A culture promoter and founder of Egbaliganza, Chief Lai Labode, has announced plans to establish a $1 billion fashion industry which will primarily be devoted to showcasing and marketing the rich African culture, particularly cultural attires and heritage of Egbaland in Ogun State.
Chief Labode disclosed this during a press conference held to announce the cultural fashion show tagged ‘Egbaliganza’, slated for April.
He emphasised the importance of preserving and promoting the rich cultural heritage of the Egba people while positioning them as global leaders in the fashion industry.
Labode said that Africa currently holds only 1.2% of the global fashion market, which is valued at approximately $31 billion.
According to him, Egbaliganza aims to lead the movement to increase Africa’s share to at least between 10 and 15 percent, with Egbaland playing a central role.
Labode explained that the event is more than just a fashion show but a cultural and economic renaissance for the Egba people, designed to boost the economic prosperity of both Egbaland and the state as a whole.
He noted that the unique Egba-themed attires have been created and named after historical figures such as Lisabi Agbongbo Akala and Losi Egba, a revered Ogboni Chief, among others.
Labode said the upcoming Egbaliganza 2025 will celebrate the unity and cultural richness of the four major Egba townships—Ake, Oke-Ona, Gbagura, and Owu—under the theme ‘The Walkway of Kings’.
He said, “We think that we can establish a $1 billion fashion industry for Egbaland/Yorubaland.
“And that requires quite a bit of work, and that’s the work we have started. That’s why we decided to see professionals, Egbas, across the world doing this movement.
“You’re going to be seeing a lot of our attires that we have created. Each of these attires is going to be properly documented for history. You’re going to see the creativity that comes with all of these works.
“Africa today only has 1.2% of the global African fashion market and that is just about 31 billion dollars. Egbaliganza has decided to take the lead to help Africa achieve between 10 or 15 percent.
“1.2 percent of the global market is kicking off in Abeokuta, Egbaland. It’s not enough to have good designers or individual champions; it’s how we put Africa properly on the map.
“When you enter New York, Paris, London, Milan, you should be able to go to a place that is an African store.”
Lawal also stressed the need to instil values of diligence and unity in younger generations, urging that Egba festivals, attires, language, cuisine, and music must be preserved and celebrated.
The Executive Project Director of Egbaliganza, Chief AbdulAkeem Mustapha, emphasised the significance of the initiative in promoting indigenous fashion and empowering local artisans.
He said, “This is about the celebration of fashion that is unique to the Egba people. We are trying to showcase the vibrancy of our people, and that is why this organisation was formed.
“One of the programmes we plan to do is to train people in the art of Adire making so that we can discourage the use of China-made Adire. We will train them, produce, and buy from them.
“The goal is to promote our own fashion industry, which is Adire (Tiwantiwa), so that we can reduce the influx of China-made prints, which is destructive to our brand as the Egba people are known for sophistication and glamour.”
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