Africa Fashion Week Nigeria (AFWN) has announced that its 2025 edition will hold on December 20 and 21 at the J. Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, Onikan, Lagos.
Themed “Detty December Edition,” the event will showcase fashion, cultural exhibitions, and creative industry engagements, bringing together designers, buyers, and enthusiasts in a vibrant celebration of African design within a festive atmosphere.
The 2025 edition marks a bold new phase for the continent’s largest fashion showcase, transforming AFWN into a full-scale fashion festival that blends style, commerce, culture, and creativity in one unforgettable Lagos experience.
“Fashion is a language of identity, and Africa’s long-neglected voices deserve to be heard on the global stage,” said Queen Aderonke Ademiluyi Ogunwusi, Founder and Executive Director of Africa Fashion Week Nigeria.
“With the Detty December Edition, we are turning Lagos into a festival ground where heritage, commerce, innovation and celebration meet under one roof. Naming the JRandle Centre as our home for this edition allows us to weave fashion directly into heritage, showing that what we wear, how we create, and where we gather are all facets of our culture,” she added.
According to Ogunwusi, the venue and timing were deliberately chosen to place fashion within Nigeria’s cultural and social calendar. “With the Detty December Edition, we are turning Lagos into a meeting point for heritage, commerce, and innovation. Hosting it at the J. Randle Centre allows us to connect fashion with history and cultural pride,” she explained.
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Since its inception, AFWN and its sister platforms have hosted over 3,000 designers and attracted more than 90,000 participants, including buyers, stylists, and international media. The 2025 edition aims to build on this legacy by moving beyond the traditional runway format into a dynamic, interactive festival that fosters collaboration and business growth across Africa’s creative sector.
This year’s programme will include runway showcases featuring both established and emerging designers, a designer marketplace, live music and DJ performances, cultural activations, sustainability-themed exhibitions, and exclusive after-party experiences that capture the energy of Lagos’s festive season.
The choice of the J. Randle Centre underscores AFWN’s commitment to rooting African fashion within its historical and cultural context. “Detty December is our bold statement that fashion is celebration, commerce, and culture,” said Elizabeth Igwe, Communications & PR Director for AFWN 2025.
She added, “This edition reunites designers, buyers, creatives, and international guests to celebrate African creativity in an unforgettable festival format, while amplifying new voices and commercial opportunities for our designers.”
The Detty December Edition reaffirms AFWN’s mission to bridge heritage and modernity, showing that African fashion is not just about aesthetics but also about cultural continuity, economic empowerment, and identity expression. The vibrant architecture and cultural programming of the J. Randle Centre make it the ideal setting for a festival that celebrates storytelling as much as style.
Attendance at the two-day event is free, but advance registration is required to ensure effective crowd management, traffic flow, and security.
Further details regarding designer participation, volunteer registration, and media accreditation will be announced soon on the AFWN official website and social media pages. Media inquiries should be directed to Elizabeth Miller PR, the official communications representative for AFWN 2025.
Founded by Queen Aderonke Ademiluyi Ogunwusi, Africa Fashion Week Nigeria continues to serve as a pioneering platform that promotes African fashion, nurtures emerging talent, and connects creativity with commerce and culture, reaffirming its role as one of the continent’s most influential fashion movements.
