Large Well Lighted Billiard Room With Five Tables Full Size
Her Royal Majesty Queen Ronke Ademiluyi-Ogunwusi of Ife arrives with her entourage mid afternoon at 8 Northumberland Avenue as tourists and passersby pause to watch. It’s been a traffic stopping day with morning pavement fashion shoots and the constant stream of exquisitely styled models and muses.
Welcome to Africa Fashion Week London the 16th Edition.
Founder Queen Ronke speaks, “It’s good to see you again. This year, 2026, is a milestone – 16 years of Africa Fashion Week London – and for that my heart is full of gratitude to be granted the strength, the health, the support and the opportunity to do this year after year is nothing short of God’s blessing. Thank you.”
“Our culture is rooted in who we are so thank you so much for being here today. Back in 2011 when we started, the question we heard the most was ‘Will it last?’ But look at us today, 16 years on, we are still here! We’re here because of all of you who support the platform, who show up. Thank you very much.”
“Consistency. Consistency is one thing we have maintained over 16 years and that consistency has earned us the trust of our designers, the loyalty of our sponsors and partners, and most importantly has built incredible designers and an incredible platform.”
“That brings me to say a special thank you to His Imperial Majesty the 51st Ooni of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, for your unwavering support for Africa Fashion Week London. We see you, we honour you, and we appreciate you Your Majesty.”
Queen Ronke married into Nigerian royalty – the 51st Ooni of Ife is her husband – but she was born blue blooded. She’s the great granddaughter of the 48th King of Ile-Ife, Ooni Ajagun Ademiluyi. Her late father was a lawyer; her aunt is a retired judge.
“But I realised I could practise law in a different court — the court of culture and creativity. Fashion is also advocacy. We advocate for our artisans, our weavers, our young designers, for jobs, for exports, for identity. So I didn’t leave the law behind. I just put on a different robe. The robe of a cultural ambassador.”
“Growing up I watched seamstresses turn clothes into identity. For us, fashion was never just what you wore. It was language. It was history. It was pride. This is what inspired me because as a Princess Royal of Ile-Ife I was born into a culture that wears its heritage and I saw how powerful our textiles were yet how invisible they were on the global stage. I knew one day I had to change that.”
Enter Africa Fashion Week London the 1st Edition.
“We’ve represented more than 30 African countries plus designers from the UK, US and Caribbean who are all celebrating African heritage. It’s truly pan African. Education is one of the platform’s defining pillars. This year we are showcasing the work of Winchester School of Art graduates.”
“Creativity is our strength but talent alone is no longer enough. Designers also need business knowledge, technical expertise, digital skills, sustainability awareness and access to international networks. I learnt that you have to be the one to open the door and then hold it open for others.”
“The creativity has always been there. The stories have always been rich. What excites me now is that African and African diaspora designers are no longer asking for a seat at the table. They are building their own tables. They’re fusing heritage with innovation. They’re telling Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa stories in silhouettes.”
“Our industry is one of the most sustainable in the world. Our artisans make clothes in small batches. We upcycle. We use natural dyes. We’ve been sustainable before it was a buzzword. African fashion is not just meant for Africans only.”
“Fashion is universal. A good cut, a good story, transcends race. Our goal is for African fashion to be worn because it’s beautiful, not just because it’s African. We are not waiting to be validated. We are here. We are luxury. We are now.”
The venue of this year’s catwalk shows and retail emporium is appropriately flamboyant. Hotel Victoria, 8 Northumberland Avenue, between Trafalgar Square and Embankment, opened in 1887. The entrance hall of this 500 bedroom palace of hospitality designed by the architectural partnership Lewis Isaacs and Henry Florence is faced with 15 types of Italian marble.
After decades of neglect, the building has returned to hotel use while the ground floor Old Ballroom and basement Old Billiard Room are now exhibition spaces. Today, the former is all about shopping; the latter, catwalking. As ever, behind the scenes is Anna-Marie Benedict.
The polymath – events producer, art director, media operator, talent scout – has worked with Africa Fashion Week London for the last nine years. After graduating from the University of the Arts London in 1992, she spent 15 years in the Civil Service working in a variety of departments including the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the London Mayor’s Cultural Department. But an independent role in the private sector called.
A week of creative industry panels and masterclasses as well as exhibitions reaches a climax with three impressive catwalks on the Saturday: 2pm New Talent; 4pm Next Generation; and 7pm VIP opening with Mary Martin London’s spectacular gala.
Filmmaker and journalist Janet Lawrence of the Royal Television Society beams: “The hordes of camera crew at the end of the catwalk remind me of my days in Reuters. I’m really looking forward to seeing Mary Martin’s fashion and all the other designers!”
Beautiful girls and guys are made even more so thanks to the skills of Karen Messam Makeup Artistry. Up and coming hitsters include La’baleo Collections putting Lagos into London menswear; Elegant Dolls reinventing the white dress; Komeh Swish jumping through hoops; Adubuah Studios deconstructing the shirt and tie ensemble; and The Main Play bringing back the balaclava with brio.
London Fashion Week pales in comparison.
