The month of October of every year in Lagos, Nigeria, the city is often awake not just because of its aquatic splendour, or the surviving mode the city has birthed into its habitats, but becomes a city of reckoning for fresh ideas, innovative talks, from professionals in the creative world visiting the city in their droves. The creative sector has once again taken the lead from fashion, Interior design, Architectural design, and more, hence, experiencing a surge of catalytic-rich content that will not only create a part of knowledge for both upcoming and established ones, but also redirect them to scale their crafts for economics.
At this juncture, allow your inquisitiveness to fly. What could have led to the huge attention to this city, amidst several qualities Lagos is known for? It's no other than Design Week Lagos 2025. Every year edition comes with a full package of events from the festival of product showcase from Nigerian designers and manufacturers exhibiting their great designs, giving a level playing ground to connect together, and of course, with their target audience.
The show has never been indifferent in its course over the years, as this year's edition gets better with fresh and new programmes that pique your conscious state to become active. Hence, it becomes a pilgrimage of knowledge, bringing people who are leaders of established knowledge and experience, like Nelly Wanji, Founder & Ceo of Moonlook, Bibi Seck, the renowned industrial designer and co-founder of bIRSEL+ Seck, and also Asrid Herbert, the founder, director of 3c group GMBH and many more, as they share and re-invent these ideas into our subconsciousness. And also not forgetting the Made By Design exhibition, and notably, companies like Problinds, Aretewood, Oriental effect, the makers of Antique design pots, just to mention a few, were present, thereby making the whole show a compact collection of ideas and innovation.
The HOG Team has never been late arriving at such an important convention. Upon arriving at Livspot Entertainment Center at Lekki, Lagos, we were inundated with quality talk sessions tagged ''The Design Week Talks. As an e-commerce company in the niche of furniture and furnishing, we couldn't wait to go into the world of the creatives. These industry-calibrating discussions evoke fresh ideas traversing from design education, storytelling, and innovating with traditional elements.
One of the talk sessions titled ''The Role of Design in Africa's Economic Future'' came to bear. This session was anchored by a journalist of repute, Stephanie Busari, seated with her were 4 panelists, namely, Bibi Seck, founder of Birsel + Seck, Lucy Anwunobi, an architect & Furniture manufacturer, Astrid Herbert, founder & director 3c Group. as they dissect the topic from different perspectives.
Design Education was part of the sub-topics discussed. And with the emergence of innovative hub centers spreading across the country, and platforms like Design Week, becoming a force of direction. Even in schools, the promotion of Sustainability and cultural relevance is gaining attention. According to Astrid Hebert, she encourages inclusivity of everybody, both designers and non-designers. She used the medium to also tell the upcoming designers, taking into cognizance the number of students from across the country who were in attendance, as she spurred them to become great in their pursuit of being independent designers of the future.
However, the topic went deeper, highlighting the traditional elements in design. Undoubtedly, traditional designs were not purely decorative — they tell stories and convey strong messages. They are, of course, characterized by symbolism, functionality, and also environmental adaptation. In architecture, the use of Motifs, carvings, and patterns often represented ancestry, or textiles, like adire, that depict personal identity or tribe. Meaning that embedding these elements in our designs comes with a meaning beyond aesthetics — it has become a language of identity.
So what then could have been the cause of neglect or depletion of their usage in our designs?
According to Lucy, she was blunt about her statement that many designers or craftsmen, as it were, have failed to evolve into being innovative in the direction of promoting our stories, but prefer copying prototypes of designs from Europe, thereby importing foreign cultures, and still competing in prices with the real manufacturers, hence impeding the scalability level for such designs. Other factors aside from over-reliance on importation, inadequate government intervention, and lack of industry were dissected. Nelly Wendji also elucidated on the point, bringing her over 20 years of practice in France to bear as she succinctly stated the reason why countries like Greece were able to become a multi-billion dollar market, creating time pieces which are of course in sync wth their heritage. She then advised that Africans must add some uniqueness of approach in their designs, which is to form a signature for their brand. She further stated '' the world did not know they needed Davido or Afrobeat. We should give our pieces to the world even when the world feels they don't need them; the purpose is to sustain identity.''
So far, while this conversation was ongoing, one cannot overimagine how much knowledge and ideas the audience would have been immersed in. It was then the time for the audience to ask questions. The first question was about how one can design for profit or for social change. While another was tilted towards designers in the rear discipline, like car designing in Nigeria, stating that there were no tangible enablers or platforms given to them to thrive. One of the panelists, Lucy, went all out in her submission, stating that any designer must look inward by bringing in real solution to myriads of problems that a developing nation like our is facing. she said '' you do not need to build a car, why nor build a tyre that can stand our potholes on the road '' she then concluded '' applying your design framework to our context will definitely make you good money'' And the hall respnded with a greate sound of applause.
