Before the advent of BellaNaija or Pinterest, Nigerian women had to look somewhere for fashion inspiration; we had fashion magazines. These magazines had us immersed in their pages, anticipating new editions because they were our only connection to learning the latest trends in fashion. From the clothes to the glamour of the rich and famous, these magazines had us wanting everything!
Let’s take a look into the archives and rediscover the magazines that once captivated older Nigerian fashionistas.
Ovation
If you wanted to know about being elegant, you read Ovation. Ovation was conceptualised by the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Dele Momodu, a renowned journalist who was driven into exile by the General Sani Abacha Government in Nigeria.
He desired to publish an African magazine for Africans and create a forum where the real picture of Africa—our culture, the glitz and the glam— would be presented to the world. It is no surprise that Ovation was appointed by Buckingham Palace to cover the visit of Her Majesty The Queen to Nigeria in 2003.
Ovation was designed primarily as a magazine for the upper-class elites, but it was aspirational to everyone. 31-year-old Esther, an event planner, says “I remember my friends and I going over pages of Ovation whenever one of us snuck an issue into school.” She describes being fascinated by the lifestyle and fashion of the “crème de la creme” of Nigerian socialites displayed in Ovation.
While all issues of Ovation exuded impeccable fashion and style, the December issue with looks from the Ovation Red Carol was my favourite issue. This yearly Christmas carol event hosted by Ovation had pictures of celebrities from all walks of life dressed beautifully and inspired my Christmas outfits through my teenage years.
City People
City People was a mirror of the lifestyles of celebrities in Nigeria. Founded in 1996 by veteran journalist, Oluseye Olugbemiga Kehinde, a journalist who had a strong portfolio as publisher of African Confidential and once an editor at Herald newspaper, African Concord and Tempo magazine, City People remains the oldest surviving celebrity magazine in Nigeria.
With Bola Ade as editor, the goal was to mirror the lives of people; the way they live, what they eat, the type of music they listen to, and especially what they wear. Every publication has a glimpse into what celebrities were up to—especially their wardrobes.
“I loved being updated on celebrity news, and city people was IT,” says 28-year-old Senami. “It was from a picture of Tonto Dike in City People magazine that I knew I could use gold and silver accessories together and I haven’t stopped since.” While City People was focused on reporting all celebrity news, the impact on fashion trends was inevitable.
City People has since grown to have an undisputed presence in the Nigerian soft-sell sector and has successfully birthed other publications including City People Event & Party, City People Fashion & Lifestyle, Today’s Fashion and City People Extra. These magazines continue to cover aspects of entertainment and its subjects.
Exclusive Vogue
It would be impossible to talk about fashion magazines that set the trends without mentioning Exclusive Vogue. It might also be accurate to assume that the majority of native attires worn in the early 2000s were inspired by styles from Exclusive.
The Exclusive Vogue soft-sell magazines had our mothers hoarding copies and people fighting to get the latest editions. It even got some of us punished for unintentionally ripping a page — I am “some of us.”
No visit to the tailor shop was complete without a long search through an exclusive magazine to find out what style to sew for an owambe party or other events. Folashade, a 46-year-old seamstress, boasts of a huge collection of Exclusive Vogue magazines from the early 2000s. Folashade says “You could get a complete look easily and plan for the next outfit.”
Nigeria’s fashion scene has come a long way, and these iconic fashion magazines have woven a part of its rich history into their pages. They played a significant role in shaping Nigerian fashion trends, particularly during the 1980s to 2000s, and paved the way for the vibrant fashion scene we see today.
They showcased international fashion, highlighted African designers, and provided style inspiration for Nigerians and even as fashion in Nigeria has evolved immensely over the years, these fashion magazines will continue to be remembered as forerunners in the fashion magazine scene.
