Inside the Buzziest Parties at Lagos Fashion Week 2022

Hosted by Nok by Alara in Victoria Island—a venue now in the city’s pantheon of hot destinations—attendees arrived ditching their LFW outfits for less clothes. Chests, mid riffs, and thighs were obligingly exposed and stylized accessories were on display. Grey, who was alongside an entourage, made quite an entrance, wearing a bejeweled halter top, opera gloves, and a walking cane.

With overhead party lights and a luminous, disco-themed photo booth, Grey eased everyone into a party mood, while tracks from Beyoncé's Renaissance were on heavy rotation.

On Saturday, late-night action leaned into queer sensibilities. On Lagos Island, in an unused building cloaked in darkness, house-techno music was booming. The theme for the second party, called Xtra-celestial, was being in a realm as otherworldly beings, while also observing Halloween codes. The inclusive party attracted those seeking escapism through music. The makeshift dance floor, littered with puffs of shredded paper as though cushioning anxieties and stress, was chaperoned by DJ Space Shinobi and Pyvaniak.

And finally there was Fola Francis’ ball. Francis had just made history at LFW, being the first trans woman to walk the runway, which she did for Fruché. Attendees showed up in bewitching variations of black, from fishnets, leather swimsuits, crop tops. While others were just bare chested.

While the crowd from the celestial-themed party bled into this one, it really captured the unrestrained beauty and expression of those who attended.

See more pictures from Lagos Fashion Week 2022 parties below.