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Local Fabrics, Fibers Shine at Eco-centered Lagos Fashion Week

Abasiekeme Ukanireh, founder of Nigerian brand of Eki Kere, is known for incorporating raffia into her designs. OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP
Abasiekeme Ukanireh, founder of Nigerian brand of Eki Kere, is known for incorporating raffia into her designs. OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP
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Local Fabrics, Fibers Shine at Eco-centered Lagos Fashion Week

Abasiekeme Ukanireh, founder of Nigerian brand of Eki Kere, is known for incorporating raffia into her designs. OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP
Abasiekeme Ukanireh, founder of Nigerian brand of Eki Kere, is known for incorporating raffia into her designs. OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP

Four days ahead of her show at Lagos Fashion Week, the sewing machines at Abasiekeme Ukanireh's workshop were still buzzing.

Ukanireh, the founder of the popular Nigerian brand Eki Kere, met with models and tailors for the final preparations ahead of one of Africa's biggest fashion events, which ran through Sunday.

On the agenda: local materials, upcycling and African craftsmanship.

"Every single year for a brand, for me, as a designer, I always try to take it a step further in terms of being sustainable," Ukanireh, 35, told AFP.

Sustainability -- long both a bugbear and a buzzword in the fashion industry -- was a key feature of this year's Lagos Fashion Week, with designers from across the continent tapping into everything from traditional fabrics to banana fiber and coffee grounds.

Launched in 2020, Ukanireh's brand is known for its use of raffia, a grassy fiber from palm trees used in everything from thatched roofs to trendy bags.

This year, she played up the use of indigo and dyes made from kola nuts -- though she hadn't forgotten her raffia roots.

During her show Sunday, dozens of models walked the runway wearing outfits inspired by traditional wedding ceremonies in Ikot Ekpene, a historic town popularly known as "Raffia City" in southern Akwa Ibom state, where Ukanireh hails from.

The traditional wedding lace was swapped for cardboard, linen and raffia -- which is 100 percent biodegradable and compostable.

In 2018, the Lagos Fashion Week founder Omoyeni Akerele and her team launched Green Access, an incubator program that identifies, trains and supports young African designers.

"Even though sustainability is at the core of their design practice, it is to encourage them to even be more sustainable by rethinking their choices at every stage of the creative process, and understanding that it begins with materials," Akerele said.

Lagos Fashion Week also hosts what it calls "Swapshop" events, which allow people to exchange clothes they no longer wear for new ones.

"We all have clothes at home that we no longer wear," said 43-year-old businesswoman Danielle Chukwuma, who has attended several editions of the show.

"It's great to be able to swap them with people as stylish as those attending this kind of event."

Apart from Nigerian brands, Chukwuma has also discovered other African talents, including the Indian-Kenyan designer Ria Ana Sejpa of the brand LilaBare.

This year was Sejpa's third appearance at Lagos Fashion Week.

"Lagos is the fashion capital of Africa," she told AFP. "Fashion is a part of the culture here. People take pride in the way they dress, they love to stand out, and they aren't afraid to be fearless or glamorous."

The 34-year-old designer is known for making clothes from pineapple fiber, banana fiber and coffee grounds.

"It is essential to take into consideration your ecosystem, the strengths of the environment and the people around you, and to make conscious decisions at every step of the fashion creation process," Sejpa said.

31-year-old Florentina Hertunba, who is making waves with her brand Hertunba, shared the same view.

She said she incorporates traditional Nigerian fabrics such as aso oke and akwete as well as other locally available materials into her designs and uses biodegradable packaging to cut down waste.

"This piece is recycled," the young designer explained, pointing to a patterned black dress in her Lagos studio. "An old fabric was transformed into sewing thread and then reused to create it."

But for her, sustainability is only sustainable if consumers join the movement.

"One of the greatest dangers is this culture of overconsumption, where we constantly buy new clothes for every occasion," she told AFP. "Sustainable fashion is making progress, but overconsumption is too."

