# Lisa Folawiyo

> Lisa Folawiyo is a ready-to-wear label based in Lagos, Nigeria, started in 2005. Behind the label: Lisa Folawiyo. Known for ready-to-wear cut from ankara prints and hand-dyed adire, finished with dense hand beading.

- Canonical: https://thecastindex.com/designers/lisa-folawiyo
- Country guide: https://thecastindex.com/houses/nigerian-designers
- Facts checked: 2026-10-22
- Author: Kaiser Khan (Founder & Editor)

## Quick facts

- 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: https://www.lisafolawiyo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisafolawiyo_studio/

## 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

- 2005: Founds her label in Lagos, then called Jewel by Lisa. (source: https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1681015/)
- 2014: Shows on the runway at Lagos Fashion & Design Week. (source: https://lagosfashionweek.ng/designers/lisa-folawiyo)
- 2022: The V&A acquires pieces from her Spring/Summer 2021 collection, including an adire dress dyed in Abeokuta. (source: https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1681016/)
- 2 November 2025: Shows off-site, by invitation, on the final day of Lagos Fashion Week. (source: https://lagosfashionweek.ng/event-schedule/fashion-week-2025)

## Sources

- [Lagos Fashion Week — Lisa Folawiyo designer profile](https://lagosfashionweek.ng/designers/lisa-folawiyo) — checked 2026-10-22
- [V&A — Lisa Folawiyo clothing ensemble, Spring/Summer 2021, T.46-2022](https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1681015/) — checked 2026-10-22
- [V&A — Lisa Folawiyo ‘Irin’ dress, Spring/Summer 2021, T.47-2022](https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1681016/) — checked 2026-10-22
- [Lagos Fashion Week — 2025 event guide (29 October–2 November 2025)](https://lagosfashionweek.ng/event-schedule/fashion-week-2025) — checked 2026-10-22