Designers / Nigeria · Ready-to-wear
Lisa Folawiyo
Lisa Folawiyo is a ready-to-wear label based in Lagos, Nigeria, started in 2005. Behind the label: Lisa Folawiyo. It is known for ready-to-wear cut from ankara prints and hand-dyed adire, finished with dense hand beading. Latest milestone on record (2 November 2025): Shows off-site, by invitation, on the final day of Lagos Fashion Week.
Quick facts
Lisa Folawiyo at a glance
- Behind the label
- Lisa Folawiyo
- Based
- Lagos, Nigeria
- Since
- 2005
- Focus
- Ready-to-wear
- Makes
- Womenswear and accessories
- Trained
- Trained as a lawyer, with no formal fashion training
- Official site
- lisafolawiyo.com ↗
- @lisafolawiyo_studio ↗
The person and the label
Who is behind Lisa Folawiyo?
Lisa Folawiyo founded her Lagos label in 2005 under the name Jewel by Lisa; the V&A notes that she trained as a lawyer rather than in fashion. Her ready-to-wear starts from ankara, the wax-resist printed cotton worn across West Africa, reworked with quilting and heavy beading, and Lagos Fashion Week’s profile credits the beadwork to the label’s own craftspeople. In 2022 the V&A acquired pieces from her Spring/Summer 2021 collection, among them a beaded dress hand-dyed in adire by the Ido Aro dyers of Abeokuta. Lagos Fashion Week lists her runway shows from 2014 onwards, and she showed off-site, by invitation, on the last day of its 2025 edition.
Timeline
Lisa Folawiyo, dated
- 2005Founds her label in Lagos, then called Jewel by Lisa. Source ↗
- 2014Shows on the runway at Lagos Fashion & Design Week. Source ↗
- 2022The V&A acquires pieces from her Spring/Summer 2021 collection, including an adire dress dyed in Abeokuta. Source ↗
- 2 November 2025Shows off-site, by invitation, on the final day of Lagos Fashion Week. Source ↗
More from Nigeria
Other Nigeria labels to know
- Orange Culture Menswear · since 2011
- Kenneth Ize Textile heritage · since 2013
- Lagos Space Programme Textile heritage · since 2018
- Tokyo James Menswear · since 2015
- IAMISIGO Textile heritage · since 2009
- Emmy Kasbit Menswear · since 2014
- Fruché Ready-to-wear · since 2014
- Bloke Streetwear and contemporary · since 2015
- NKWO Slow and sustainable · since 2012
- Andrea Iyamah Ready-to-wear · since 2011
- Ejiro Amos Tafiri Ready-to-wear · since 2010
Read the full Nigeria guide, with the method behind it and where to see the work in person.
Sources
Sources
Represent Lisa Folawiyo and spotted an error? Send a correction with a link to the record.
Quick answers
Lisa Folawiyo, answered
Who is behind Lisa Folawiyo?
- Lisa Folawiyo. Lisa Folawiyo is a ready-to-wear label based in Lagos.
When was Lisa Folawiyo founded?
- 2005, according to the sources listed on this page.
What does Lisa Folawiyo make?
- Womenswear and accessories. It is known for ready-to-wear cut from ankara prints and hand-dyed adire, finished with dense hand beading.
Where did the designer of Lisa Folawiyo train?
- Trained as a lawyer, with no formal fashion training.