“Genderless in its design. 

Intentional in its practice.

Lagos Space Programme honours the past to create future culture.”

This is the manifesto underpinning Adeju Thompson’s sartorial practice. As the founder and designer of Lagos Space Programme, Adeju syphons and syncretises all manner of Yoruba lore, non-binary expressive praxis, defies conventional norms, charts the future and simply – creates excellent, excellent garments. I’ve often referred to ‘sartorial consciousness’ and it is my way of ascribing the kind of ‘fashion’ or expression of dress as something beyond its material function. Sartorial consciousness, as the phrase indicates, is fashion that invites us to expand beyond our prescribed understanding of clothing, and toward something intangible; doused deeply in meaning and awareness. At the annual (and infinitely growing) Confections X Collections, a freshly formatted fashion showcase experience founded by Twyg and in partnership with The Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel, Adeju showcased a collection that had me on the edge of my seat — slow breath, eyes affixed, on the deliberate detail infused in each look. It was an awakening of sartorial consciousness, set against the backdrop of the Nellie’s iconic baby pink suffused tea room.

Shown in two parts, the first half set the tone for a slow – steady – meandering of the models, cast and directed by Ky Bxshxff and Tandekile Mkize and their incredible backstage team. The colour palette offered up included Lagos Space Programme’s signature indigo offset against crisp whites, oatmeal linens and candescent prints — and the kind of hardware statement pieces that sent me into a frenzy, as a girl whose love for raw minerals reaches far and wide. Intrinsic to Adeju’s approach is tailoring; with the influence of masculine silhouettes transformed across feminine silhouettes, masculine-centric cuts; and through this, Adeju continues to achieve their manifesto of a genderless sensibility, in which there are no rules to construction. All at once, Adeju is a serious designer with an effortless, playful approach. This is masterful.

Photography by Paige Fiddes

The show notes described the collection as “inspired by the Ojude Oba festival, each piece is rendered in rich natural indigo and adorned with our signature hand-painted post-adire motifs—reflecting a journey of cultural exploration, decolonization and self-discovery”. The Indigo dyeing is a key part of Yoruba adire cloth-making, a form of textile art that uses resist-dyeing techniques to create intricate patterns, which Adeju has woven into the label’s DNA as both a technique and hue — connecting us, as we witness these pieces, to the space between the physical and ethereal, of which these clothes represent. As Adeju has referenced many times, their approach to honouring their Yoruba heritage through a contemporary lens is paramount to the vision of Lagos Space Programme.

Let’s talk about the hardware. Hammered brass accentuated the pieces, with Adeju’s futuristic twist on accessories a divine finishing touch to the collection. One model wore a flat ring of brass around his shoulder — a shoulder bracelet? While others were adorned with circular pendants, and a model wearing a cream, high-neck dress dangled hardware from her back. I was reeling and uncontained at the vision of this; a masterful stroke, and an indication that LSP has its sights set on how we might dress for a multi-dimensional future. 

Founded by Jackie May of Twyg, CxC as it is affectionately known has become an end of year tradition in Cape Town. I think it has injected an immensely elevated way of experiencing the talent in South Africa and the continent at large — and a shoutout has to be offered to The Mount Nelson, who have endeavoured to make the hotel a site for fashion, design, art and creative expression. I was totally blown away — least not because editor and stylist extraordinaire Gabriella Karefa-Johnson was at the same table as me. I know, insane. Don’t worry guys, I played it cool and Gabriella’s presence along with the expansive South African fashion family across multiple days, makes CxC my version of fashion week and I suspect it will only grow. 

Photography by Paige Fiddes

The intimacy of Confections X Collections cannot be overstated – it is a small gathering, as a departure from the front row interpretation of the traditional fashion show format. In between the two acts, the designer is invited to converse with CxC’s host, Seth Shezi— an incredibly personal touch, as we get to hear directly from Adeju on their approach. As they said, when asked about the vision for the collection and its decidedly minimal rendering of Yoruban reference; “I think there’s a misconception about Nigerian fashion and aesthetics. If you dig deep and research, there is an attraction to minimalism in Yoruba culture, especially in our pre-colonial history. There are so many ways to approach interpreting it, and I draw a lot on the things I like and my interests, and what my vision of Africa and Nigeria is.”

This is Lagos, Nigeria – Africa – Planet Earth, and the Universe, yesterday, today – tomorrow and in a thousand years – all in one sweep of a fashion showcase. 

Written by: Holly Beaton

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