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Fashion

Japan's Traditional Kimonos Are Being Repurposed in Creative Ways

Designer Tomoko Ohkata, left, and her assistant Koki Unami hold Ohkata's designs made from old kimono, in Tokyo, on Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuri Kageyama)
Designer Tomoko Ohkata, left, and her assistant Koki Unami hold Ohkata's designs made from old kimono, in Tokyo, on Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuri Kageyama)
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Japan's Traditional Kimonos Are Being Repurposed in Creative Ways

Designer Tomoko Ohkata, left, and her assistant Koki Unami hold Ohkata's designs made from old kimono, in Tokyo, on Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuri Kageyama)
Designer Tomoko Ohkata, left, and her assistant Koki Unami hold Ohkata's designs made from old kimono, in Tokyo, on Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuri Kageyama)

The kimono, that elaborate, delicate wrap-around garment worn by geisha and samurai from centuries back, is getting a vibrant remake, appreciated these days for a virtue that’s more relevant than ever: sustainability.

A genuine silk kimono, which literally means “worn thing,” lasts a hundred years or more. In a Japanese family, it’s handed down over generations like heirloom jewelry, artworks and military medals.

It never goes out of style.

The design of the kimono and accompanying “obi” sash has remained basically the same since the 17th century Edo period depicted in Akira Kurosawa samurai movies.

But today, some people are taking a different creative approach, refashioning the traditional kimono, and also taking apart and resewing them as jackets, dresses and pants.

“I noticed that a lot of beautiful kimono is just sleeping in people’s closets. That’s such a waste,” said Mari Kubo, who heads a kimono-remake business called K’Forward, pronounced “K dash forward.”

Hers is among a recent surge in such services, which also turn old kimono into tote bags and dolls.

The most popular among Kubo’s products are “tomesode,” a type of formal kimono that is black with colorful, embroidered flowers, birds or foliage at the bottom, The Associated Press reported.

She also creates matching sets, or what she calls “set-ups.” A tomesode is turned into a jacket with its long, flowing sleeves intact, and its intricate patterns placed at the center in the back. She then takes a kimono with a matching pattern to create a skirt or pants to go with the top. Sometimes, an obi is used at the collar to add a pop of color.

Kubo said many of her customers are young people who want to enjoy a kimono without the fuss.

A remade kimono at K’Forward can cost as much as 160,000 yen ($1,000) for a “furisode,” a colorful kimono with long sleeves meant for young unmarried women, while a black tomesode goes for about 25,000 yen ($160).

What Tomoko Ohkata loves most about the products she designs using old kimonos is that she doesn’t have to live with a guilty conscience, and instead feels she is helping solve an ecological problem.

“I feel the answer was right there, being handed down from our ancestors,” she said.

Recycling venues in Japan get thousands of old kimonos a day as people find them stashed away in closets by parents and grandparents. These days, Japanese generally wear kimonos just for special occasions like weddings. Many women prefer to wear a Western-style white wedding dress rather than the kimono, or they wear both.

Many of Ohkata’s clientele are people who have found a kimono at home and want to give it new life. They care about the story behind the kimono, she added.

Her small store in downtown Tokyo displays various dolls, including a figure of an emperor paired with his wife, who are traditionally brought out for display in Japanese homes for the Girls’ Day festival every March 3. Her dolls, however, are exquisitely dressed in recycled kimonos, tailored in tiny sizes to fit the dolls. They sell for 245,000 yen ($1,600) a pair.

The original old-style kimono is also getting rediscovered.

“Unlike the dress, you can arrange it,” says Nao Shimizu, who heads a school in Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto that teaches people how to wear a kimono and how to carry oneself while wearing it.

“In half a year, you can learn how to do it all by yourself,” she said, briskly demonstrating several ways to tie the obi to express different moods, from playful to understated.

Besides its durability, said Shimizu, that versatility also makes the kimono sustainable.

Younger Japanese are taking a more relaxed view, wearing a kimono with boots, for instance, she laughed. Traditionally, kimono is worn with sandals called “zori.”

Although it requires some skill to put on a kimono in the traditional way, one can take lessons from teachers like Shimizu, like learning a musical instrument. Professional help is also available at beauty parlors, hotels and some shops.

Most Japanese might wear a kimono just a few times in their lives. But wearing one is a memorable experience.

