The Best Fashion Moments in Afrobeats Videos This Year

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Lagos Fashion Week 2025, which kicked off on the 29th of October, has come with its usual thrills. As usual, in the lead-up to fashion week, the air buzzed with excitement and a litany of questions; among them, the question of what new sartorial innovations the designers would serve us this year. If the relatively insipid air at recent global fashion weeks, including New York and Paris, prompted a bit of worry about Lagos Fashion Week among fashion enthusiasts and critics, the wonderful displays of the past few days have not only put us all at ease but stirred a flurry of excitement. Several moments from Lagos Fashion Week have jolted social media, stirring spirited conversations and debates.

Take the case of American singer-songwriter Ciara, who looked stunning as she walked for FRUCHÉ wearing a luxuriant red gown and gele combo. The source of rancor? Well, the organizers made the rather curious choice of soundtracking her walk to Akanchawa, a classic Nigerian song that has, in the past few years, taken on something of a parodic tone as skitmakers and meme accounts have adopted it as an anthem.

Among my favorite shows are Studio Imo’s, which leaned into geometric silhouettes, clean lines, and sedate colors, conferring elegance with a modernist spin. Imad Eduso is another brand that impressed. The show brought a gale of fresh air to traditional Benin fashion. Here, ancient red and white motifs, soft suede fabric, and beads—all elements of traditional Benin culture—dovetailed with more contemporary aesthetics.

Dwin the Stoic, a Lagos-based musician-poet, walking for Studio Imo is another moment that served. His outfit—a colorful floor-length crocheted robe paired with brown pants and shoes —was breathtakingly gorgeous. For their debut show, Street Souk served a convincing futuristic perspective on street style. The brand also stirred excitement in other ways. Among their models were the trio of Fresh L, Taves, and Smada—all of whom are Nigerian artists. Going off on a slight tangent, the internet has had its share of teasing Smada, whose walk has been labeled stiff and mechanical. In all fairness, he just might deserve all the banter they’ve lobbed at him; his hands were glued to the front of his thighs throughout his walk.

Music, as always, has played a significant role in Lagos Fashion Week. Last year, we watched Davido dazzle as he strutted down the runway for Ugo Monye, wearing a beige color royal outfit, complete with neck beads, a complementary brown hat, and a priapic scepter. This year, we’ve been treated to a glittering cast of stars including Dwin The Stoic, Ciara, Taves, Smada, and Fresh L, among others. Songs like Njideka Okeke’s classic, Akanchawa, and Zaylevelten’s Fly also roused excitement and scrutiny in equal measure. In all of these, one thing is clear: music has played a major role in this edition of the Lagos Fashion Week.

In the spirit of celebrating and foregrounding the areas of intersection between music and fashion, Deeds Magazine has curated a list of the best fashion moments in Afrobeats videos this year. From Rema’s Fun, which finds the 25-year-old superstar in a crisp white Bola PSD polo shirt—this look absolutely broke the internet—to Ayra Star wearing a bikini emblazoned with the colors of the Nigerian flag in the video of Hot Body, here is the definitive list of the best fashion moments in Afrobeats videos!

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Rema Rocking Bola PSD in Fun Video