Lagos Space Programme Hits Reset With Fall 2025 Collection
Adeju Thompson admits to having a “love-hate” relationship with Paris.
The French capital is where their gender-neutral brand Lagos Space Programme won the 2023 International Woolmark Prize, after previously reaching the semifinals of the LVMH Prize for Young Designers.
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Thompson has been showing on and off at the Sphere showroom for emerging brands, run by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, French fashion’s governing body, and which this season received a visit from Culture Minister Rachida Dati.
On the downside? “As a designer coming from Nigeria, it’s a very expensive city,” they said, acknowleding the financial pressures faced by independent brands in the current luxury downturn.
After sitting out the last men’s season in favor of showing in Lagos and Cape Town, they were back in the French capital with a more commercial offering designed to propel the brand to the next level of awareness.
Tittled “Rock & Roll Consciousness,” the fall collection was based on how Thompson’s identity was shaped by bands like The Velvet Underground and Joy Division.
Presented to a live performance by rock group Spanish Horses, it included signature items like a robe coat made from traditional indigo-dyed Adire cloth, and wool gabardine versions of the label’s popular Yoruba wide pants.
But in a savvy move, there were also printed T-shirts, patterned hoodies, textured knits and shirts with deep slits down the front, all designed as more accessible entry points into the brand.
While plain zip-up jackets may not immediately stand out on the shop floor, there was a compelling case for an indigo hoodie handpainted with traditional motifs, or a pussybow blouse and pant set made from the Swiss lace popular in Nigeria.
“I’m very proud of my identity, but I don’t need to put it in your face. There are ways in which you can do it in a very subtle way,” Thompson said. “This collection is about really slowing down, and honing what we do that makes us special.”
Launch Gallery: Lagos Space Programme Men's Fall 2025 Ready-to-Wear Collection
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