Sumie Kaneko, a singer who plays the traditional Japanese instruments koto and shamisen, often performs wearing flashy dresses made of recycled kimonos. The idea of sustainability is deeply rooted in Japanese culture, she says, noting that the ivory and animal hide used in her musical instruments are now hard to obtain.

She calls it “the recycling of life.”

“The performer breathes new life into them,” says the New York-based Kaneko.
“In the same way, a past moment — and those patterns and colors that were once loved — can come back to life.”

Fashion

Scottish Fashion Seeks New Talent for Homespun Crafts 

Members of staff work at the Alex Begg mill in Ayr, southwest Scotland, on January 15, 2026. (AFP)
Members of staff work at the Alex Begg mill in Ayr, southwest Scotland, on January 15, 2026. (AFP)
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Scottish Fashion Seeks New Talent for Homespun Crafts 

Members of staff work at the Alex Begg mill in Ayr, southwest Scotland, on January 15, 2026. (AFP)
Members of staff work at the Alex Begg mill in Ayr, southwest Scotland, on January 15, 2026. (AFP)

Far from the glamor of fashion weeks in Paris, Milan and London, a nondescript cashmere mill on Scotland's western coast that supplies luxury labels hopes local training programs can attract new talent.

"It's a dying trade," 61-year-old Maria Wade said of her job as a "greasy mender" at Alex Begg, a semi-rural mill that has been based in Ayr in southwest Scotland for more than a century.

The weaving mill supplies cashmere to prestigious fashion brands, which cannot be named for confidentiality reasons, as well as its own luxury label, Begg x Co.

"You don't get many people mending raw cashmere," said Wade, whose role is to meticulously inspect and darn any defects in the fabric by hand, before it is washed, cut and shipped around the world.

Famed for its luxury tweeds, wools and cashmeres, Scotland's textile industry has seen a sharp decline in recent decades as high manufacturing costs struggle to compete with cheap production abroad, and an ageing workforce retires, taking traditional manufacturing skills with them.

When technical transformation director Lorna Dempsey joined Alex Begg more than 25 years ago, the average age was "quite old", she told AFP, "about 50-plus".

Since then, the company has made a "conscious effort to try and recruit younger people" and brought the average age down to around 40.

It's no easy task in the run-down former mining town, with those interested in fashion careers looking to places such as Glasgow, around an hour's drive away, or even further afield.

"We don't have a lot of skills within the Ayrshire area, so it's very difficult for us to try and find skilled staff," said Dempsey.

The rise of fast fashion has made it harder to find young people with manufacturing know-how.

"A lot of our operations are definitely a skill from the past," said Dempsey, adding that people don't learn how to "darn their socks anymore."

- 'On my doorstep' -

The mill's partnership with the King's Foundation -- a charity founded by King Charles III and headquartered in the nearby Dumfries House estate -- has helped turn things around.

The foundation runs programs aimed at addressing "a skills gap within the UK textile industry".

Trainees learn about production lines, supply chains, working with different materials and sustainable design -- skills that employers say are often not covered in fashion school.

They are then given work experience at Scottish mills such as Alex Begg, and some like Emma Hyslop manage to secure a job.

Sat behind a fringing machine at the mill, Hyslop, 28, deftly ran a dark cashmere fabric destined for a Spanish luxury brand through its frame, twisting the ends of the cloth into fringes.

After getting a fashion design diploma at a Glasgow college, Hyslop did a six-week course with the King's Foundation, through which she discovered the luxury mill in her backyard.

"I had no idea about the place beforehand, and it's on my doorstep," said Hyslop, from south Ayrshire.

"We're actually quite a hidden gem," said Dempsey.

"So it's our job, our legacy, to keep bringing people through our manufacturing businesses, and keep bringing the skills alive again."

- Heritage skills -

The mill currently has four apprentices and is hoping to add more this year.

Dempsey also gives talks to local primary school children with the King's Foundation.

It is an issue close to the king's heart, with the British monarch attending Thursday's opening of London Fashion Week and meeting apprentices "supporting heritage skills and sustainability" -- including students on King's Foundation programs.

Nicole Christie founded her own sustainable women's luxury brand, Ellipsis, after completing a textile program at Dumfries House in 2020.

