By Chinazam Ikechi-Uko.
Loud horns, beach bums, and lots of traffic; that is a regular Saturday evening in Lagos. For a road such as Water Co-operation Drive, the number of beach bums is tripled as well as the traffic. This is a result of its location, with a majestic view of the Atlantic Ocean, Water Co-operation Drive is home to several beaches, including the two leading entertainment beach spots- Landmark Leisure Beach and The Good Beach. Not to mention, the road is off- Ligali Ayorinde St, which boasts of having another trendy beach- Moist Beach. For this reason, Water Co-operation Drive is a nightmare for guests and one time, I sat in a car for hours before I could even make it out of one of the beaches. So for an event as global as GTCO fashion weekend, getting in was the greatest huddle I’ve experienced since the Taylor Swift Ticketmaster debacle. Similarly to the Taylor Swift Era’s tour madness, every obstacle I had to face was worth it, but why must I face Herculean tasks? Well, that’s the low but let’s start with the highs because it was as the French say– au septième ciel.
THE VENUE:
The annual fashion festival called GTCO Fashion Weekend kicked off the Detty december spirit on the 11th of November. The two-day fashion event is packed with several archetypes of Nigerian youths. With an attendee number of over 250,000 people, it is no surprise that the audience is not solely filled with fashion industry folk. As bees to honey, it is also an attraction site for Instagram influencers, skit makers and videographers alike. Of course, it is also a hotspot for fashion aficionados, rookies or simply enthusiasts. But that is not where the allure of GTCO Fashion Weekend stops.
Mazelle Studio at GTCO Fashion Weekend
THE HIGHS OF THE EXPERIENCE:
The Guaranty Trust Fashion Weekend (GTCOFW) is an annual event that showcases Nigerian and African fashion. It features retail exhibitions, masterclasses, and runway shows. The event is a great opportunity for fashion enthusiasts, business owners, and anyone interested in African fashion. Brands such as RENDOLL, Lady Maker, Fia Factory and Titi Bello had collection presentations. Whilst, Theophilo, Sergio Hudson, Huishan Zhang, Mazelle Studio, Ejiro Amos Tafiri, Banke Kuku, Bruce Glen, Torlowei, Loza Maleombho, Sukeina and Duaba Serwa held runway shows. This year, a streetwear exhibit titled “Streetwear Fashion Village” was included and brands such as David Blackmoore were available at the village.
David Blackmoore’s “Our Heroes Past” Tees.
A: STREETWEAR FASHION VILLAGE:
The GTCOFW has proven to be extremely lucrative for attendees and vendors alike so much so that by the late hours of the second afternoon, the streetwear brand, David Blackmoore had sold out every single item. I know this because as a huge fan of their latest collaboration (DB X The Sunflower department), I was hoping to snag a scarf or two. Upon my arrival, it was a ghost town in the village, most stalls mimicked the same sounds I heard when I stopped by the David Blackmoore one; all crickets, there was nothing left to market to me. For a streetwear retailer, I’d assume this was a high. However, I decided to speak to the person in charge to hear in his words how much of an experience this has been.
Q: Tell me about your role at the David Blackmoore stall.
G: My name is Gabriel, I work for DB, and we came to sell so I did exactly that, I sold DB merchandise.
Q: What item created the biggest rush?
G: “Our Heroes Past” was the most in-demand item. It is a graphic tee of past heroes of Nigeria.
Q: So how would you describe DB and its impact as a streetwear brand?
G: You know DB has been around for a few years now; they’ve created a sense of signature style. There are the popular tie-dye denim looks are very unique and having something new is great.
Q: What has been your favourite part of the GTCOFW?
G: It was selling out and seeing people be so excited to buy our brand. Their smiles and lovely words meant a lot to me.
GTCOFW allows retailers to connect with customers on a physical level, which is increasingly rare in today’s tech-dominated world. The streetwear village was not the sole nouvelle addition to the lineup of GTCOFW activities.
B: THE MODEL SEARCH:
GTCOFW decided to expand its horizon for its talent search. The company put on a continental search for models on Instagram. With an ad led by Nigerian supermodel, Adesuwa Aighewi, GTCO announced that any woman above 18 years old and at least 5’9 in height stood a chance to walk the show. So I was not surprised when I bumped into a group of women who managed to reply to my flawed Amharic. Fortunately, their English was nothing like my Amharic and when I asked about the event, one responded, “The application was not easy, we had to go through various steps after the virtual application but it was worth it.” Another said to me, “This is my first year as a ‘model’ and I am glad to be in Nigeria and modelling for these brands.”
