Meet the five Nigerian fashion creators redefining African vogue

Nigerian fashion is diverse, unique and is renowned for reflecting the nuances of the many, varied ethnic groups, religions and cultures that call the African country home. 

Fashion creators with channels on YouTube are constantly educating, inspiring or entertaining with their creativity, as is evident in the popularity of their videos.

YouTube has proven to be an important platform for  Nigerian fashion creators to get noticed, grow their brand and reach an audience far beyond what traditional channels would typically allow for.

Nigerians love incorporating traditional fashion elements into their everyday look. Whether it’s something simple or a piece that shouts avante garde, the fashion creations in these videos effortlessly reflect the nuances of a rich urban and social culture.

Both men and women can often be seen sporting pieces that incorporate ornaments, embellishments, patterns and bold colours. Classically geometric or an eye-catching floral design, Nigerian street fashion oozes fantasy and creativity.

Meet five Nigerian fashion creators who are producing content that shows users easy ways to create these iconic looks and fashion statements.

Bilikis Signatures

Bold, stylish and colourful, it’s easy to see what Bilikis Signatures’ 163K subscribers are drawn to. In just two-and-a-half years her content has been viewed more than 12 million times, proof that her videos are relevant, engaging and exactly what the audience wants. The channel is dedicated to sharing fashion video tutorials for enthusiasts and designers. Visitors on the channel can learn everything from “How to make a bustier top with cups” to “How to work with fraying lining”, “How to make a stylish kimono maxi dress” or “How to make an easily detachable peplum”, among other things. Whatever your style, Bilikis Signatures will inspire you if you love making women’s clothes.

Cynthia A.

Hair, beauty, DIY and more, Cynthia A’s 103K subscribers can’t get enough of the how-to content she shares. Since launching in July 2011, Cynthia’s videos have been viewed more than 7 million times. The comprehensive video tutorials demonstrate everything from “How to make a circle cape dress”, to “How to make a pencil skirt with Ankara fabric”, “How to make a princess draft blouse” and many others.

Debonke House of Fashion

In the three years that this channel has been active, it has attracted close to 80K subscribers. More significantly, Debonke House of Fashion’s content has been viewed more than 12 million times. The channel is a smorgasbord of dress ideas for both women and children in unique Ankara and Aso Ebi styles. It’s equally appealing to both designers and enthusiasts alike, and is always focussed on giving users the best African dress ideas for style and confidence.

e-Fashion World

With 129K subscribers and close to 14 million video views e-Fashion World is one of Nigeria’s biggest fashion creator channels on YouTube. It’s an all encompassing platform that offers content around beauty and health in addition to fashion.

Since joining the channel in November 2016, e-Fashion World has become one of the foremost online fashion hubs in the country with a major focus on African print designs. The channel’s mission is to promote the uniqueness of African design and fashion by showcasing the work of a variety of talented, highly creative designers and creators.

NaijaGlamWedding

Stylish, savvy and oozing creativity, NaijaGlamWedding is a digital wedding planning magazine, and one of a kind in Nigeria. It’s for brides, grooms and anybody else looking for ideas and inspiration on how to best plan and design their own Nigerian wedding.

The NaijaGlamWedding YouTube channel, which has been around since September 2013, has close to 14K subscribers and the videos have been viewed more than 4 million times. Advice, tools, tips and more, this channel is all about helping viewers bring their wedding day dreams to life without having to reach too deeply into their pockets. In their own words, Nigerians love “loud and classy wedding events” and the content here helps users achieve that – the DIY way.

NaijaGlamWedding’s videos are as entertaining as they are educational and instructional, and certainly work to make Nigerian fashion more accessible to the world.