After that sound and educative session, one would think that there would be no other ideas can further corroborate the earlier discussion not until the founder and CEO of Moonlook, mounted the podium to give her deep presentation as she unsparingly identify challenges or clogs in the wheel of progress of many craftmen, and also made an expose about the market reality and dynamics, customer preferences, as this serve as masteclass session for designers in their preparation as they aspire to scaling their designs for the global audience.
In her presentation, she made some cogent takeaway statements: " you're not only to design, but to open new conversation about your heritage," as she further stated, "what truly defines the way we sell ourselves as designers, is our language."
For educational journey purposes, it's of noteworthy to mention that we have some Nigerian great designers who have innovatively promoted our heritage through their crafts. From the space of architecture, Papa Omotayo, who draws inspiration from cultural storytelling into building local concepts like courtyards with natural ventilation, like that of one of his projects, the whitespace in Ikoyi, using earthly-based materials, mortif, local woodwork, and indigenous techniques in a minimalist modern expression. Others like Tosin Oshinowo also used the traditional aso-oke textiles for upholstery- merging traditional weaving with contemporary furniture forms, and many more. Innovating with traditional elements and still maintaining our cultural identity in architecture, fashion, product design, and visual arts represents more than just design; it’s a cultural renaissance where history must meet modernity.
Going further, she aptly identifies these 3 factors- cost, value, and perception as real challenges affecting many designers due to their lack of a proper understanding of these concepts in their craft. As she went further in her presentation, she every cost incurred in designing a piece of design is in the process of making it. While the value of such design(s) is in the name and story behind the design. She further said copying a product style from abroad and yet selling it at a price equivalent to that of the manufacturer is just you creating fun around such a design because such brands would have embedded a story around which you never had, but only doing it for aesthetics, while hoping that clients will jump at it. She, however, implores designers to embed identity in their works for uniqueness purposes, and to also seek professional advice in pricing and value approach
Even though the atmosphere was cool and relaxing, organizers did not fail in delivering an excellent show as they announced a short break for the audience to work around and connect either as Business-to-Business or Business-to-Customer while refreshing their bodies with edibles.
After a few minutes, the talk show then resumed in another pedestal of knowledge not only as ancillary, but to consummate previous thought and ideas which were previously shared into one golden marketable template.
And the topic ''Design capitals of Africa's posing influence'' then held sway as the proponents who were the panelists came from different backgrounds of the Arts. In no particular order, the great orator, Adebola Williams, Co-founder and CEO of Red, and Myles Igwebuike, founder & designer of the think tank. Garreth Van Niekerk & and Alan Hayward, both co-founders and creative directors at Decorx Africa, were all present.
The first question they were asked was titled to how they embody their cities in everyday works of life. The answer from the panelists, Adebola Williams, triggered another look to the art of design in a city, which he called "design perception about countries through storytelling." A quick research online espouses on the subject matter, a wave of creativity and intangible intelligence penetrating the fabric of this great nation. In this context, design is not just product-making, but a good perception of how we see ourselves differently. According to Adebola, " we do not need CNN and the rest of the foreign news media to tell us our story, but we are doing the narrative by ourselves as we, the people, are no longer bystanders."
Since the advent of social media, everybody is now a storyteller as each one carries its own design, language, rhythm, and soul. From Lagos energy in motion in yellow buses, Lagos celebrates survival. Kano, with its traditional architecture reflecting a long story of trade and craftsmanship, to Benin City, known for its artistry, shaping world history.
In reclaiming the narrative, for decades, design education and practice in Nigeria were seen through a Western framework, with no little contribution from our end. But presently, even the policy makers have caught the wave, with unprecedented policies from the announcement of not making it compulsory for students to sit for their A-level examination(JAMB) before gaining entrance into the University, and also stating that Math as a subject is no longer compulsory for students in the arts and humanities.
Adebola further stated that " We travel to cities due to emotional stories those cities evoke! Citing some examples, "l can be in London and still get scared of being knifed," he also said, "Regardless of this reality about London, l still find my way there often. Sometimes, cities are about functionality and opportunities. Nigeria as a nation, how many FDIs in million dollars have we missed as a nation due to bad news?" This means that our economic growth also depends on how ready we are to tell our stories.
Before this session came to an end, several challenges were identified, mitigating against the strong trade relationships between African countries, from stringent rules of payment of services or products, to logistics issues, to absence or inadequate policy making, and protection of crafts through trademarking them. In bringing the discussion to a good end, Adebola Williams left some words on marble as he said, " storytelling brings the world, IP protection, but quality and mass production bring the economics. Let's keep our eyes on economics.''
Author: Olatunji Olasehan
Olatunji Olasehan is an educationist by profession, but is currently a Merchant recruiter & Affiliate manager at HOG- Home. Office. Garden online marketplace. He just regained his long-time love for writing as he expresses himself in the mood of Art that stylishly depicts his nature, towards appreciating his evolving environment.
