November 10, 2022

The 2022 edition of the Lagos Fashion Week was nothing short of transcendent. The 5-day International fashion show was home to renowned and rising fashion designers and brands across Nigeria and Africa at large. The event witnessed private presentations and runway exhibitions from designers like Fruche, Ugo Monye, JZO, Oshobor, Elie Kuame, Tia Adeola, Emmy Kasbit, Eki Kere, Heru Shezi, House of Akachi and a host of others. As we described in our earlier article ‘Ekpo’s Memorable Looks From The 2022 Lagos Fashion Week’, The Lagos Fashion Week 2022 was a ‘miscellany of glamour, picturesque and sheer resplendence’. Fashion Designers, Fashion Enthusiasts and attendees brought their A-game as they pranced in with colorful, breathtaking and trend-setting garbs. After a careful analysis of the prevalent trends at the 2022 Lagos fashion Week, we compiled a list of notable trends set to takeover in 2023. Enjoy! Photography by : Koko 1. SUNGLASSES (All eyes on you) Sunglasses aren’t only protecting our eyes from the sun anymore; they undoubtedly complement outfits, add to our style and sometimes, draw attention to us. At the Fashion Week, we saw a variety of sunglasses ranging from colorful, fascinating and some even awkward shaped. ‘Eye-catching’ indeed! A particular set of sunglasses caught our eyes. A silver framed Bottega Veneta BV1086S. The sunglasses seem to be a shift from convention, adopting a certain awkward shape. Its profound bold shape accentuates a manly and confident outlook for its wearer. The trend in sunglasses seems to be tilting to this bold and confident style. In Corroboration, we’ve gathered a few similar looks. Here is Lenny Kravitz at the CFDA Awards ’22. Bad girl Riri Going into 2023, we expect we see an overall shift to similar shaped glasses. 2. BLACK OUTFITS (Black is Gold) Whoever said orange was the new black clearly never owned a black dress. We saw a fine number of full black voguish outfits reiterating an overall confidence in the color. In spite of varying styles and color mix in some of the outfits, black still maintained predominance. Although styled differently, our overall confidence in black was reposed by the predominance of the colour at the Fashion Week. Despite the splash of colours on the runways and even amongst attendees, we were reminded of the ageless classy and regal outlook resonated in the colour black. 3.  MEN WEARING TRAINS (Staying on track!) Nigerian men seemed to have joined the train bandwagon. We couldn’t help but notice the popularity of male trains at the Lagos Fashion Week. The trend buttresses the recent shift toward gender-fluid fashion and its overture in the Nigerian fashion space. To give credence to our forecast, we are already seeing a number of celebrated figures who are ahead of the trend. For instance, here is celebrity designer and stylist Ugo Mozie at Naomi Campbell’s launch of her Emerge Initiative back in October. Also, we see Asap Rocky’s stunning appearance in khaki-coloured baggy trousers with trains at the Premiere of ‘Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever’. This definitely gives insight on what to expect for menswear in 2023.  4. HEAVY HAND ACCESSORIES (Lord of the Rings) Nigerian Fashion enthusiasts have thrown caution to the wind with stereotypes associated with wearing rings especially unconventional rings. Jewelry lovers were heavily adorned with alternative fashion rings. We can only expect more from the Nigerian goth subculture in 2023. 5.  MEN WEARING PURSES It was impossible to not notice the dominant use of purses by Men at the Lagos Fashion Week. Not man-purses by the way, actual purses. A variety of colorful and beautifully styled purses embellishing different styles. It makes bold to say that purses are no longer exclusive to women. It is as much a functional accessory to the guys as it is to the ladies and the Men at the Lagos Fashion emphatically made the point. Here are a few of our favourites… This goes to show that the bounds of masculinity have and continue to be redefined in Nigeria and the world at large. We can only expect more in 2023. We hope you found this interesting and informative. Please share your thoughts below