At this year’s Design Week Lagos, a skeletal chair and a lamp topped with a hat were among the standout creations showcased in the annual Design + Innovation exhibition.
Set against the brutalist backdrop of Lagos’s former Federal Palace Hotel, the exhibition highlighted pieces by up-and-coming designers from Nigeria and across the African diaspora, all part of a three-month incubator program.
The Design + Innovation Incubator Program, launched this year by Design Week Lagos founder Titi Ogufere, aims to give emerging talents mentorship, hands-on training, and access to manufacturing facilities.
“Across Africa, formal education for design disciplines is still limited,” Ogufere told voteART. “While architecture programs exist, areas like product design, furniture, industrial design, textiles, and lighting remain largely informal.”
“So, even as we collaborate with universities to build robust design curricula, we decided to start bridging the gap ourselves,” she added.
Juliet Olanipekun
Fashion designer Juliet Olanipekun of Lagos label LFJ transforms translucent fabrics into architectural garments through pleats and drapes. That same fascination with structure carries over into her debut furniture collection, where she crafted a series of bony chairs from solid wood.
“The skeletal form is deeply symbolic,” explained Titi Ogufere. “It reveals what is usually hidden—the framework that gives both body and design their strength.”
By exposing the internal structure, Olanipekun reimagines beauty as honesty. Her chairs serve as a reflection of how African design has long been structural and rhythmic, built from elements that endure over time.
Ezekiel Osunala
Ile-Ife-based architecture student Ezekiel Osunala crowned his Eyo-inspired lamp with a tiny beaded hat, evoking the white-robed dancers of Lagos’s annual Èyò masquerade.
“The white-clothed figures represent ancestral spirits who accompany a deceased chief—or even the oba [king]—to the afterlife,” explained Titi Ogufere.
Drawing inspiration from the Èyò masquerades, Osunala’s lamp pays homage to ancestral reverence. Its smooth, flowing lines mimic the fabric of the masquerade costumes, while the upright form echoes the sacred guides who lead spirits to the heavens.
Richard Aina
A dramatically curved spine crafted from local teakwood supports the seat of the Teriba Chair, designed by British-Nigerian architect Richard Aina for his furniture brand I-JOKO.
“Inspired by the chief’s chair of the Baluba people from Katanga, Aina interprets authority through the lens of balance,” explained Titi Ogufere. “The interwoven spines of the backrest symbolize harmony, reflecting the interdependence of community and structure.”
“This piece bridges heritage and modernity, a reminder that true progress is strongest when it honors its roots,” she added.
TY Bello
TY Bello is widely recognized as a singer and member of the 1990s Nigerian gospel group Kush, but she is equally celebrated as a photographer. Her fascination with light finds new form in a sculptural lamp, created by wrapping translucent textiles around a spiraling metal frame.
“TY Bello, one of Africa’s most renowned photographers, is known for capturing light as emotion,” explained Titi Ogufere. “In The Wind Blows Where It Listed, she translates that emotional language into sculpture.”
“This piece perfectly reflects the spirit of the incubator: the courage to experiment, cross disciplines, and transform the personal into the universal,” she added.
Joan Eric Udorie
African vernacular architecture and the braided patterns of cornrows inspired the design of this ebonized wooden stool by Nigerian interior designer and Chelsea College of Art graduate Joan Eric Udorie.
“Rather than directly replicating tradition, Udorie abstracts woven and carved motifs into fluid, dynamic curves—a gesture that feels grown rather than constructed,” explained Titi Ogufere.
“The stool embodies a forward-looking African aesthetic: deeply rooted in heritage, yet visionary and iconic,” she added.
Design Week Lagos was held in Lagos from 23 to 28 October. For more design events happening around the world, see the votreART Events Guide.
