Music matters on the runway. It’s all the crowd would hear while taking in the designs, the rhythm that dictates the mood and mirrors the collection’s emotion. The sounds of fashion shows in Nigeria are typically a vibrant mix of contemporary music, often dominated by Afrobeats influences. Each designer chooses a soundscape that matches their story, fusing modern African beats, cultural rhythms, and experimental textures to create an atmosphere that feels distinctively Lagos.
Since fashion became big business in Nigeria, its sister art form, music, has naturally been seen as a willing enabler, as both an identity system and an amplifier. From soundtracking fashion runways to templating artists’ personas, Nigerian music, especially Afrobeats, has always shared a symbiotic relationship with the world of fashion.
In Lagos, Afrobeats stars have deepened this connection over the years, especially through flagship fashion events like Lagos Fashion Week. Taking off in 2011, the 3-day festival has platformed several Afrobeats stars on its runway, celebrating indigenous designers through honorary performances or runway appearances.
SOUND AND TEXTURE
Every major runway show leans heavily on music to achieve the level of grandeur expected from such events. For instance, Tiwa Savage’s live performance at LFW 2017 brought a rousing end to a standout outing for many designers.
Creative freedom sits at the heart of all design decisions in fashion exhibitions or festivals. Certain designers and show producers use Afro-house music as a sonic language to interpret the theme or concept of a collection. Others have even explored fully left-winged ideas like Orange Culture’s fusion of spoken-word protest chants and synth-heavy ambient music, paying tribute to the 2020 Nigerian #EndSARS movement during its Spring 2022 collection showcase at Lagos Fashion Week. Similarly, IamIsigo produced ambient melodies, woven with African hand instruments and experimental music instruments, to create otherworldly soundtracks for her SS25 Spring/Summer collection titled ‘Heaven, Earth & Below’ at the 2024 LFW.
Designers like Emmy Kasbit have also embraced distinctively Nigerian sound textures. During Lagos Fashion Week 2023, his Fashion Forward playlist featured classics like Fela Kuti’s Water No Get Enemy and Davido’s Dami Duro to soundtrack his Spring 2024 collection.
Another designer, Tia Adeola, used Fela Kuti’s music in her February 2022 New York Fashion Week show, paying tribute to the catalyst of Afrobeats itself. That particular collection further explored Fela’s music and identity as a muse, with models styled after his iconic Kalakuta Queens.
From Ugo Monye to Kadiju, Oshobor, and others, many Nigerian designers have seamlessly and proudly incorporated Afrobeats into their fashion showcases, from Lagos Fashion Week to brand rollouts and campaign visuals.
FROM STUDIO BOOTHS TO RUNWAYS
It’s been every contemporary artist’s dream to walk major fashion runways, like Wizkid did for Dolce & Gabbana at the 2018 Milan Fashion Week, where he wore the diamond-plated mask that broke the internet for a couple of days.
A lot of Nigerian musicians have been fashion icons and enigmas, from the Fuji radical Obesere’s ‘90s durag and palazzo era to P-Square’s early 2000s denim and tank top aesthetic and Ice Prince’s statement-making blend of hi-tops sneakers, denims and quote-heavy/abstract motif styled collar tops. For many other artists, music videos are like runways where their fashion sense, sometimes culture-shaping like with Naeto C’s jalabiyas, is laid out for fans.
Now, a new generation of artists is taking that legacy to the runway, accomplishing feats now normalised as part of the transition from underground to celebrity musicianship. Lojay made his debut at LFW in 2021 for Elfreda Dali’s SS21 showcase. Magixx walked for Lanre Da Silva, Rick Dusi, and GËTO in 2022.
Davido made a surprise appearance at LFW in 2024, dripping in a standout regal piece by Ugo Monye for his ‘Ife Aso Anyi’ SS25 collection. Two years before that, he walked for Puma at the New York Fashion Week.
Burna Boy made his runway debut during the Off White Fall/Winter 2025-2026 show at the Paris Fashion Week, in March this year.
Beyond the runway, live performances have become integral to local fashion events, enhancing the runway experience. During the 2020 Arise Fashion Week, both WurlD and Asa performed medleys of their classics. Falana and Lojay brought similar energy to LFW runways, performing their captivating hits to match the overall vision of each collection display.
The growing fusion of live Nigerian music with local fashion showcases a deeper cultural synergy between the music and fashion industries. Music has become one of the most defining elements of major fashion weeks, and Afrobeats continues to shape the rhythm, emotion, and identity of Nigerian fashion.
