Nigerian Designers Set to Feature at Africa Fashion Week London 2025 

Two prominent Nigerian fashion houses, Henri Uduku and Black Fine and Fly, are set to showcase their collections at Africa Fashion Week London (AFWL) 2025, taking place on August 9–10 at Space House, London. This event, under the auspices of the British Council, highlights Nigeria’s vibrant contribution to Africa’s creative industry on an international stage.

The event will feature a dedicated British Council runway presentation and an exhibition pavilion spotlighting innovative young designers from across Africa. The initiative aims to foster new global connections, open markets, and promote cultural exchange, collaboration, and business expansion within the fashion industry.

Joining the Nigerian designers are eight others from Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, and Zimbabwe—all alumni or current participants of the British Council’s Creative DNA fashion accelerator programme. Since its inception in 2020, the programme has supported over 200 fashion entrepreneurs through mentorship, business development, and showcasing opportunities, strengthening Africa’s creative economy and fostering international partnerships.

Henry Uduku, founder and creative director of his eponymous menswear label, is no stranger to international exposure. He has previously showcased his work at major platforms such as Cairo’s Creative Africa Nexus and Zimbabwe’s Creative Economy Week, exemplifying a new generation of African designers redefining fashion with purpose.

Black Fine and Fly, a recent addition to the programme, is an Afro-European collective inspired by African heritage and culture, known for its denim designs rooted in African style.

Beyond the runway and exhibition, participating designers will attend business clinics, panel discussions with UK fashion experts from Westminster University and the Fashion Retail Academy, and explore London’s retail and manufacturing ecosystems. These activities offer valuable insights into sustainable production, industry standards, and international markets. The cultural exchange emphasizes exploring the UK’s fashion landscape, including supplier networks and retail collaborations.

This year’s British Council Pavilion will also showcase the future of fashion through the integration of technology—highlighting collaborations between African designers and AI labs or robotics engineers to explore virtual reality runways and digital avatars, paving the way for virtual fashion presentations across continents.

Donna McGowan, British Council Nigeria’s Country Director, emphasized Nigeria’s significant role in the global fashion scene, noting that the country’s creative industry contributes over $7 billion annually. She highlighted AFWL’s role in providing emerging Nigerian designers critical international exposure to expand their brands sustainably.

Queen Ronke Ademiluyi-Ogunwusi, founder of AFWL, expressed her enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating that it advances the mission to elevate African fashion globally and deepen cross-cultural connections.

Visitors are encouraged to attend the British Council Pavilion and the Creative DNA catwalk show scheduled for Saturday, August 9, at 4:00 PM.