Made-in-Nigeria Movement Gains Momentum as Designers Champion Indigenous Textiles

A bold and growing campaign to champion locally sourced fabrics in Nigerian fashion collections is reshaping the industry’s creative direction, with prominent designers publicly committing to what advocates are calling the ‘Made-in-Nigeria’ movement ahead of the 2026 fashion season. Leading the charge are designers Kanyinsola Onalaja and Emmy Kasbit, both widely respected for their integration of traditional Nigerian textiles and intricate hand-crafted materials into contemporary silhouettes. Onalaja, whose Spring-Summer 2026 collection drew significant international attention, has spoken openly about the responsibility designers bear in preserving and amplifying Nigeria’s textile heritage, stating that working with local fabrics is fundamentally about telling authentic stories. The push centres on increasing the use of traditional materials such as aso-oke, adire, akwete and aso-ofi, which are produced by skilled artisans and weavers in communities across Ogun, Ondo, Kogi and Anambra states. Fashion analysts note that the movement carries both cultural and economic significance, creating livelihoods across the textile supply chain for producers, dyers, weavers and tailors who have long operated at the margins of the industry’s commercial success. Teni Majekodunmi of Eclectic Chique, whose brand sources 95 per cent of its raw materials locally, said the shift was critical to building a fashion ecosystem with long-term sustainability. The Lagos Fashion Week Woven Threads initiative, running 9-12 April, is expected to serve as the movement’s most prominent showcase yet.