Slowly, Lagos has crept its way into becoming one of the top fashion capitals of the world with powerhouse publications such as Vogue, Dazed and Nylon keeping tabs on its fashion scene. As a fashion capital, it was only a matter of time until the fashion season was filled with international models and GTCOFW lit the first torch.
C: THE MASTERCLASSES:
Whilst the recent additions to the GTCOFW, one would have forgotten the focal points of the events, except, GTCOFW makes that next to impossible. They may add street performers, tarot card readers (I hope they do this someday), and all manner of festival attractions but they will never steer away from their masterclasses and exhibitions.
GTCOFW has steadily brought the best of the best fashion and beauty figures to educate starry-eyed adults. In 2019, I took an OPay ride across the 3rd mainland bridge to listen to Law Roach speak on styling or in his words, “image architecting.” This year, I walked on stones and beach sand in 5-inch heels and used the pretty privilege card to get ahead in a line to listen to Sergio Hudson and then Jawara.
Fashion designer, Sergio Hudson taught a masterclass on the first day. Sergio Hudson is a renowned designer whose outfits have been spotted on the likes of A-listers such as Mary J Blige, Rihanna, and Shania Twain. His masterclass took us on a journey through his career as a designer. He also shared his thoughts on Nigerians whom he found to be extremely nice.
Next, I jumped a few lines to get into Jawara’s masterclass. Jawara is the Senior Beauty Editor at Large at i-D magazine, as well as a global hairstylist. You’ve most likely seen a hair he has styled at least thrice in your life. Ever seen Rihanna’s Vogue cover (the one that got a sculpture of it placed at the Met Museum)? Yes, that was him. Beyonce’s British Vogue cover to announce her Renaissance album? Also, he. Bella Hadid’s Vogue cover (the one that trended because she made a reveal about her nose)? Jawara.
Jawara conducted a hairstyling masterclass, discussing industry do’s and don’ts. During a live presentation, he styled an African hairdo, and he joked about it being ironic to showcase it to Africans. The audience amused him by revealing that the hairstyle he was creating is known as “shuku” in their culture. Jawara embarked on an enthusiastic exploration, eager to learn everything about the shuku hairstyle’s origins, discovering that its etymology stems from the Yoruba word for baskets, woven upwards to resemble the shuku style.
I will be honest and confess I missed the masterclass the next day. This is a sad memory for me because The Jourdan Dunn had a masterclass. Jourdan Dunn, a British supermodel from the 2010s, the model who was the first black model in 12 years to cover British Vogue, the model who is strutting around in Beyonce’s music video for Yonce while Beyonce sings “See Me Up in the Club with fifty-eleven girls.” I did watch a few clips on her Instagram, and she spoke about mental health and the industry. She spoke about how she built a detachment from herself and her job. A model’s job depends on their looks, yes, but she learnt not to take it personally if you are not a designer’s vision because it does not mean anything about her. It just means she did not fit that job and the connection was not there.
I also missed the Sir John one. After all, his came before Dunn’s. However, that’s the best part about technology, there is always a tape. This brings us to our next high: The use of technology to ensure no one is left out. GTCOFW held a live story of the masterclasses so although I could not be there in person, I am fully aware of what went on during Sir John’s masterclass.
Sir John is a make-up artist and you guessed it, he is the make-up artist and creative collaborator of Beyonce. Thanks to Beyonce’s love of having the creme de la creme in every industry, GTCO knows exactly who to contact. Sir John’s masterclass was on the importance of skincare when using makeup products while building undetectable coverage.
D: THE EXHIBITS AND SCREENS:
The masterclasses were not the only parts that GTCO got on tape, the runway show itself was displayed on screens placed all over the exhibition hall. So maybe you did not get into the runway hall because you had church and by the time you arrived at the scene the doors were shut. At least, you can watch the screens and eat with friends.
So we have covered most of the highs, the last high would be the exhibitions themselves. GTCOFW had a host of hundreds of vendors and they were satisfied with the weekend. I spoke to CHEY MADU, who runs a jewellery brand called Nonye Official. Nonye Official was a first-time vendor at GTCOFW and she was delighted with the success of the exhibits.
THE LOWS:
This leaves us with the lows: getting to the event centre. This has been a battle for GTCOFW but after a few years, one would assume they’d have a solution by now – the hellscape that is getting into the venue. Next, the lack of network at the centre makes getting a ride out of the location feels like the stages of hell Dante wrote about.
In essence, while the GTCO Fashion Weekend thrived in showcasing fashion, talent, and education, the persistent logistical challenges of getting to and from the venue remained a significant downside.