Lagos Fashion Week has made history by winning the 2025 Earthshot Prize, one of the world’s most prestigious environmental awards. The recognition celebrates its groundbreaking efforts to make the fashion industry more sustainable, ethical, and inclusive while spotlighting African creativity on the global stage.
A decade of transformation
Founded in 2011 by Omoyemi Akerele, Lagos Fashion Week has grown into Africa’s biggest and most influential fashion event. What started as a platform to showcase African designers has evolved into a movement reshaping the way fashion is created, consumed, and valued. By championing sustainability, craftsmanship, and community, the event is proving that fashion can be both stylish and responsible.
Tackling fashion’s waste problem
The global fashion industry faces a serious challenge. Consumers now buy about 60 per cent more clothes than they did 20 years ago but keep them for only half as long. Meanwhile, less than one per cent of textiles are recycled into new garments. This culture of overproduction and overconsumption has made fashion one of the world’s most polluting industries.
Lagos Fashion Week offers a bold solution. Each designer who showcases at the event must demonstrate a commitment to sustainability — from responsible sourcing and dyeing of fabrics to ethical production and fair labour practices. These strict standards ensure that every collection shown on the Lagos runway aligns with the values of circularity and environmental care.
Designers leading the change
This year’s edition showcased a new wave of eco-conscious creativity. Eki Kere, known for her innovative use of upcycled denim, presented a vibrant collection that turned discarded jeans into structured jackets and tailored skirts. Cute-Saint, another standout, impressed audiences with sleek gender-neutral silhouettes made entirely from repurposed fabrics sourced from local markets.
Adire Oodua Textile Hub took sustainability a step further by reviving traditional Yoruba dyeing techniques using natural pigments, while Fruché brought cultural storytelling to life with recycled silk and handwoven cotton pieces. Models strutted down the runway in stunning ensembles that proved fashion waste can be reborn into art.
Layered patchwork dresses to reimagined agbadas made from fabric offcuts, all reflected Lagos Fashion Week’s mission to build a sustainable future through creativity.
Global recognition
The Earthshot Prize, founded by Prince William in 2020, recognises innovative solutions that help repair the planet. Lagos Fashion Week’s win places it among global leaders working towards a more sustainable future. It also highlights Africa’s growing influence in global conversations about climate action and creative innovation.
A victory for African fashion
Reacting to the win, founder Omoyemi Akerele said the recognition goes beyond her or the organisation. “The recognition from The Earthshot Prize is not just about me or Lagos Fashion Week, but about the community of designers, artisans, and young people who continue to prove that African fashion has something powerful and lasting to offer the world,” she said.
Redefining the future of fashion
With this global recognition, Lagos Fashion Week is showing that sustainability and creativity are not mutually exclusive. From Lagos to the world, it is redefining what fashion stands for proving that a better future for the planet can be designed, stitched, and worn.
