African dresses have slowly made their way to the popular US High school prom culture, a rite of passage for high school graduates in Western countries.
US Prom Events
Prom (short for promenade) is a traditional high school formal dance in the United States, usually held for juniors (11th grade) and seniors (12th grade) between late spring (April–June), near the end of the academic year.
Students wear formal outfits—girls often wear evening gowns, while boys usually wear tuxedos or suits for the event, which serves as informal dates for such students.
Prom is often held in school gyms, banquet halls, hotels, or event centers. The event typically includes: Promposals (creative ways of asking someone to prom), Prom court, with a Prom King and Queen crowned, Dinner, music, and dancing.
Students typically arrive in limousines or other luxury rides is common with professional photos and keepsakes usually part of the night.
Rise of African Dresses
The recent appeal for African dresses as prom dresses is tied to a lot of African Americans trying to express their identity and feel close to their roots during prom. Students of other nationalities have also caught on with African dresses going mainstream.
This newly found interest in African dresses has led to a booming business for fashion designers in Africa who now have to cater to large orders during prom. Popular styles requested include corseted bodices, high slits, feathered trains, detachable capes and beaded sleeves. Some are inspired by Met Gala themes, Yoruba bridal looks or Afrofuturist aesthetics.
The BBC spoke to five fashion designers in Nigeria and Ghana who, in all, fulfilled more than 2,800 orders for prom dresses during the 2025 season, most of them bound for the US.
Designer Shakirat Arigbabu and her team, based in Ibadan, were responsible for 1,500 of those as she has carved a unique niche for herself.
“Ninety-eight per cent of dresses we made went to the US. We were working in shifts, just to meet deadlines,” she noted
Her business, Keerah’s Fashion Cave had her first major prom order in 2019 for 50 dresses and by 2024, the orders passed 500 with triple that figure in 2025.
Business has also boomed for other designers like Victoria Ani who is based in Uyo, Akwa Ibom Nigeria and Accra-based Ghanaian designer Efua Mensah.
Victoria Ani says she has shipped more than 200 gowns to New York, New Jersey and California, while Efua Mensah added that the prom season has become a reliable sales cycle for businesses like hers.
