The Afro Fashion Show 2025: Vantage Gent Blends Style, Storytelling, and Cultural Heritage

By Seun Emmanuel

The Afro Fashion Show 2025 was a vibrant celebration of style, identity, and cultural pride, held on Saturday, July 5th, from 3 to 9pm GMT+1 at the elegant Hilton Hotel, Deansgate, Manchester, UK. Now in its third glorious edition, the event brought together designers, models, fashion lovers, and creatives from across the UK and beyond for an unforgettable evening of Afro-Caribbean glamour. Guests arrived in style to a glamorous red carpet welcome, where the air buzzed with excitement, clinking glasses, and camera flashes. The show unfolded into a rich medley of fashion, from traditional African attire to trendy streetwear and evening gowns, brought to life by models of all shapes and sizes. Beyond the runway, the experience offered live music and dance performances, raffle prizes, canapés and drinks, and the joy of connection through networking, guest speakers, and a fun-filled photo booth. Wheelchair accessible and warm in spirit, the event was more than a fashion show, it was a powerful reminder of the beauty, creativity, and sophistication of Afro fashion, standing tall and shining bright on a global stage.

Nestled in the heart of Manchester, The Hilton, Deansgate, rises as a chic sentinel of luxury; its towering beautiful glass, reflecting the city’s dynamic spirit. This 23-story architectural gem, part of the Beetham Tower, commands the skyline with a blend of contemporary sophistication and urban grit, its sleek lines, a clingy tale to modern design. Inside, the hotel unveils a sanctuary of elegance—polished marble floors, plush interiors, and expansive windows that frame panoramic views of the city’s historic charm and bustling streets. Known for hosting high-profile events, its grand ballrooms and versatile spaces transform into runways or gala halls, where fashion and culture intertwine, making it a beacon for style enthusiasts and a poetic ode to Manchester’s evolving identity.

The runway at The Hilton, Deansgate, unfurls like a sleek, ebony ribbon beneath the soft glow of ambient lights, a stage where fashion’s boldest stories come alive. With its minimalist elegance, the smooth surface stretches confidently ahead, framed by warm, vertical drapes along the venue’s walls, shimmering in golden hues like a sunset over the Pennines. On either side, the catwalk, this long, stylish canvas, is lined with an audience watching intently, their vibrant outfits adding a burst of color to the scene. At the end, the backdrop, bearing the “Afro Fashion Show” logo and “The Vantage” emblem, pulses with cultural meaning. Its design, a beautiful blend of tradition and modern style, sets the tone and invites each model to tell their story through every poised, graceful step.

Vantage Gent, a colossal statue when fashion is sung in reverent tones, graced the runway of The Hilton, Deansgate, Manchester, UK with an awe-inspiring presence, and cultural splendor. One model embodied elegance in a deep charcoal or black outfit. Its ankle-length silhouette adorned with intricate embroidery, danced along the chest and sides like a midnight river, whispering tales of African heritage. Another strode forth in a rich cream grand boubou, with its wide sleeves billowing like soft clouds, and the delicate gold threadwork weaving a luxurious narrative of pride and tradition, which was crowned by a hearty-cheered fila. The other dazzled in a light kaftan or senegalese boubou, which its straight-cut form a canvas of subtle elegance, while the smooth fabric draped with a quiet grace, accented by an intricately patterned cap that echoed the soul of the culture. Together, these outfits, worn with human warmth and confidence, fused ancestral roots with a modern heartbeat, making Vantage Gent’s contribution to the Afro Fashion Show, 2025 a poetic celebration of identity and style.

Speaking of Vantage Gent’s collections, Al Kimba, in the Taj Mahal world of fashion chooses a silhouette of pride, and resilience, one who is being whispered about in lands beyond, and mountains above. This collection, supposedly named after that mythical white lion, a regal guardian of the savannah who embodies purity, power and purpose. This isn’t just a nostalgic nod. It’s a heartfelt reawakening, a personal reclamation that stitches narrative into every thread and transforms yesterday’s memories into today’s bold reality. As you slip into its flowing flawless robes, rippling like the lion’s poised stride, you feel the golden accents, which flicker like savannah sunlight. This collection turns you into a story of wild dignity and ancestral elegance that feels like home. Al Kimba redefines animal instinct as an elegant, yet gentle, graceful leadership. Its embroidery, tracing tribal markings and cuts, and echoing the powerful motion, urging you to step into your own sovereignty with every deep, confident print you leave behind. This isn’t merely fashion. It’s folklore woven into fabric. Al Kimba is a legacy that moves with you, inviting you not just to wear it, but to embody the lion’s throne of becoming.

Also, The Morocco Jalab emerges as a fashion collection that blends the timeless elegance of the Moroccan jellaba with modern trends, reimagining this classic robe as a versatile wardrobe staple that honors its cultural roots. While Nigerians or Africans, generally who are familiar with “Jalamia” would think they are the same, they aren’t. At its heart, the long, flowing silhouette offers grace and comfort, crafted from lightweight cottons and rich wools, now reimagined in silks and linens. The iconic hood, or qob, stands as a symbol of mystique. Intricate embroidery with geometric motifs and earth tones like clay and saffron reflect Moroccan craftsmanship, while the robe transcends gender, becoming loungewear or formal attire with quiet dignity. Beyond fashion, it evokes the beauty of Moroccan life: the call to prayer, the medina’s rustle, inviting you to wrap yourself in history and identity.

Vantage Gent’s Modern Vogue Collection redefines contemporary elegance for you. It weaves a visual manifesto that blends artistic expression, cultural fusion, and editorial poise, drawing inspiration from the glossy pages of that high-fashion magazine. Here, Vantage Gent makes the art of contrast come alive, where structured blazers soften with unexpected drapes, classic trousers stretch into asymmetrical hems, and gowns transform into wearable sculptures, crafted from liquid satins to structured neoprene that balance boldness and refinement. Colors anchor you with neutral tones like ivory and charcoal, punctuated by rebellious bursts of crimson or another colour. With mind-wriggling embellishments, such as pearls along a spine or metallic threads on a collar, this whispers confidence rather than demand attention. This inclusive collection speaks to your global identity, also, blending diverse influences. Ultimately, it’s a love letter to your evolving self: honoring and challenging crested fashion, inviting you to embody a living editorial that commands presence and declares: I am of the now, and I dress like it.

The Afro Fashion Show 2025 at the Hilton Deansgate, Manchester, was more than just a fashion show, it was a joyful, powerful celebration of culture, creativity, and identity. As a Community Interest Company, the event continues to amplify voices, unite communities, and push African fashion forward with heart and purpose. One standout was TheVantageGent, founded by Umar Abdulrasheed in 2018, a brand that beautifully reimagines traditional Nigerian wear for today’s confident, modern man. His pieces, rich in heritage and style, reminded us that fashion isn’t just about what you wear; it’s about where you come from, and who you’re becoming.