By Charles Mgbolu
Glitz and glamour would catwalk endlessly at the 2023 London Fashion Week, scheduled to run from Friday September 15 to Tuesday September 19, 2023, with global fashion giants and entertainment celebrities in attendance.
The five-day event will see dozens of models strut glittering runways with collections from renowned designers such as John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, and Victoria Beckham at the Somerset House in London, with other sideshows at different locations across the British Capital.
African designers will proudly be in the mix, with the event organisers earmarking top spots for some leading African designers who will be injecting blooming African prints and style into the prestigious event.
Below are the four African designers gearing up to represent the continent, with showcase dates beginning over the weekend.
Abigail Ajobi
Abigail was born into a Nigerian family of Yoruba origin and raised in London, leaving her surrounded by a mix of rich cultures, which influenced her understanding of life and, as a result, her work.
In 2019, she graduated from UAL's London College of Fashion and went on to establish her fashion brand, ‘Abigail’, in 2020.
Abigail describes herself as a luxury streetwear label with a mission to highlight issues through its print-based designs that contribute to social awareness.
Since being founded in October 2020, Abigail Ajobi has been featured in notable global fashion magazines.
Abigail was awarded the University of Arts London's Enterprise Award for her contribution to sustainability and community empowerment, as well as recently being shortlisted for the BFC's NEWGEN award.
Laduma Ngxokolo
Laduma Ngxokolo is the founder of Maxhosa Africa, a South African knitwear brand established in 2010.
Laduma says it originated from a desire to explore knitwear design solutions that draw roots from the Xhosa people and culture in South Africa while also targeting people from other parts of the continent.
The brand produces knitwear that celebrates traditional Xhosa aesthetics with strong inflections from traditional Xhosa beadwork patterns, symbolism, and colours.
MAXHOSA designs showcase the beauty, culture, language, and aspiration of the Xhosa people.
Feben Vemmenby
Emerging designer Feben Vemmenby is one of this season’s hot tickets at London Fashion Week.
She is of Ethiopian heritage and grew up in Sweden, moving there when she was around two years old from Pyongyang, in North Korea (where she was born).
The cross-pollination of cultures has played a prominent role in the formation of her fashion tone, which reflects heavily in her pieces.
Feben is a graduate of Central Saint Martins, where she completed an MA in Fashion as an Isabella Blow scholar.
Feben is part of the British Fashion Council's NEWGEN and the Swedish Fashion Council's incubator programmes.
Andrea Iyamah
Nigerian fashion designer Andrea Dumebi Iyamah says she has a clothing line strongly inspired by ethnic cultures and elements of nature.
Founded in 2011, Andrea Iyamah adopts design elements that stay true to creating authentic clothing and resort wear that celebrate her African roots and cultures beyond.
She says she is further Inspired by travel and nature, bold colours, modern femininity, and retro classic silhouettes.
Born in 1993, Andrea advanced her tailoring skills and educated herself about fashion, which later fueled the genesis of her brand, which she established at the age of 17.
For over a decade, Andrea Iyamah has gained repeated recognition for her work in fashion and has over the years been featured in Vogue, Forbes, InStyle, HuffPost, and more.
She is celebrated as the leading African resort wear brand, popularly recognised for her eccentric and unique take on swimwear, which is being described as high fashion art, which she operates in Toronto, Lagos, and New York.
Event's highlights
The fashion festival will open with 78 years old Irish designer Paul Costelloe who says he is "bringing back a bit of romance" to the catwalks with feminine dresses that have soft and fluid looks.
The designers will have two hours to showcase their creative collections, to be sprinkled with explosive music performances by British rapper Stormzy, ballad singer Annie Lennox, and interpretive dance performer Kate Moss, among others.
