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Among the photos of the International Woolmark Prize winners of 2023 was a joyful shot of Lagos Space Programme’s founder Adeju Thompson holding his trophy above his head — a triumphant moment for the Nigerian designer. Almost exactly a year later, Thompson is at another tipping point: he’s pulling out of Paris Fashion Week men’s in June amid a strategy rethink.
The decision shines a spotlight on the challenges African designers face when trying to scale internationally. “It’s so hard for designers in the West [to build a sustainable and profitable business]. Now think about how hard it is for a designer from the continent,” says Thompson, who was slated to showcase his Spring/Summer 2025 collection on 23 June in Paris. He plans to return to the schedule in January 2025.
“Being in Paris and being on the official schedule has always been a huge dream of mine,” says Thompson. However, for an emerging designer with limited cash flow, showcasing in one of the major fashion capitals is a huge expense, he flags. Thompson spent approximately €53,000 on his AW24 presentation in January, but didn’t see a high enough return on investment.
He also points to the wider luxury slowdown: “We’re operating like fashion is the same way it was 20 years ago, but it’s not. The market, especially in Paris, is highly competitive and has reached saturation point, being a great designer is not enough.” The relationship with wholesale partners is becoming increasingly volatile, he adds. In order to generate cash, Thompson launched a microsite and is now selling the collection there.
It was time for a reset. “Pulling out [of Paris this season] means we have money to use in other important aspects of Lagos Space Programme that can really help us make sure we create a sustainable business,” he says. This includes preparing the brand’s direct-to-consumer e-commerce site, which is launching this summer, partly supported by Woolmark. Slowing down will also give him time to introduce more commercial pieces to his portfolio, such as T-shirts and jeans, on the advice of buyers and press. He plans to come back in January with a well-rounded collection that is more attractive to international buyers, he says.
Looking beyond prize wins
African designers have been gaining global recognition over the past decade, winning or being nominated for several prestigious industry awards and prizes. In 2015, Nigerian brand Orange Culture was a finalist of the inaugural LVMH Prize. Lagos-born designer Kenneth Ize was named an LVMH Prize finalist in 2019, the same year Thebe Magugu won the prize for emerging talent. Lukhanyo Mdingi was named joint winner of the LVMH Karl Lagerfeld Prize in 2021 and more recently went on to win the Amiri Prize in 2023, while South African duo Mmusomaxwell secured the International Woolmark Prize in 2022.
Awards and prizes ensure designers from the continent are recognised for their creative talents on an international scale. Thompson says the Woolmark Prize win has been invaluable financially — he received AU $200,000 (US $131,400) — as well as boosting the brand’s credibility. He remains bent on achieving the goals he outlined at the prize ceremony last year, including international expansion. “But being in the system you realise it’s bloody hard and it’s not just about talent,” he says.
The transition from designer to business owner is not easy, says Tamburai Chirume, co-founder of The African Fashion Academy and Fashion Revolution board member. “Winning these awards is great, it’s recognition. But exporting is a different business… Designers are not being prepared enough to actually run profitable, long-lasting businesses,” she says.
The work that’s required behind the scenes is very different for emerging designers in Africa, she adds. “All of those technicalities behind getting your product from an African country into the US or UK market are not understood. What are the trade agreements between South Africa or Africa, and are we utilising things like AGOA (the African Growth and Opportunity Act, a trade agreement between the US and Sub-Saharan African countries)? These are the things designers need to know to gain revenue from these awards.”
“These institutions are incredible. I think the level of support that they are able to extend to designers, especially me coming out from winning both prizes, is something I cannot take for granted at all,” says Mdingi. “The bigger issue is not necessarily the prizes, but I don’t think enough people realise how much of an initial investment it takes to run a fashion business and follow the rules imposed onto the fashion system.” Those rules include creating a seasonal collection twice a year (a number of African designers create collections that are transeasonal), having a showcase or a showroom, and selling to buyers and consumers. “It’s inherently part of the fashion system — whether spoken or not — one feels that it’s the right route one should be taking, but it only makes sense to take that route if you have a high-net-worth capital,” he continues.
Mdingi notes that there was a large spike in interest for his brand after the Lagerfeld win; buyers were especially keen to stock his products. “But what happened within our business is that there was such exponential growth that it was difficult to actually meet the growth within a working-capital point of view,” he says. “It was difficult to fulfil the orders that we needed promptly and to do the fashion weeks consistently.”
Like Thompson, Mdingi took a step back to re-evaluate and focus on building the brand’s direct-to-consumer business. Mdingi launched the brand’s first e-commerce site last weekend. Meanwhile, the brand has not released a new collection in nearly three seasons. “We are really committed to the bigger picture. I want to be here for the next 30 to 40 years,” he says, adding that younger designers who he looks to for inspiration — such as Magugu, Christopher John Rogers and Conner Ives — are rewriting the playbook by pulling back from releasing multiple collections a year.
Go where you’re desired
Thompson says part of the challenge facing emerging African designers is that the Western perception of the African identity is still limited. The V&A’s Africa Fashion exhibition — which first launched in London in 2022, and has since travelled to Brooklyn in New York and is opening in Melbourne, Australia, later this month — has helped spotlight the history and impact of African fashion on a global scale. A new wave of African photographers is working to challenge perceptions of the continent, highlighting the nuances of the region’s rich history, vibrant youth culture and fashion scene. However, progress is slow.
Thompson points to the fact that he’s been advised to add “commercial” products like tees, jeans and hoodies to Lagos Space Programme’s offering, because they will sell more readily in the West — buyers find it difficult to place some of the futurist styles, such as a unisex Kaftan featuring the brand’s Adire print (indigo-dyeing technique). “We have to play the game,” Thompson says.
To garner attention in the international market, African designers feel they need to make a “big bang”, says Adebayo Oke-Lawal, founder of Orange Culture, 2015’s LVMH Prize finalist. For example, Nigerian designer Ize dominated headlines in 2020 when he made his Paris Fashion Week debut featuring supermodel Naomi Campbell. “Not everyone can do that. It gets really tough because it’s like, do I invest in my brand or invest in a show? And do I even get the money back to invest in my infrastructure or do I keep spending on more and more shows. I think that’s why a lot of African brands stopped doing shows.”
Long term, Thompson says he’s committed to showing and succeeding in Paris. He will also continue to show during Lagos Fashion Week. “I think it’s important to, in addition to Paris Fashion Week, present my collection in the city where I’m from and take full advantage of the local fashion ecosystem,” he adds.
“Go where you’re desired,” is the advice Oke-Lawal received from his mentors. Orange Culture has shown in London and New York, but now plans to have a regular presence on the Lagos Fashion Week schedule. In the major fashion capitals, African designers are not only competing with new, buzzy emerging designers, but also heritage powerhouses that have long dominated the fashion schedule, Oke-Lawal explains. This means that buyers and press are likely to prioritise the larger brands over younger talent, creating a loop where emerging designers are battling for attention.
“Maybe we have to find ways to bring people to our cities,” he says. “If they [industry leaders] are willing to list us [Lagos] as a legit fashion city, so that they’re able to come to us and see our shows here… maybe that’s what’s needed.” He adds that often designers are paying huge amounts to show in their home city, and incur more expenses by showcasing again in one of the big four. “If we’re going to do things abroad, we have to be strategic.”
This struggle isn’t unique to African designers, Thompson, Mdingi and Oke-Lawal all emphasise. While designers from the continent may be impacted by a lack of infrastructure, socio-economic challenges and a fluctuating economy, however, they say the fight to keep emerging designers in the wider fashion ecosystem is a universal one.
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