GTCO Fashion Weekend was the destination location for fashion lovers in Lagos and beyond last weekend, and a step into the massive GT Centre Arena explained why. Sounds from outside were frozen and all actions ceased, only what was going on in the arena was worth watching, and yes it was indeed a show.
From brazen displays of style essentials to pacesetting pieces that are sure to set the fashion tone for the rest of the season, the vendors and exhibitors had it all.
But that was not the height of the two-day weekend. It was a struggle to attend the masterclasses, and runway shows as the fashion enthusiasts who thronged the event were unwilling to yield their spaces for fear of missing out on a phenomenal display of talent, and creativity that are the true heart of fashion
Lessons From The Masterclasses
StyleMania had an opportunity to participate in the four different masterclasses spread over the two days, and here are the highlights.
Lulu Kennedy
I am so inspired and impressed by GTCO. What they’re doing here, the way they’re giving this platform, this beautiful space, the turnout, the promotion, obviously, they’re doing something very, very right and they’re very clever in how they’re doing it. It’s very cool and I’ve had a nice, relaxed time and it’s just a pleasure to be here and be a part of it.
Patricia Bright
It took me seven years to get to my first one million subscribers; seven years of uploading. Every three days, I put videos out. I got to one million, and then the year after that, I got to two and a half million. What was so exciting to see was that there was such a huge appetite for women who wanted to feel empowered financially, so something that I felt would be of no interest ended up becoming the most interesting thing I was putting out on the internet. Being here in Nigeria and seeing the way we reflect colour and beauty, patterns and prints lets me realise that this could become my version of me. A year from now, you never know what girl I might be wearing.
Sheika Daley
What I can put on a Kelly Rowland, I can’t put on a Leticia, so I try to find the best products and the best techniques that work for each individual. I love a hydrated and glowy result, so I like to keep the skin looking like it is hydrated without it being too oily and greasy. Editorials are more of a collaborative effort, they work together to create a story, so I’m just lending my talents to be able to emphasise the creative story we are telling. I’m inspired by everything. This morning, we went to the arts and crafts market, and just seeing the different textures and so many great artists there just inspires me. Music inspires me, seeing the women and the colours that they have on… everything inspires me; I’m still a student to what I do, even though I’m here to teach, I’m still learning every day, and I am not trying to stop.
Ted Gibson
As a hairdresser, it is my responsibility to see something in a woman that she doesn’t see in herself. I think that we are in a culture now where everybody is on their phones, and everyone at an instance get the same kind of inspiration added in. So my responsibility is to give you something that you didn’t think of. I like a little weirdness in how the hair feels because then it tends to be not a salon look, it tends to be more editorial.
Other highlights of the event include the runway show that saw designers like Tolu Coker, Ituen Basi, Hue By Idera, Gert Johan-Coetzee, Xu Zhi, Romeo Hunte, Eric Raisina, Sukeina, Orire, Onalaja, Selly Raby Kane, and Laquan Smith
