Credited with inventing the modern boubou and launching Nigeria’s first fashion boutique, Shade Thomas-Fahm put Nigerian fashion on the map and inspired generations to see fashion as business.
In a few weeks, Lagos Fashion Week returns, celebrating the creativity of designers and amplifying the importance of Nigerian fashion. However, long before fashion weeks or social media spotlights, Shade Thomas-Fahm was spearheading the scene. Recognised by the Victoria and Albert Museum as a “Fashion Vanguard,” she is credited as Nigeria’s first and most enduring fashion matriarch.
Her story is not just about clothes. It’s about how one woman transformed fashion into power, pride and a platform for future generations of Nigerian designers.
From nursing to fashion
Shade Thomas-Fahm, born Victoria Omoroníke Adùké Folashadé Thomas in 1933, moved to England in 1953 with the intention of training as a nurse. However, a love for design and admiration of London’s boutiques pulled her in another direction. She enrolled at St Martin’s School of Art (now Central Saint Martins), becoming the first Nigerian woman to study fashion design professionally. There, she learnt not just how to sew but how to master the art of fitting designs to the human body.
As she later recalled, “I just didn’t become a fashion designer. I went to study fashion, and when they taught us, they started with the anatomy of the body. You learn the anatomy of a body before you learn what to drape on that body.”
This foundation gave her a design philosophy rooted in both structure and movement — clothes that flowed with the body rather than constrain it.
In 1960, Thomas-Fahn returned to Lagos and opened Maison Shade. It was more than Nigeria’s first boutique. It was also a production hub and employed artisans, tailors, and dyers to create both bespoke pieces and ready-to-wear collections. Her boutique quickly became the go-to destination for high-society women, diplomats, and even royalty.
“Opening Nigeria’s first boutique was about more than just selling clothes; it was about encouraging designers to showcase their creativity commercially,” she explained in an interview with The Guardian.
However, she faced a unique challenge. Following colonial rule, many Nigerians were reluctant to wear Ankara or tie-dye, often viewing English culture as superior. Shade Thomas-Fahm noted that when she returned from her studies abroad, she initially struggled to convince people to embrace clothing made from local fabrics. However, the tide began to shift when her designs caught the attention of European and high-society women in Nigeria. This gradually encouraged more locals to follow suit.
Her boutique, Maison Shade, even supplied Kingsway Stores, the then-leading department store in Nigeria, proving that Nigerian fashion could compete with international retail.
Read also: Shaping Couture: How Oluwatoyin Omotosho and Fabrics Sale Nig are revolutionising Nigerian fashion
Blending heritage with modern life
Shade Thomas-Fahm’s genius lay in her ability to modernise tradition. She worked with fabrics such as aṣọ-òkè, àdìrẹ, akwete, and okene, but reimagined them for everyday life. She created the pre-tied gèlè with a zipper, making dressing faster for busy women. She added zippers to the ìró, which translates to wrapper, transforming it from a wrap into a practical skirt.
And perhaps most famously, she invented the modern boubou style, adapted from agbada. “The idea of the boubou came from agbada. In French, boubou means big. We started adding some lines, frills, and designs on the neck and sleeves… making a woman look more alluring and comfortable was key.”
This focus on comfort and elegance reshaped Nigerian women’s wardrobes, and the boubou remains a timeless staple today.
Fashion shows with purpose
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Thomas-Fahn did not confine herself to the boutique. She hosted charity fashion shows across Nigeria, often at the request of women’s organisations.
“Women’s groups would ask me to organise events to raise money for various causes. I didn’t profit from the gate fees. Usually, all I got was from the sale of my pieces afterwards,” she said.
She also presented Nigerian fashion on a global stage. From London to New York, she introduced international audiences to Nigerian fabrics and silhouettes. In December 1972, for instance, she staged promotional events in New York during the Christmas season.
Inspiring today’s designers
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Thomas-Fahn’s vision was clear: Nigerian fashion could be creative, commercial, and world-class. She wanted future designers to balance artistry with business sense — something platforms like Lagos Fashion Week now encourage.
Today, Nigerian designers like KÍLÉNTÁR, Tubobereni, Desirée Iyama and many others follow in her footsteps, combining tradition with modernity, and building businesses that employ thousands. The success of women-owned enterprises in Nigeria — from small tailoring shops to global brands — echoes Thomas-Fahn’s early belief that creativity and commerce must go hand in hand.
For more than sixty years, Shade Thomas-Fahm has been a fashion vanguard. She gave Nigerian women stylish clothes that matched their modern lives and stood the test of time. She created jobs, built businesses, and proved that local fabrics could stand tall on international runways.
Her story is not just about clothing. It is about identity, dignity, and making the most of opportunity. As Nigerian fashion continues to thrive globally, her legacy remains woven into every stitch.
Read more: How Nigerian fashion is redefining global style and sparking social change
