiyo garment boasts a handcrafted and unique history from inception to construction. Folawiyoʼs expert artisans hand embellish each Lisa Folawiyo piece, on average a 240—hour process that reflects the brandʼs focus on design integrity.
Lisa Folawiyo has shown its collections on international platforms – in Lagos and Johannesburg to London, Paris, Milan and New York; from Lagos Fashion & Design Week to New York Fashion Week to the Pitti W Tradeshow and the Vogue Talent Exhibition in collaboration with Vogue Italia.
Lisa Folawiyo has been featured in several publications such as Vogue, Style.com, The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, Women’s Wear Daily, Drapers, BBC.co.uk, Dazeddigital.com, ModaOperandi.com, The Financial Times Online (How to spend It), Essence, and Marie Claire.
The brand has also been well received and worn by the likes of actresses, Lupita Nyong’o, Lucy Liu, Thandie Newton; and Singer, Solange Knowles.
Lisa Folawiyo has been stocked at Moda Operandi, Mytheresa.com, and Selfridges.
Lisa Folawiyo has collaborated with global brands such as Blackberry and L’Oreal, to create limited edition Blackberry Phone cases and Lipstick & Nailpolish covers, respectively.
The Lisa Folawiyo line is housed under the Jewel by Lisa Group, with other brands namely Jewel by Lisa (The Ankara collection), The J label (The Diffusion collection), and Pretty Precious (The Kids collection).
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Virgos Lounge
Founded in 2008 by the trio of Fioye Akinsola, Oyeyemi Wemi-Akinsola and Nike Ajanaku, Virgos Lounge is a vintage fashion brand that always makes its customers stand out whenever they put on their fashion attire.
The brand is particularly targeted at fashion lovers and trendy folks and you’ll find a lot of exceptional pieces with unique embellisment that give your fabric a distinction from every other.
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Obsidian
Launched in 2009 by Isoken Ogiemwonyi, Obsidan is a popular fashion brand and the co-founder of the multi brand store, L’Espace and Le Petit Marche.
The Obsidian fashion label appeals particularly to women that love to express themselves without restrictions.
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Frank Oshodi
Founded by Frank Oshodi, this brand is one of the oldest fashion brands which have been in the industry since 1989.
Frank Oshodi specializes in bridal and bridesmaids garments. It would be recalled that it was Frank Oshodi that designed the deep v neck green dress Agbani Darego wore when she was crowned Miss World in 2001.
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Duro Olowu
Duro Olowu is an international fashion brand with footprints in both Africa and Europe. He shot into limelight in London in 2004. His fashion company has created designs for the likes of prominent clients like Michele Obama, Linda Evangelista and Uma Thurman.
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Mai Atafo
Founded by Ohimai Atafor, the Mai Atafo brand is known for designing menswear and bridal gowns. The brand is said to have transformed the Nigerian men look in suit.
The range of designs provided by Mai Atafo includes tuxedos, T-shirts and even women’s wear. Atafo worked with the marketing department of the British American Tobacco Nigeria for a few years before leaving to join Guinness Nigeria.
He resigned from Guinness in 2010 to launch his fashion company, Mai Atafo Inspired. He becam popular after design for Nigerian celebrities like Omowunmi Akinnifesi, Banky W, IK Osakioduwa and a host of others.
Apart from his parent brand, Mai Atafo Inspired, the label also has some other brands such as the Weddings By Mai which is quite popular.
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Clan
Clan was established by Tiwa Sagoe, Teni Sagoe and Aba Sagoe, the daughters of fashion icon, Deola Sagoe.
Their designs are known exude a vibrant feel that gives it a youthful and trendy look.
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Davida
Founded by Davida Okpara, a veteran fashion designer, Davida is known for its unique little black dresses (LBD).
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House of Farrah
House of Farrah is a luxury brand that is quite popular on the Nigerian fashion scene. The brand was established in 2004. It was initially called ABFAB after which it was renamed Zain before finally settling for the current name, House of Farah.
House of Farah is owned by Fatima Aliyu Garba and it was officially established on the 14th of November 2010.
The fashion label showcase its range of exclusive wears at the Leila Fowler boutique in Victoria Island, Lagos. The product lines include dresses, kaftans, jackets, bridal wear, menswear, footwear and Swasvoski-encrusted evening bags.
The brand also offers personal shopping services for customers.
House of Farah was set up with the vision of producing confident, elegant and superbly dressed men and women.
All House of Farrah garments are handcrafted using the finest fabrics and materials which have been sourced from all over the world. These include materials like luxury silks, linen, brocade and Swarovski crystals which are used extensively to create the most exquisite ready-to-wear and bespoke pieces.
Although, House of Farrah is based in Abuja, the launch was done in Lagos and it was the first time ever that the designer would show her collections in Lagos. This was quite strategic as Lagos is seen as the de-facto “fashion capital of Nigeria.
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House of Dorcas
Owned by Lolade Majekodunmi, House of Dorcas (HOD) is a brand for women of style.
If you’re looking for exquisite designs as a lady, then visiting any of the HOD stores should be top on your mind.
It is always a feminine affair when it comes to pieces from HOD. The brand is definitely for women of style who know how they want to be perceived by society. Spotted many times on the red carpet, HOD stores are go to places for red carpet events.
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Zizi Cardow
Zizi Cardow is a forerunner in the African Fashion space. Zizi launched her company, Zizi Industrial Fashion Company in 2000 and it has grown in leaps and bounds since then.
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Lanre Da Silva Ajayi
Popularly called LDA, the company was launched in 2005 when Lanre Da Silva released iconic 1940 designs but it has since evolved into a label with a unique modern edge.