Lagos Fashion Week Launches Green Access 2025 to Spotlight Africa’s Next Generation of Sustainable Designers

From reimagining waste to craft-driven innovation, Green Access champions emerging voices reshaping the global narrative of African fashion by challenging designers to transform textile waste into runway-ready innovation.

Lagos Fashion Week has officially opened applications for Green Access 2025, its flagship accelerator program nurturing the future of African fashion. Launched as part of the platform’s long-standing commitment to sustainability, Green Access challenges emerging designers to transform pre- and post-consumer textile waste into visionary collections that blend innovation with Africa’s rich traditions of craftsmanship.

Since its inception, the program has become a launchpad for a new generation of designers redefining responsible production across the continent. Alumni including Kadiju, Pepperrow, Cute Saint, Ywande, Desiree Iyama, Ajanée, Pettre Taylor, and Oshobor have gone on to build pioneering brands that merge cultural storytelling with commercial viability.

“Green Access is more than a program: it’s a movement that empowers young designers to imagine new possibilities for African fashion while honouring the traditions that shape our identity,” said Omoyemi Akerele, Founder and Convener of Lagos Fashion Week.

The program’s influence was evident in the 2024 cohort, which included talents like Samiat Salami of Oya Abeo, Bella Adeleke of Garbe, and Rosette Ale of Revival London. Their collections showcased how sustainability can coexist with creativity, culture, and commerce on the runway.

For 2025, participants will be guided through four core focus areas:

• Craft-Driven Innovation, using traditional techniques such as weaving, embroidery, and dyeing to transform discarded textiles.

• Reimagining Waste, through reconstruction and modular design with deadstock and pre-used garments.

• Youth Activation, promoting skill-sharing and income generation by engaging young artisans and communities.

• Digital Exploration, integrating technologies like 3D printing into heritage-based circular design.

To deepen the experience, Lagos Fashion Week is partnering with NAHOUS, a multidisciplinary cultural destination housed in the restored Old Federal Palace Hotel. Selected designers will take part in a one-week residency at NAHOUS, developing capsule collections within a collaborative hub of industry tastemakers.

The program follows a hybrid format: three weeks of virtual sessions leading into the physical residency. Each participant will ultimately create a three-look capsule to be unveiled on the Lagos Fashion Week runway in October.

Applications are open to emerging designers in or connected to Nigeria until September 19, 2025. The runway presentations will run from October 29 to November 2, 2025, marking yet another milestone in Lagos Fashion Week’s role as a global platform for African creativity.

Supported by title sponsor Heineken, alongside Afreximbank, Bank of Industry, Meta – Facebook, and Lush Hair, Lagos Fashion Week continues to shape the future of fashion by pushing sustainability, innovation, and cultural heritage to the forefront of industry conversations.