Where Adire Heritage Meets Afrofuturist Imagination

Lagos Fashion Week is a recognised contributor to promoting a more sustainable global fashion industry, and Lagos Fashion Week 2025 was no different. In every edition, there is always a brand that stands out through its pieces. One such brand was PepperRow, as it caught my attention on the runway.

PepperRow is a clothing label founded by creative director Omafume “Mafu” Niemogha, with Ifeanyichukwu Henry Ogbui serving as Lead Design Director. Together, they guide the brand’s creative vision, working directly with local artisans across Nigeria to embed heritage techniques into garments designed to be lived in, not just admired on a runway. PepperRow tells African stories not with pity or overused clichés, but with power, celebration, and quiet confidence.

At Lagos Fashion Week 2025, the 15th anniversary edition, held in Lagos from the 29th of October to the 2nd of November under the theme “In Full Bloom”, PepperRow presented JIGGY SPACE CLUB on Day 2 of the runway schedule. JIGGY SPACE made a clear argument for what African neo-luxury fashion can look like by blending conceptual, high-fashion storytelling with meticulous craftsmanship and structural design. 

The opening lineup arrived in a wave of vibrant prints and elegant draping. Each dress used a time-honoured resist dye technique, with each floral motif carefully drawn by hand. What was apparent was not the colour but the simplicity behind the construction. Each fabric represents hours of labour, skill, and enduring heritage.

The first was a PepperRow’s Adire stunning multi-piece outfit in a deep shade of blue. The silhouette delivers a refined yet relaxed structure. The coordinated pieces looked good together, making it suitable for cultural events, brunch dates, Sunday outings, or casual office days. This collection’s inspiration stems from traditional Adire fabric, which combines a modern design with cultural edge, creating an effortless elegance.

The second piece was Pepper Row’s blue Adire ensemble carrying the imprint “WIFE,” and this is where the design language sharpened considerably. The column silhouette reflected a design aesthetic centred on precision, structure, and purposeful, minimalist form. The fabric was structured enough to hold the batik figures, and the “WIFE” inscription clearly shows that the choice of a cloth with enough body to carry the print without losing the integrity of the hand-drawn lines. This is not an everyday piece. It is a dress designed for moments like traditional introduction ceremonies, engagement parties, cultural festivals, or any occasion where identity needs to speak before words do. It was deeply inspired by the African wife, the woman who wears her title not just as a name but as a crown. This made this piece a statement piece.

The third piece, the printed satin kaftan, exposes a fitting inconsistency under light. The choice of satin is key. It ensures the kaftan moves fluidly, offering a silky-smooth touch and showing a relaxed silhouette. The material allows the garment to drape gracefully over the body, providing both comfort and an elevated appearance. It works for birthday parties, casual office settings, or a dinner out, that is, occasions where ease and elegance are required in equal measure.

RECOMMENDATION: For both the Adire multiple-piece and the WIFE imprinted dress, a very important component was missing, which was tight control for the torso that would have accentuated the figures well enough. For pieces this culturally significant, the fit must be as precise as the narrative. A garment that tells a powerful story but sits loosely on the body undermines its own authority.. For the printed satin kaftan, to fix the inconsistency under light, I would suggest tightening up the fabric tension during production or adjusting the print alignment.

The second lineup featured both female and male pieces from the PepperRow collection.
The first was a pair of wide-leg, high-waisted trousers in a relaxed, flowing fit. This collection merges African heritage with intergalactic vibes, as seen often in the palazzo pants with bold graphic prints and celestial motifs, embodying the essence of “Afrofuturism,” complemented by an oversized, multi-colored floppy hat and a beaded necklace, which created a high-fashion, “fearless” energy. Wide-leg palazzo cuts require precise waistband construction to prevent the fabric from dropping or shifting at the hip. Here, the high waist was well-structured and held the volume.

The second piece was a long-sleeved tunic in a sophisticated, repetitive graphic print. The relaxed but structured fit demonstrated a controlled understanding of ease; the garment had room to move without losing its silhouette. The earthy tones worked in the print’s favour, making the busy pattern feel grounded rather than chaotic. It will be perfectly suitable for an upscale cultural festival, luxury resort wear, or a stylish brunch.

