“At a time when global confidence in African fashion was a rarity, we chose to invest in talent, nurture the ecosystem, and build the infrastructure required to turn runway brilliance into sustainable economic rewards,” Queen Aderonke Ademiluyi-Ogunwusi, who is the founder of Africa Fashion Week London and Africa Fashion Week Nigeria (AFWN), said at the just concluded 2025 Nigeria edition, themed, ‘The Naija December Experience’ which held last weekend at the J Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History Lagos.
  
The queen noted that the fashion value chain is an expansive frontier where Africa has only scratched the surface of its true capacity.

She said: “With the African fashion industry now valued at an impressive $31 billion, we are seeing the validation of a vision we championed 15 years ago. AFWN is putting African fashion on a global map and telling the world that Africa is creative, Africa is stylish and Africa is open for business.”
  
She continued: “AFWN is not just a showcasing platform but creating an ecosystem that fosters growth, innovation and employment as well as shaping the future of the fashion industry one runway at a time. Through AFWN Nigeria, we’re catalysing economic growth, promoting cultural exchange and inspiring the new generation of African designers. We’re breaking stereotypes, pushing boundaries and celebrating the diversity and richness of African fashion.”
  
The highlight of the two-day event was the runway fashion festival, where a number of emerging and already established designers showcased African fashion creativity and style at its best.
  
The day-two runway show took an exciting turning point for the young audience when the winner of Big Brother Naija Season 10, Opeyemi Ayanwala, known as Imisi, elegantly took to the catwalk for the Influencer Collective, wearing a uniquely built mixed designed orange, cream and white aso-oke dress with her perfectly carved Afro hairstyle, a matching set of jewelry and a black balanced wage footwear, walking majestically like a proper African Damsel.
  
Over the years, AFWN has served as a showcase for designers across Nigeria and the African continent. More than 3,000 designers have participated in AFWN bringing in more than 90,000 visitors including industry buyers, media and stakeholders to Nigeria.