Defining Fashion
When
the word fashion is spoken some of the things that comes to mind are; vogue,
trend, craze, rage, mania, mode, fad, fancy, style etc. I asked a friend what
fashion meant to her and she simply said “Fashion is way deeper than trend; Fashion
for me is therapy; It is the sum total of my appearance and personality; It is
me in a summary”. People considered fashion a very personal matter until the
conversation.
The Fashion Industry
Fashion
communicates in different languages to people differently. It cannot be
divulged from everyday life. It is doubtlessly a big industry all over the
globe. A report by the Telegraph on the 14th of Feb. 2014, reads
that “the new figures published by the British Fashion Council on the first day
of London Fashion Week value the fashion industry's contribution to the UK
economy at £26 billion”. It is no
surprise then why these brands are worth a fortune; Zara $20.2 billion, Nike $15.8 billion, H&M $12.7
billion, Ralph Lauren $5.6
billion, Adidas $4.88
billion, Uniqlo $4.63 billion, Next $4.12 billion, Lululemon $3.76 billion, Hugo Boss $3.52 billion, Calvin Klein $1.8 billion. I will
not fail to mention Louis vuitton, Versace, Moschino, Mark and Spencer, Gucci
on the list. These and many more fashion brands are major catalysts that make
developed economies like America, UK tick.
The Nigerian Fashion Industry
The
Nigerian fashion industry is at its teething phase. It is a budding sector that
is beginning to attract the foreign scene. The just concluded African Fashion
Week which Nigeria hosted between 17th and 18th May 2014 at the Eko
Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos recorded a great success. The platform
gave budding designers opportunity to flaunt their designs. It is imperative to
note at this point that there are certain structures and sectors that make-up a
fashion industry, and there are designers other than those involved in high
fashion that cater to consumers. The fashion industry is divided into the
creative and the sales function, that is, design and production on one side and
sales and distribution on the other.
Inside the Nigerian Fashion
Industry
Nigerian
Fashion industry is a fast growing sector. As the wave of cultural innovation
swept through the nation, the need to consume and promote local content increased.
This sensitization gave the creative industry the wing to soar. Ankara made
shoes, clothes, bags, bracelets etc became the norm. Nigerians now promote made
in Nigerian products. This factor was led to the rise of designers in Nigeria. It
is now one of Nigeria’s fastest growing industries.
What makes the Nigeria Fashion
scene tick!
Aside
from the fact that most Nigerians are trendy and love fashion, the population
is a major plus to the growth of the industry. The population which is
approximated to be about 170,000,000 people leans heavily towards youths
between the ages on 18 and 45. Nigerian population of predominated by youths. These
youths consumes fashion immensely as a way of expressing their identity. The
Nigerian fashion industry is a big deal that should be watched out for
Ryta
Moemeke