The third was a two-piece set in wavy, zebra-like earth-toned stripe patterns. The top was a draped short-sleeved crop with horizontal wave-like patterns, while the skirt featured vertical swirling line designs with a prominent raffia fringe detail running down the side. The raffia fringe was the most interesting construction detail in the entire collection, placing a raw, earthy material against structured hand-painted fabric, which created a high-fashion meets heritage tension that felt authentic to West African luxury. This piece works beautifully for a beach or garden wedding with a Tropical Chic or Aso-Ebi Glam dress code.

These “Fearless Fusion” pieces embody the inspiration behind PepperRow’s collections, blending traditional African elements with modern, bold design to create a unique, unapologetic style that celebrates heritage culturally and contemporarily.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
The first look could be made more wearable for a non-runway setting, if the extreme hat should be swapped for a simpler bucket hat or removed entirely to let the unique pattern of the trousers be the focal point.

The tunic’s sleeve length also needs revisiting; the cuff hits at an awkward point on the wrist that neither reads as full-length nor intentionally cropped.

On the third look, the raffia fringe application along only one side of the skirt created a visual imbalance. Either a centre-front placement or both sides would have given the garment better symmetry.

The final moment on the Pepper Row runway was all shades of beautiful, showcasing the “moving gallery” of contemporary African fashion.
The ranges were amazing. A crisp white oversized blazer walking beside a softly draped gown. Bold, saturated prints shared the same runway with quiet pastels. The hand-painted floral dress with gold beadwork, the harlequin check, the blush pink drape, all blending structure with fluid movement so well.

At the heart of this collection was a deep commitment to traditional African craftsmanship. Every outfit carried the evidence of human hands; hand-painted artisanal details, and heritage techniques, all reimagined for a global, modern context.

RECOMMENDATION
While the collection successfully merges urban sophistication with indigenous handicraft, the white oversized blazer and trouser set was the most technically accomplished tailoring in the collection, but also felt slightly disconnected from the rest of the collection. The canvas construction, clean lapel, and structured shoulder demonstrated genuine tailoring skill, but the garment carried none of the brand’s visual language. No hand-painted detail, no Adire reference, no textural element that said Pepper Row. In a collection built on the visibility of craft, a completely unembellished tailored piece read as a gap in the narrative. A subtle hand-painted detail on the lapel, a beaded button, or a small Adire patch at the pocket would have resolved this without compromising the silhouette.
The white outfit further down the line had the same issue; however, it was complemented with a cap. A subtle hand-painted detail on the lapel, a beaded button, or even a small adire patch would have tied it into the collection’s identity without taking away its clean silhouette.
INDUSTRY RELEVANCE

Pepper Row’s “JIGGY SPACE CLUB” has carved a unique path in the fashion industry with its neo-luxury sustainable fashion brand that is merging high-end aesthetics with ethical production and utilising a zero-waste approach, all inspired by a desire to make a meaningful impact by showcasing indigenous craftsmanship and promoting African stories through collaboration with and upskilling local artisans across Nigeria (in Lagos, Abeokuta, and Ibadan). PepperRow’s blend of traditional Adire fabrics and modern silhouettes positions them as a unique player in the fashion landscape, like Stella Jean’s fusion of Italian and African influences. PepperRow brings a distinct West African narrative to global fashion, setting them apart in the luxury and contemporary markets.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Pepper Row is on the rise, and JIGGY SPACE CLUB is the proof. As a neo-luxury brand, Pepper Row emphasises sustainable fashion practices, utilising organic materials and building an ecosystem around fresh talent and genuine craft. Every piece on that runway carried the evidence of human hands, from the ‘WIFE’ imprinted Adire dress to the raffia fringe two-piece.

There is still room to refine. The fit discipline across several pieces needs to match the ambition of the concepts behind them. The construction logic, while often strong, was inconsistent; some pieces demonstrated a mature understanding of textile behaviour and silhouette control, while others revealed that the toile process was cut short. A collection this culturally significant deserves the same rigour in the fitting room as it receives at the design stage.

The future of African neo-luxury fashion is being built by brands willing to hold craft and construction to the same standard as concept and culture. Pepper Row has the vision. The work now is ensuring the execution is as precise as the story it is telling.

Abisola Omolade