Epic Fashion Week 2026, produced by Fashions Finest Africa and Mahogany International, as previously reported by Premium Times, concluded on a remarkable note on 24 May after two exciting days of fashion, creativity, innovation, and industry conversations held at The Podium, Lekki, Lagos.
The event brought together fashion enthusiasts, emerging designers, industry stakeholders, creatives, influencers, celebrities, and key players within the African fashion ecosystem for an immersive celebration of style, culture, and the future of fashion.
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Personalities spotted across both days of the event included Mimi Linda Yina, popularly known as Medlinboss, Tacha, Ejiro Amos Tafiri, Akin Faminu, Michael Ejoor, Kayito Nwokedi, Larry Hector Mr and Emmanuel Goodnew.
Others are Kanaga, Ruth Vader, Ebunoluwa Dosumu, Mai Atafo, Sunky O, Neo Akpofure, and Grand Prince Ita.
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Business of Fashion Conference
Kicking off the event on day one was the Business of Fashion Conference, an insightful symposium designed to equip emerging fashion creatives with the knowledge and conversations needed to build sustainable and commercially viable fashion businesses.
The conference featured two engaging panel sessions. The first session, themed “Authenticity vs Commercialisation: Staying True While Appealing to Wider Markets,” featured contributions from Ms Folake Kuye Huntoon, King David, Praise Anaba, and Vivian Umoh, with Hadassah serving as moderator.
The second session, themed “Fashion Without Borders: Positioning for Export,” was moderated by Scott Itepu and featured speakers including Nkiru Anachukwu and Rhoda Agunigho, who shared valuable insights on scaling African fashion brands for international markets.
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Beyond the conversations, over 20 fashion designers showcased their collections on the runway, with sustainability, innovation, and cultural storytelling emerging as strong themes throughout the presentations.
Design for the Future competition
Day two spotlighted the highly anticipated Design for the Future (D4DF) competition, a platform dedicated to encouraging young designers to embrace sustainability and timeless fashion practices in their creative process.
The competition attracted over 2,000 entries, with 25 designers selected for a six-week incubation and mentorship programme. Following several stages of assessments and showcases, 10 finalists emerged, including Judy Signature, Light Alta Moda, Jiri, Arig Atelier, Kush Atelier, Luke Smart, Melagante, Tomi Ifebogun, Iwari, and Mina Christian.
At the end of the competition, Ms Iwari emerged as the winner, receiving ₦1 million in seed funding and a one-year mentorship programme to support the brand’s growth and development in the fashion industry.
READ ALSO: 50 designers, industry leaders set for 2026 Epic Fashion Week
The competition was judged by industry figures, including Tosin Ogundadegbe, popularly known as The Style Infidel; Sola Oyebade; Gift Olohije; and Tolulope Omoyeni. The evening continued with captivating runway presentations from various designers, reinforcing the creativity, innovation, and global potential of African fashion.
Organiser’s remarks
Speaking at the event, Sola Oyebade, Founder of Fashions Finest Africa and Epic Fashion Week, noted that the platform, formerly known as Epic Show, was created specifically to provide emerging African fashion creatives with a dedicated platform to project their talents onto the global stage.
According to him, the vision for Epic Fashion Week extends far beyond its current format, with plans already underway to expand the event in future editions to create even larger opportunities for designers and creatives across the fashion industry.
“Epic Fashion Week was created to give emerging creatives a platform where their work can truly be seen, celebrated, and elevated. We are committed to building a globally respected fashion platform that continuously supports the next generation of fashion talent,” he stated.
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