The Lagos Leather Fair 2017

You are invited to The Lagos Leather Fair, the first ever specialised fair of its kind on this scale in Nigeria. The LAGOS LEATHER FAIR is a private initiative born out of a need to redress the current situation, specifically within the leather industry. It is fundamentally a business project designed to unlock the huge potential of the leather industry and to empower the players along the leather value chain. Its ultimate goal is to deliberate on the challenges facing the industry, start a discourse, tell our stories and offer innovative solutions.

Themed ‘Changing the Narrative’, the Fair is the first of its kind in the country to cater to this niche sector on such a scale; the event will incorporate exhibitions, masterclasses, a panel discussion, workshops, brief catwalk presentations and a unique retail experience.
This segment-based approach will provide exposure and a platform for some of Nigeria’s best leather designers of footwear, handbags, apparel, jewellery and much more, to showcase their work.
It will also facilitate contacts between raw materials suppliers (tanners), producers of finished leather goods, and retailers. Beyond this, it will provide a learning opportunity for SMEs, and enable necessary business linkages.
The Lagos Leather Fair is being organised by FemiHandbags, a brand of My World of Bags, a design and manufacturing company.
It is noteworthy that Nigeria’s Sokoto red goat skin is one of the world’s best and attracts huge demand by global fashion houses; developed countries such as Italy are undoubtedly major consumers of Nigerian leather. Presently, major tanneries in Nigeria continue to produce for export while the smaller tanneries are geared towards local demand.
Although Nigerian leather is still mainly used in the production of shoes and bags, resulting in thriving local production and exportation to regional West Africa, the country still imports about $500 million worth of leather products annually.
The country’s huge livestock populations coupled with other available resources needed in the leather and leather goods production process, sets the floor for aggressive development of that sector – Nigeria could easily become globally recognized as a major player in this industry.
However, to ensure that the future of the leather goods industry is secured, appropriate policies and the very fundamentals of a large raw material supply and a large pool of skilled labour to guarantee high quality production must be put in place.
Furthermore, In concurrence with the Made in Nigeria initiative, the fair also seeks to promote leather designers, provide training for artisans, and improve the quality of finished products. The fair will host about 50 emerging and established leather designers as well as the ModainPelle Academy, a training institute in Milan, Star Machines, a supplier of leather equipment and machinery, some tanneries from Kano and some members of the Aba cluster.
Other planned activities include workshops, a panel discussion and masterclasses featuring Nigerian and international speakers such as Nelly Wandji (world class expert retailer in Paris), Muni Shonibare (CEO, iO Furniture), Tosin Dekalu and Olatokunbo Onagoruwa (The Lady Cobblers), Roberto Gussoni (development consultant for footwear and leather goods in Italy) and many more.
The Lagos Leather Fair aims to connect the dots and change the narrative in an industry with so much untapped potential.
Day 1 – The Fundamentals of Shoe & Bag Design
Day 2 – A Conversation with the Lady Cobblers: Overcoming The Challenges


Event Facts
Date: June 3rd & 4th 2017
Venue: Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island Lagos, Nigeria.
Visit: www.lagosleatherfair.com
Look forward to seeing you there!
ATTENDANCE IS FREE