Lagos Fashion Week has been named the winner of the 2025 Earthshot Prize in the “Build a Waste-Free World” category, earning global recognition for its transformative role in driving sustainability across Africa’s fashion industry.
The prestigious award was announced during a high-profile ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, where the Earthshot Prize highlighted Lagos Fashion Week as a cultural powerhouse reshaping industry standards through an African lens.
Africa’s Leading Fashion Platform Sets a Sustainability Benchmark
Founded in 2011 by Omoyemi Akerele, Lagos Fashion Week has grown into the continent’s most influential fashion event. Its sustainability-first model requires every participating designer to prove commitments in areas such as:
- Responsible material sourcing
- Eco-friendly dyeing and finishing
- Ethical garment production
- Low-impact logistics and transport
By embedding accountability into Africa’s most important fashion week, Lagos Fashion Week has effectively raised year-round sustainability expectations for brands across the continent.
£1 Million Prize to Support Expansion Across Africa
The £1 million Earthshot Prize award will help Lagos Fashion Week scale its circular and ethical model to more African cities. Expansion plans include Kigali, Dakar, and Accra, with a goal of replicating its framework across five African fashion weeks by 2030.
Earthshot Prize 2025: Other Category Winners
- Protect & Restore Nature – Re.green (Brazil): AI-driven restoration of the Atlantic Forest
- Clean Our Air – City of Bogotá (Colombia): Reduced pollution through electric buses and clean air zones
- Revive Our Oceans – High Seas Treaty (Global): World’s first treaty to protect high-sea marine ecosystems
- Fix Our Climate – Friendship (Bangladesh): Coastal resilience, mangrove restoration, and climate adaptation efforts
Driving a Waste-Free Future Through Fashion
As the winner for Build a Waste-Free World, Lagos Fashion Week was praised for reshaping how African brands design, produce, and distribute fashion. By enforcing sustainability at the continent’s most prominent industry event, organizers have accelerated broader adoption of responsible practices.
With Earthshot support, Lagos Fashion Week is set to deepen its continental influence — helping African fashion unlock a future where creativity, culture, and sustainability advance hand in hand.
