They are really popular spots for Instagram influencers. And introducing the new model, the non-model.
The crowd is screaming, there is a standing ovation, and only the photographers standing at the end of the runway can get a clear shot. The ruckus is because Afrobeats sensation, Davido was closing the final show of Lagos Fashion Week’s second day.
Ugo Monye is an eponymous luxury label that has spent more than a decade revolutionising menswear in Nigeria. It has also been a fan-favourite at the Lagos Fashion Week garnering a standing ovation in 2023. “I loved the Ugo Monye show, it was my favourite,” Nkechi Douglas, Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria 2019/20, said after the 2023 show.
This year for his Spring-Summer 25 collection, Ife Aso Anyi, he created an interactive show. The Ife Aso Anyi show, translated from Igbo means What We Like, saw a model fully clad with handkerchiefs (his face was covered) standing on the right side of the runway. Like the biblical coat of many colours, every handkerchief was a different fabric of cloth. Each model walked up to the covered model and took a handkerchief, slowly revealing who was underneath.
However, when Davido walked in, everyone forgot the big reveal we had been anticipating. Arguably, a model made a mistake earlier and people sitting at a certain angle had already seen that it was Ugo Monye all along. But for the most part, seeing Davido was the highlight.
Davido is another person who holds the people’s favour. His presence at the past fashion weeks has made him a gem in the eyes of the industry. A man who loves and respects the industry so dearly that in his saddest year, he made a stop at the event. This dedication is admirable so when he walked the Lagos Fashion Week, everyone stood to applaud him, the people’s prince.
However, these high praises and sentiments were withheld from the other celebrities that walked the runway and by the 10th figure, people were tired. The Ugo Monye show aimed to celebrate African heritage with refined style and as a fashion week staple, Davido must be a lover of celebrating African style. Hence why the fusion felt natural and was welcomed. The same can not be said for several figures as some have never shown an interest in fashion.
FACT VS CON-FICTION
Celebrities walking the runway is not a modern phenomenon and this is certainly not the first time for the Nigerian ones. Richard Mofe-Damijo (RMD) and Eku Edewor are the first names that come to mind. The former made his runway debut in 2018 at the Arise Fashion Week. It was the year, Naomi Campbell opened the show in Lanre Da Silva.
The latter [Edewor] is undeniably one of the biggest supporters of the industry. She has walked shows, donated clothes for its 2022 swap-shop programme, and partnered with brands. Another example of a non-model on the runway was the late Fola Francis. She made history as the first openly trans model to walk Lagos Fashion Week in 2022.
An industry favourite is Ashley Okoli who has walked shows home, and abroad, and was featured in the Victoria’s Secret World Tour 2023. However, RMD, Edewor, Francis, and Okoli are fashion figures. So perhaps that is why people did not express fatigue… except it is not.
In 2023, Mavin signees; Boy Spyce and Magixx walked the 2022 show. Big Brother ex-housemates, like Allysyn have made appearances. Instagram fashion figures like ex-MBGN winner, Nkechi Douglas have featured in off-site shows. So why is this year’s seen as annoying?
Internet users would have you believe it is because of their walks as Mike Afolyan practically ran on stage and many did not walk in a straight line. However, there are a handful of celebrities who have ever walked a runway half as good as a model. This year alone, we watched the internet mock international celebrities at the L’Oreal show that Temi Otedola walked in Paris.
@temiotedola AM I DREAMING?!?! ♥️🌍 Walking the @L’Oréal Paris Défilé Show last night #WorthIt #WalkYourWorth #LeDefileLoreal ♬ original sound – Temi Otedola
Otedola easily avoided this by having a good walk, the same can not be said about Nigerian celebrities who have done so in the past. Yet we have supported them but this year, the comments read, “The unprofessionalism I see on this stage is alarming.”
THE REAL ISSUE:
It is not the walk, it is not the non-affiliation with fashion, it is the number. One model with a bad walk can be ignored but several models with one raise eyebrows. The allure of a non-model celebrity walking a runway is the surprise factor. What happens when a performance loses its x-factor due to oversaturation? Well, it gets analysed critically.
At the 2024 show, I counted a total of 23 celebrities ranging from pageant queens, Instagram influencers, actors, and fashion personalities. Bella Naija Style made an astounding attempt at making posts dedicated to everyone who walked. But even they couldn’t keep up as DJ Tgarbs and Larry Hector’s aren’t up yet.
@styleguide9ja Lack of professionalism is alarming* #lagosfashionweek ♬ original sound – Damalos
Oversaturation breeds fatigue and that is why by the third day, no one gasped except when one celebrity fell during the Lush Hair runway show. One of the best shows, nevertheless, Lush Hair as a sponsor usually gets a spot at the annual show and they have made every show worthwhile.
Everyone loves a good celebrity surprise on the runway. But twenty? Too much sugar has never been healthy.
