INAUGURAL DESIGN WEEK LAGOS: “Lagos 2099: Redefining the Narrative”

Design Week Lagos, a group of committed Nigerian artists, designers, academics etc organized a design fest themed “Lagos 2099: Redefining the Narrative”. Modeled after global design festivals such as Milan Design Week and London Design Festival, the event is the first in an annual series. This initiative was created to project the work of African design creatives and thinkers and breed a new class of designers who are creating world class output inspired by African art and history.

“Design has not been valued in Africa for decades”, says Nigerian interior designer Titi Ogufere (Founder of DWL and President International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers). In a bid to change that, Design Week Lagos was born with the “aim to champion a renaissance in Africa’s cultural, economic and technological ascension in design so that it operates as a tool for conversation, development, movement and economic growth,”. DWL hopes to create a long-lasting fusion between these 7 departments; Architecture, Interior Design, Industrial Design, Product Design, Technology, Visual Arts and Critical Design Thinking.

At the centre of DWL was a flagship exhibition called Design Kulture featuring designers, architects and artists including Demas Nwoko, Studio Lani, Tosin Oshinowo, Bibi Seck, Tunde Owolabi and Jade Folawiyo with collections that showcase contemporary African designs. The Art Collection of Femi Akinsanya was a beautiful sight to behold, with artefacts like the Ogboni stool, wooden abebe, divination board and other sculpture works dating far back as the precolonial Africa era, was a deep reminder of our history and culture.

After the exhibition, guests were treated to a beautiful live band by Victor Ademofe, and an amazing performance from BEZ and the headliner of the night, Johnny Drille.

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