Entering luxury fashion in Scotland is "difficult", said Christie, with other major brands usually based in London or other European cities.

"At one point, leaving university, I did think that I would have to move down south," said Christie, who instead decided to build her brand in Glasgow.

"I'm really proud that I'm doing it here, and I really hope one day that I'll actually be able to give other people opportunities."

Fashion

London Fashion Week Opens with Tribute to One of Its Greats

London Fashion Week will pay tribute to iconic designer Paul Costelloe who died in November, and had been a stalwart of the British captial's catwalks since the show was launched in 1984. Niklas HALLE'N / AFP/File
London Fashion Week will pay tribute to iconic designer Paul Costelloe who died in November, and had been a stalwart of the British captial's catwalks since the show was launched in 1984. Niklas HALLE'N / AFP/File
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London Fashion Week Opens with Tribute to One of Its Greats

London Fashion Week will pay tribute to iconic designer Paul Costelloe who died in November, and had been a stalwart of the British captial's catwalks since the show was launched in 1984. Niklas HALLE'N / AFP/File
London Fashion Week will pay tribute to iconic designer Paul Costelloe who died in November, and had been a stalwart of the British captial's catwalks since the show was launched in 1984. Niklas HALLE'N / AFP/File

London Fashion Week, better known for nurturing new talent than for its big-name shows, kicks off on Thursday with a tribute to one of its stalwarts Paul Costelloe.

The Irish-American designer, who died aged 80 last November, was a regular fixture on the opening day of the British capital's fashion week since the inception of the show in 1984, AFP said.

Over four decades, his romantic, sartorial catwalks remained a constant: witness to the rise and fall of London Fashion Week (LFW) which has seen the departure of big fashion names to its counterparts in Milan, Paris and New York in recent years.

His son William Costelloe is now the creative director of the brand, which wrote on social media ahead of its LFW Autumn/Winter 2026 opening show: "A new season. A powerful moment. A legacy moving forward."

Tolu Coker, a British-Nigerian designer who launched her brand in 2018, will also show on Thursday her elegant, mainly-unisex designs inspired by diverse identities.

Notable names including Harris Reed and Richard Quinn will return to the catwalk in London, with Burberry closing the week in its usual fashion on Monday evening.

Other labels will bring a royal flavor to the runway, with brands worn by Princess Catherine including Emilia Wickstead, Edeline Lee and Erdem putting on shows.

However, there will be no show from the breakout Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson, who was one of the most eagerly awaited at London Fashion Week in recent seasons.

The 41-year-old took over at Dior last June, leaving him little time for his own brand, JW Anderson, which he founded in 2008.

For several years, London has been losing ground to its star-studded rivals in Paris and Milan, but it has clung onto its role as a breeding ground for young talent.

The British Fashion Council's NewGen initiative provides funding for emerging talent, with several up-and-coming designers finding their stride at LFW through the incubator.

'Great support'

Designers like Simone Rocha, Tolu Coker and Roksanda have become fashion week mainstays after making their debut on the NewGen catwalk.

Among the recent breakouts is Joshua Ewusie, a 27-year-old British creator born to Ghanaian parents who is due to put on his second fashion week show with his brand "E.W.Usie".

The young designer was supported by the King's Foundation, a charity founded by King Charles III, in partnership with Chanel, which gave him a studio space shortly after he graduated from the prestigious Central Saint Martins school.

His hometown London, which boasts several notable fashion schools, provides "great support for young designers," Ewusie told AFP ahead of his LFW presentation on Sunday.

"There's so many opportunities, I think, that London gives to help young brands start," he added.

His new collection is inspired by the 1980s, when his mother moved to London, says the designer. It's all about culture and identity, with leather as the star material.

French designer Pauline Dujancourt, known for her work with knitwear, also chose to stick with London Fashion Week after her studies at Paris's Ecole Duperre and Central Saint Martins in London.

"As much as Paris Fashion Week is incredible and I'm dreaming to be part of it one day, maybe there's a bit more room for younger brands in London at the start," said the 31-year-old designer, who will show her collection on Sunday.

"I think people have come to London Fashion Week expecting to see a bit of newness and younger generations as opposed to Paris and Milan, where it's more like established houses."