Team Nigeria at The International Fashion Showcase, London Powered by British Council & #HeinekenLFDW

Team Nigeria at IFS, London: Godson Ukaegbu (Editor, Style Mania), Maxivive, Onalaja, Sisiano, Gozel Green and Tobi Idowu (Events Manager, Style House Files)

 

A few weeks ago, Heineken Lagos Fashion and Design Week (LFDW) in collaboration with British Council returned to the International Fashion Showcase, London for the fourth time with LFDW Fashion Focus Designers & Alumni: Ejiro Amos Tafiri, Meena, Gozel Green, Onalaja, Papa Omisore and Sisiano. They joined over 100  designers and curators from 25 countries to share their versions of the Utopia – the theme of IFS 2016.

Titled “Across the Bleed” and curated by Yegwa Ukpo, the installation imagined the creative energy of designers as a cosmic bang. Inspired by optical illusions, guests were compelled to imagine a moment when the impossible fleetingly seems real.

Onalaja

Speaking on team Nigeria’s exhibition, designer, Onalaja said,

“We all brought something different to represent team Nigeria, from my defragmented knit dress reminiscent of clay sands in parts of Nigeria to Ejiro’s pieces sparking discussions about the various religions that govern so many Nigerians, to Maxivive’s experimental take on classic menswear. Yegwa’s virtual reality video and image installation really helped to emphasise the focus on how fleeting our utopia was and how it can be often unattainable. The moral of our exhibition being we designers are all dreamers in our own right, we turn away from our current reality to a new and creative fictional dream state through the power of our designs.”

The International Fashion Showcase, London is positioned as a platform utilized by LFDW in collaboration with the British Council to empower creatives and connect them to their counterparts in the UK. Speaking on his experience, designer, Sisano remarked “IFS 2016 was an amazing experience that opened my mind to the endless possibility of building a growing brand.  There was a lot of networking with other designers, potential buyers and the press. It also gave me an insight into positioning my brand for the future and convinced me of the exporting opportunities than can be explored”

 

The Designers

Gozel Green

Sisiano

Ejiro Amos Tafiri

Team Nigeria’s Installation

A cross section of other countries

Austria

Egypt

Guatamala

Korea

Lebanon

Portugal

The International Fashion Showcase (IFS) is a fashion festival organized by the British Council and the British Fashion Council during London Fashion Week. IFS, London is presented by Style House Files, founders Lagos Fashion and Design Week in collaboration with The British Council and supported by, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Style Mania Magazine and BellaNaija