Nigeria Fashion Week 2026 will debut in Abuja from 1 to 4 October. More than 40 Nigerian and international designers will showcase their work. The Chief Executive Officer of the event, Lexy Mojo-Eyes, disclosed this in an interview on Tuesday. The four-day event will hold at the Soul Lounge Resort in Jahi. It is part of activities marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Day.
Nigeria Fashion Week has been held in Lagos for years. It is an annual platform that brings together designers, entrepreneurs and stakeholders. The event showcases Nigerian fashion and promotes industry development. Lagos has been the hub of Nigerian fashion. The industry has grown rapidly. Nigerian designers now show at international events. The creative economy is a government priority. The sector generates revenue and employment.
Mojo-Eyes said the decision to move the event from Lagos to Abuja was deliberate. “It will give Nigerian designers an opportunity to reinvent themselves, discover themselves and excel,” he said. “It will also welcome international designers. This year altogether, we have over 40 designers showcasing both Nigerian and international designs.”
The event opens on 1 October with a welcome cocktail in collaboration with the Africa Business Club. The official opening takes place on 2 October. It will be co-hosted by the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy. Three runway shows will hold daily during the first two days. They will feature different designers at noon, 3 pm and 6 pm. Fashion entrepreneurs will exhibit their products alongside the runway shows.
The final day focuses on the business side of fashion. The Nigeria Fashion Entrepreneurial Forum will hold from 9 am to 4 pm on 4 October. It will bring together policymakers, financial institutions, fashion entrepreneurs and international buyers. “It is not just the showcase or the creativity, but to turn creativity into entrepreneurship, into business,” Mojo-Eyes said. The event concludes with the Nigeria Fashion Awards and Gala Fashion Night at 6 pm. The awards will recognise stakeholders who contributed to the growth of the industry.
Winners: Nigerian designers, who gain a wider platform. Abuja, which gains cultural tourism. The creative economy, which gains visibility. International designers, who gain access to the Nigerian market. Losers: Lagos, which loses the event. Designers not selected. Critics who see fashion as frivolous. No serious losers if the event delivers.
Bottom Line: Nigeria Fashion Week moves to Abuja. Forty designers will showcase. The focus is entrepreneurship, not just creativity. The event is a platform. The business forum is the test.