GTCO Fashion Weekend 2026: 12 Designers, 140 Shops and Free Entry in Lagos

GTCO Fashion Weekend, organised by the Nigerian financial group GTCO, has opened its doors for the ninth time. Held on 7-8 November 2026 at the GTCentre in Lagos’s Oniru district, this year’s edition is themed “Fashion Is Timeless”. Over two days, 12 designers take to the runway, 140 fashion businesses sell their goods and entry is free for everyone. After a first day featuring Tongoro, FIA Factory, Ibrahim Fernandez, Washington Roberts, Maison Sara Chraibi and Imane Ayissi, the event closes today with Sukeina, House of Marvee, Selam Fessahaye, Kim Shui, Ohlanna Bu Zikora and LaQuan Smith.

Lagos is hosting its second major fashion gathering in about two weeks: Lagos Fashion Week SS27 took place in the city from 28 October to 1 November. The wider fashion week calendar can be found in our guide.

Day one: From the Paris calendar to a Lagos runway

The best-known name of Saturday evening was Imane Ayissi. The Cameroon-born designer is known as the first sub-Saharan African designer to be admitted to the official Paris Haute Couture Week calendar, in 2020. With a past that also includes dance and modelling, Ayissi works with African textiles such as adire, kente and Faso Dan Fani.

See the Imane Ayissi show on GTCO's Instagram

Sara Chraïbi, who showed the same evening, is a Moroccan designer who moved from architecture to couture. Chraïbi became a guest member of the French fashion federation FHCM in 2022; the label’s work is marked by geometric silhouettes and Moroccan craftsmanship.

See the Maison Sara Chraibi show on GTCO's Instagram

Ivorian designer Ibrahim Fernandez is self-taught. Fernandez, who designed the orange jackets worn by Côte d’Ivoire’s national team at the 2026 World Cup, combines traditional fabrics and techniques with contemporary tailoring.

See the Ibrahim Fernandez show on GTCO's Instagram

The evening’s other three shows came from Tongoro, FIA Factory and Washington Roberts. The organiser shared runway footage of all three on its official account.

See the Tongoro show on GTCO's Instagram

See the FIA Factory show on GTCO's Instagram

See the Washington Roberts show on GTCO's Instagram

Day two: Two names from New York

What stands out on Sunday’s programme is that it brings two New York Fashion Week regulars to Lagos. Kim Shui, a label founded in 2016 and now marking its tenth year, is coming to Lagos for the first time; its Spring/Summer 2027 collection draws on Peking opera. LaQuan Smith, an eponymous label running since 2008, has moved towards more structured silhouettes in recent collections.

The strongest local name is House of Marvee. Founded by Marvelous Olugu in 2018, the Nigerian label combines beadwork, corsetry details and traditional weaves, and will present its Spring/Summer 2027 collection, Coalescence, in Lagos.

See the two-day runway schedule on GTCO's Instagram

Beyond the runway: 140 shops and a new platform

The event is not only about shows. A total of 140 businesses selling clothing, accessories and lifestyle products have set up stalls in the same space. Masterclasses are led by fashion entrepreneur Sherlina Nym, Rachel Ojuromi and Renee Morris, founder of Uncle Funky’s Daughter, while Buttah Skin runs a separate skincare session. A section called the Streetwear Hub is dedicated to the influence of street culture on fashion, music and youth.

This year’s real innovation is the GTCO Fashion Collective, which will not be confined to two days. The year-round platform aims to bring together designers, models, stylists, photographers, editors, buyers and content creators. GTCO’s CEO Segun Agbaje described fashion in the words “Fashion is a powerful expression of creativity and culture”. Agbaje also stressed that fashion is a source of enterprise and economic opportunity.

The view from Türkiye

In our view, the most instructive aspect of this event is its model rather than its line-up. A financial institution has framed fashion as a trading ground for small businesses: entry is free, sales take place right beside the runway and the audience is not limited to invited guests. As the transformation of Istanbul Fashion Week is debated, this Lagos formula deserves a place on the table. We also think it is time to follow the continent’s fashion calendar more closely from Türkiye.

Sources

Image: Lagos skyline (representative image, not from the event) — Clara Sanchiz, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

The Instagram posts in this article are official posts by the respective accounts, published using Instagram’s embed tool; image rights belong to their owners.