Mrs. Femi Olayebi, founder, Lagos Leather Fair, said the platform is planning to collaborate with Bank of industry and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) to support local producers of leather in the country.
She said her platform has identified funding and sourcing of raw materials as major challenges in the leather industry.
“The Lagos Leather fair was created to provide a platform for operators in the space to talk about different narratives around leather and also for collaboration within producers as well as teach ourselves the techniques of the business”, she said.
This year’s edition, themed “LLF5”, will take place at the Balmoral Convention Center, Victoria Island, Lagos from 11th to 12th of June. The event will bring together local and international designers to showcase their products and services. The fair will also feature a series of masterclasses and conversations with a broad range of speakers across multiple industries; interactive creative workspaces; and a series of catwalk shows.
The masterclasses will include speakers such as Adeyinka Abimbola, Ehi Binitie, Ache Idachaba-Obaro, Papa Omotayo, Muyiwa Femi Pearse, Adenike Adeyemi amongst others.
Speaking about the fair, Femi Olayebi, Founder, Lagos Leather Fair, expressed why the fifth edition is a milestone, saying; “We’re excited to be back for our fifth edition. The Lagos Leather Fair has created and continues to create massive visibility for both starting and established designers. It has also provided empowerment opportunities for leather craft trainers and manufacturers. Our vision is to ensure that the leather sector contributes significantly to the Nigerian economy and the broader African narrative, by driving change in the sector and addressing key industry challenges affecting the supply chain.”
As part of this year’s fair, Lagos Leather Fair will be launching The Leather Portal. To bridge the information gap in the industry, The Leather Portal was created to serve as a resource hub and an e-directory that would provide relevant and open access information specific to leather and leather-goods, and connect leather designers, tanners, hardware suppliers, input suppliers and brands across Africa and internationally.
The Lagos Leather Fair has raised the quality and manufacturing standards of made in Nigeria products by showcasing exceptional leather goods and services.
Over the last five years, The Lagos Leather Fair has impacted key stakeholders in the industry including—leather designers, raw materials producers, manufacturers, suppliers of machinery and equipment, trainers, retailers, and industry experts. We have executed over 30 masterclasses and 10 creative workshops and 18 runway presentations. In 2020, Lagos Leather Fair initiated West Africa’s first ever digital leather exhibition, to leverage growing cross-border connection and broaden the platform for its designers.
