For generations, Ankara has been part of how Africans dress, celebrate and express identity. It appears at weddings, religious gatherings, festivals and everyday occasions, while designers have increasingly taken the fabric beyond traditional clothing into accessories, interiors, art and contemporary fashion.
Now, a festival that has spent more than 15 years celebrating Ankara in North America is bringing its platform to the continent, with the inaugural Ankara Festival Africa (AFA) scheduled to take place in Lagos in 2027.
The expansion puts one of Africa’s most recognisable textiles at the centre of a wider conversation about culture, creativity, business and its place in the global fashion industry.
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More Than a Fabric
Ankara has become much bigger than the printed fabric commonly associated with African fashion. Its patterns and colours have become a familiar part of visual culture across the continent, with different generations finding new ways to wear and reinterpret it.
Its reach also extends beyond the fashion industry. Tailors, designers, textile businesses, artisans, photographers, artists, retailers and other creative entrepreneurs have built businesses and careers around the demand for African prints.
That evolution is part of what Ankara Festival Africa wants to explore.
The festival will bring together designers, fashion entrepreneurs, artisans, artists, historians, cultural practitioners, brands, collectors, entertainers and consumers. Rather than focusing only on clothing, the event is expected to examine Ankara through fashion, art, design, history, music, lifestyle and commerce.
For a textile that has travelled through generations and social occasions, the festival creates an opportunity to look at both its cultural significance and its commercial possibilities.
From Los Angeles to Lagos
Ankara Festival was founded by Peter Lentini and has spent more than 15 years building a platform around Ankara, African culture and the community surrounding the textile in Los Angeles and other major North American cities.
Its move to Africa marks a new phase for the festival.
Lagos was selected as the first African host, reflecting the city’s position as a major centre for fashion, entertainment, business and creative activity. The 2027 edition is expected to give manufacturers, small businesses and creatives an opportunity to showcase African prints and connect directly with consumers.
The African franchise is being led by Nigerian professionals Laura Udoh, Isi Atagemen and Xavier Akinyemi. Their work spans media, marketing, fashion and brand development, bringing different parts of the creative economy into the project.
The organisers say the ambition extends beyond a single festival. Starting in Nigeria, they want to build a platform that can tell the Ankara story from an African perspective and eventually speak to the continent as a whole.
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Giving Ankara a Bigger Future
The significance of the festival lies partly in the way it treats Ankara as both heritage and an evolving creative material.
Ankara has already demonstrated its ability to move with changing tastes. Designers have incorporated it into contemporary silhouettes, accessories and luxury fashion, while creatives continue to experiment with how its familiar prints can be used in new contexts.
Ankara Festival Africa will provide a space for that experimentation alongside exhibitions, performances, conversations, entertainment and commercial opportunities.
For emerging designers and small businesses, the festival could also provide a physical platform to introduce their work to new audiences. For established players, it offers another setting to engage with a textile whose influence stretches well beyond the tailor’s shop.
The inaugural Lagos edition is therefore not simply about celebrating what Ankara has been. It is also about examining what the textile can become as African creativity continues to attract attention around the world.
With Lagos as its starting point, Ankara Festival Africa is positioning the fabric within a larger conversation about African identity, creative enterprise and cultural expression.
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