The third edition of the Lagos Leather Fair will hold on the 7th and 8th of September 2019, and will bring together, under one roof, the major stakeholders along the leather value chain. Over the two days, leather designers of handbags, footwear, furniture and small leather goods will congregate to showcase their products to a discerning audience.
The last two editions have succeeded in creating incredible exposure for the creators and designers of finished leather products, and has helped shed light on an industry which has been described as the ‘next gold mine’. The Fair has proven that by showcasing Made-in-Nigeria products on a continuous basis can only increase visibility and access to market, drive job creation and positively impact revenue. There is a need to provide an enabling environment that will help create dignified employment, build and increase capacities that will gradually bring about commercial-level production.
This year, the fair, themed, ‘ADVANCING THE CONVERSATION’, is all about a call to action. Steps must be taken to enhance the creative efforts of practitioners across the value chain, and aggressively upscale the skills of artisans within the industry. It has become obvious that there is a need to provide an enabling environment and invest in everything necessary to build capacities across the supply chain in order to achieve commercial-level production and well finished, higher-value exportable products, and in so doing, create dignified employment. The time has come to advance the conversation so that the Fair’s objectives of growing a skilled workforce, aspiring to global standards and achieving enhanced marketability can be met
The event will feature masterclasses and creative workshops by a host of industry experts, and delight our audience with amazing catwalk presentations. Apart from the leather designers, tannery owners, manufacturers of finished leather goods, suppliers of machinery, tools and equipment, and suppliers of accessories and components will also be present. Finally, retail experts, and branding and marketing professionals will be in attendance to share their knowledge and expertise.