In a landmark ceremony that celebrated innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship, the Rhoda Michaels Fashion Institute (RMFI), recently graduated 38 emerging designers at its 2025 graduation fashion show and business launch, EMERGE 2025, held at De Orange Place Event Centre in Lagos.
RMFI continues to stand out as one of Nigeria’s most comprehensive fashion institutions, training students in pattern drafting, tailoring, business, branding, digital tools and AI-assisted fashion creation. The Institute offers a complete approach, ensuring every graduate becomes a fashion entrepreneur, not just a tailor.
At the graduation ceremony, students showcased their designs and individual labels with runway collections, reflecting bold creativity, technical mastery and business readiness to the delight of all attendees present.
The event also highlighted RMFI’s unique Identity and Ambition framework, where students journey through the comfort zone, then the learning zone, the fear zone and finally, the growth zone, leading to personal and creative transformation.
RMFI’s founder, Oluwayemisi Rhoda Agbeyo, explained that the Institute was born out of a need to solve Nigeria’s deep skills gap in fashion.
“There is a shortage of professionals who understand both creativity and the business side of fashion. RMFI was created to produce fashion entrepreneurs who can sketch, draft, sew, manage production, build brands, and scale them sustainably.”
Since its establishment in 2013, RMFI has trained hundreds of designers in women and men’s clothing, bridal, children’s wear, African fashion and the business of fashion, with graduates showcasing at fashion events across Nigeria and Accra.
Stressing the importance of technology in modern fashion design, she said AI in sketching and designing is now global with their graduates ready to compete at international levels using technology to accelerate creativity, production, and brand building.
She further noted that they provide continuous mentorship, opportunities and business support long after students complete their programs. “RMFI is a creative family. When our students graduate, they do not walk alone, we walk the journey of entrepreneurship with them.”
