American entertainer and Grammy Award winner, Ciara Princess Wilson, on Friday joined Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the Nigerian Exchange to ring the closing gong, marking the official commencement of Lagos Fashion Week 2025.

Ciara pledges to showcase Lagos’ beauty through her platform
The singer, who arrived in Lagos on Thursday for the four-day fashion event, pledged to use her global platform to promote the beauty, energy, and creative spirit of the city.

This was made known in a statement signed by Gboyega Akosile, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity on Friday.

Ciara pledges to showcase Lagos’ beauty through her platform
“I’m excited to have been enlisted in the mission to promote African fashion designs where I will be using my platform to showcase the beauty of Lagos.

“This occasion is really special for me, because my heart always beats better whenever I am in Lagos.

“I’ve seen the evolution of the city from when I landed at the airport to when I moved into the metropolis. This speaks so loudly about the growth and how the economy is flourishing.

“On the fashion side, this is exciting news for me because that is the way I express myself. To see the growth in the fashion space, I can’t describe how honoured I am to be part of this project,” Ciara said.

Sanwo-Olu, who led members of the State Executive Council to the Exchange, said Lagos Fashion Week reflected the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit of Lagosians, positioning the city as a global hub for creativity, tourism, and investment.

“Our administration is committed to supporting people who are curating an ecosystem that will push locally created brands to the global market.

“Africa is the next continent that will drive the global economy in the next 30 years and on the continent, Nigeria is the one country that has the demographic advantage to lead this new economic growth.

“In Nigeria, there is a big city that speaks to everything about growth. It is called Lagos, which truly represents the entire dream of Nigeria and Africa.

“We are a people that have the demographic that will take the world to a level that cannot be imagined. Lagos is about the only city in Africa where you will see a set of innovators in their teens who are anxious to make changes,” the governor said.

Sanwo-Olu added that the event underscored fashion’s business and innovation dimensions, leveraging creativity to attract tourism and foreign investment.

“The Fashion Week speaks to both business and innovation, bringing to the forefront the best creatives that we have in Lagos. The event is leveraging fashion as a strong enabler and repository of knowledge.

“We are happy that the NGX has discovered the untapped potential in the market,” he said.

The Governor said the partnership between the Lagos State Government and the NGX “would open new frontiers for fashion entrepreneurs to scale their brands internationally, pledging continued policy support to unlock more access and opportunities within the creative industry.”

Taking to X on Friday night, he also wrote, “We hosted creatives to a brunch at Lagos House, Marina, as part of the 15th Lagos Fashion Week celebrations. It was inspiring to share moments with designers, artists, and industry leaders who continue to put Lagos on the global fashion map.

“We were also delighted to have Ciara, singer and songwriter, join us. Her presence highlighted the growing global interest in Lagos as a hub of creativity and style.”

PUNCH Online reports that the Lagos Fashion Week 2025, celebrating its 15th anniversary, will take place from October 29 to November 2, 2025, in Lagos, Nigeria, under the theme “In Full Bloom.”