Lagos Leather Fair 2026: Pioneering a strategic shift ‘Beyond the Hide’

The Lagos Leather Fair (LLF), Africa’s premier leather platform has officially kicked off the media countdown to its highly anticipated 9th edition with a  press conference hosted recently at the Ananse Center for Design.

Operating under the powerful theme, “Beyond The Hide: Scaling Value, Building Industry. Driving Growth,’ the conference gathered top-tier journalists, media stakeholders, and industry
champions to unveil the blueprint for the main fair.

The event is scheduled to run from June 27th to 28th, 2026, at the Ecobank Pan African Centre (EPAC) in Victoria Island, Lagos.

The press briefing mapped out the strategic evolution of the fair from its origins in 2017 to its current status as West Africa’s primary vehicle for economic advancement in local manufacturing.

This year’s focus highlights a critical industry transformation: transitioning raw creative potential into a structured,
globally competitive African leather value chain.

The event commenced with warm opening remarks from Project Lead, PR Director, and Board of Trustees (BOT) member, Dr Yetty Ogunnubi, who officially welcomed all the guests and members of the press to the conference.

Femi Olayebi, Convener, Lagos Leather Fair and Creative Director of FemiHandbags, delivered an inspiring welcome speech reflecting on the 9-year evolution of the fair and the intentional
direction behind the 2026 theme:
“The 2026 focus moves beyond raw materials to strengthening market value, infrastructure, and creating pathways for sustainable cross-continental growth within Africa’s leather and creative industries.”

She spoke passionately about the journey so far, the early challenges faced, and the incredible operational effort required to put an event of this magnitude together.

Simisola Olaseinde, EcoBank SME Partnerships & Collaborations Manager, spoke on EcoBank Business’s strategic alignment with the fair’s ecosystem and commitment to scaling MSMEs through
tailored financial frameworks and structural support:

“EcoBank’s framed support beyond sponsorship enables SMEs with market access, financing, digital solutions, and cross‑border scaling via our 30+ African market footprint. Our support is focused on empowering creative entrepreneurs through financing solutions, business infrastructure, and systems that
strengthen manufacturing capacity and industrial commerce.”

Olufunke Jones delved deeply into the backend realities of execution, highlighting exactly what it takes to put the event together. She emphasised why heavy-hitting sponsorships and intentional partnerships are fundamentally needed to push this type of developmental ecosystem forward.

Kola Oshalusi, Director of Photography, took the media through the visual expectations of the upcoming 2-day event, outlining the creative direction and visual documentation planned for the showcase and unveiling the comprehensive experiential roadmap for the 2-day fair, highlighting immersive activations such as The LLF Runway Shows, The Signature Piece Challenge featuring a N1,000,000 prize reward, and the prestigious LLF Awards celebration,

Owodunni Temiloluwa, Training & Curriculum Manager at the Ananse Centre for Design, shared insights on the design center playing host to The LLF Atelier: “In partnership with the Ananse Centre for Design, this immersive activation will function as a live mini-manufacturing hub.

“It will involve machinery demonstrations, industry experts operating equipment, and a visible behind-the-scenes production experience, showing attendees the technical processes required to transform raw materials into finished luxury goods in real time.”

Otejiri Ejumabone, BOT member and curator of The Maker’s Bench, took the audience through an interactive breakdown of the space, explaining what visitors can expect as they get hands-on experience building simple leather pieces.

Adding depth to the panel, leather designers and BOT members Morin Obaweya and Anita Aisha Ugah spoke extensively about their unique personal experiences over the years and the measurable industrial growth they have witnessed firsthand through the platform’s intervention.

The lively interactive session with accredited digital and broadcast media was masterfully anchored by

Tolu Ajibola, who moderated questions from journalists regarding market access, technology, and compliance. Wrapping up the formal event.

Yetty Ogunnubi delivered the official vote of thanks, expressing profound appreciation to the media partners, production crew, and supporting sponsors. Following the briefing, the panel moved to exclusive broadcast interviews and group photography alongside supporting sponsors, exhibitors, and the fair’s Board of Trustees.

Registration to attend the 2026 fair remains open for the leather goods buyers, visionary designers, industry enthusiasts, and trade stakeholders can secure their attendance badges directly.