Nigerian designer pushes 'Afro-lux' onto the global fashion scene

Lagos: Its modern architecture complemented by latticework inspired by local Yoruba textiles, Alara, west Africa s first fashion and design concept s...

Lagos: Its modern architecture complemented by latticework inspired by local Yoruba textiles, Alara, west Africa's first fashion and design "concept store", is an imposing sight in Lagos, Nigeria's bustling economic capital.

Founder Reni Folawiyo is now 10 years into forging what she calls "Afro-lux", Alara serving as a homebase for designs that "play between tradition and modernity", while working to elevate African fashion both at home and abroad.

Inside, clothing from upscale African designers sits next to western brands, decorative art and books, part of Folawiyo's mission to put design from the continent on equal footing with established giants.

The lattice on the building's exterior is based on adire textiles, popular among the Yoruba ethnic group in southwest Nigeria.

"A lot of the beautiful things that people were making in different parts of Africa were not celebrated in the way that I thought they should be celebrated," the 60-year-old told AFP of the rural handiwork that often inspires the work on display.