On Day 2 of Lagos Fashion Week 2025, Hertunba’s creative director, Florentina Agu, looked squarely at the present with a collection titled “Today,” a poised, slow-breathing statement that redefined culture and creativity while honoring resilience, heritage, and sophistication.
The show, part of LFW’s 15th-anniversary season themed “In Full Bloom” (Oct. 29–Nov 2), opened with a procession in indigo-and-sky stripes: a bandeau top and tiered, floating skirt that read like modern aso-oke on cruise control. It set the pace for a lineup that moved deliberately between softness and strength.
Models for Hertunba at the 2025 Lagos Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria
Models for Hertunba at the 2025 Lagos Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria
A vocabulary of womanhood
Agu’s brief was clear: celebrate “the women before us.” The silhouettes glided—flared skirts, body-skimming tops, liquid robes—then tightened where it mattered. Cowrie shells, long a Hertunba signature and symbols of wealth and womanhood, dotted necklines and traveled down rib-knit dresses, turning adornment into archive.
There was texture everywhere. A Black-and-mauve adire-speckled dress unfurled into intelligent fringe; a monochrome pin-striped cape-shirt with slashed sleeves floated with quiet authority; and a halter column stacked with tufted raffia tiers delivered kinetic drama without shouting. The atelier’s hand was present in every hem.
Craft, calm, and clarity
Hertunba’s sustainability ethos—Nigerian craftsmanship, low-waste cutting, enduring fabrics—sat beneath the polish. A cream sculpted gown gathered into petal-like ruches at the hip; another ivory column winked with a bold, abstract face motif, later echoed by Agu herself, who took her bow in an exaggerated kaftan bearing the same graphic.
Casting underlined the message. Generational elegance walked: from fresh faces to a silver-haired muse in a rippling striped ensemble, and an Afro-crowned beauty in a cowrie-studded knit with statement gold coils. (In a crowd-pleasing moment, the mother of public figure Denola Grey also took a turn on the runway—proof that Hertunba’s woman is timeless.)
Why it mattered
Where many shows chased noise, Hertunba opted for signal—line, drape, and memory tuned to today’s woman. The collection felt calm and grounded, yet newly confident, adding a bolder rhythm to the brand’s grace without losing its heartbeat.
Takeaway: In a season celebrating African fashion’s full bloom, Hertunba reminded Lagos that growth can be measured in restraint and that honoring the past is a powerful way to dress the future.
Models for Hertunba at the 2025 Lagos Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria
Models for Hertunba at the 2025 Lagos Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria
Models for Hertunba at the 2025 Lagos Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria
Models for Hertunba at the 2025 Lagos Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria
Models for Hertunba at the 2025 Lagos Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria
Models for Hertunba at the 2025 Lagos Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria
Models for Hertunba at the 2025 Lagos Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria
Models for Hertunba at the 2025 Lagos Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria
Models for Hertunba at the 2025 Lagos Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria
Models for Hertunba at the 2025 Lagos Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria
Models for Hertunba at the 2025 Lagos Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria
Models for Hertunba at the 2025 Lagos Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria
Models for Hertunba at the 2025 Lagos Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria
Models for Hertunba at the 2025 Lagos Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria
Models for Hertunba at the 2025 Lagos Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria
Models for Hertunba at the 2025 Lagos Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria
Models for Hertunba at the 2025 Lagos Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria
