Once upon a runway, long before Ankara prints swaggered across Paris or Lagos-style ruled the racks in Selfridges, one woman spun a dream from wax print and royal heritage and dared the world to watch.
That woman is Queen Ronke Ademiluyi-Ogunwusi, and this year, she is celebrating 15 years of Africa Fashion Week London (AFWL), the flagship festival that turned a fledgling idea into a movement, and then into a marketplace of power, pride, and pattern. Not bad for a monarch who moonlights as fashion’s fiercest fairy godmother.
When Queen Ronke launched AFWL in 2011, most global fashion houses barely raised an eyebrow at African creativity. It wasn’t “luxury” enough. Not “global” enough. But Her Majesty, part Nigerian royalty, part British-trained lawyer, full-time cultural force, had seen the future, and it was draped in Kente.
Fast forward 15 fast-paced years: AFWL has platformed over 1,000 designers and artisans, flung open palace doors for beadwork, batik, and bold silhouettes, and established itself as the definitive showcase of African fashion excellence in Europe. “It’s more than a runway,” the Queen says. “It’s a revolution.”
Indeed, from fashion forums to mentoring schemes with the University of Northampton, and digital programs with Henley Business School and Parsons New York, AFWL hasn’t just dressed the world – it’s educated it.
And the empire keeps expanding. There’s Africa Fashion Week Nigeria. Africa Fashion Week Brazil, documentaries, textile hubs, musicals, and awards. Queen Ronke has built a veritable Versailles of African culture, with every hemline stitched with purpose – empowerment, education, entrepreneurship.
Fifteen years later, the gamble has become gospel. As the Queen herself put it, “We believed in our heritage when no one else would.” Today, the world is catching up, catwalking to a rhythm she composed, one outfit at a time.
And to that, one is right to say: long may she reign – in silk, sequins, and sass.
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