From Lagos to London, Grace Ladoja isn’t just building a brand; she’s building a cultural bridge. Through her collaboration with Nike, the creative entrepreneur is translating identity, heritage, and storytelling into wearable design. The Homecoming Festival lasted from 2nd to 6th April, with a lineup of activities from Hi-fi to concert store.  As the first African woman to design a signature silhouette for Nike, this collaboration focuses on blending the two cultures and empowering a new generation of creatives to shape African culture on world stages. The Nike Air Max Plus blends London and Nigeria, each representing Model and craftsmanship. Every detail of the shoe tells a story inspired by Nigeria: the texture, materials, and everyday life.

Photo-Instagram

Cultural Uniformity: London Model and Lagos Craftsmanship.

The Air Max Plus (TN) was chosen to blend both cultural communities. Grace honours both her British and Nigerian roots in her silhouette design. The traditional Western bathing sponge inspires the mesh upper, hence its rugged tactile texture. Unlike the normal sneakers, which are smooth.

The lacemaxxing movement features a complex, multi-coloured, and extra laces. This mirrors the artistry in the Nigerian marketplaces, often for decoration and “vibes.” The sneakers appear to be made by hand, just like the woven basket, textiles, and Nigerian authentic textures. And it reminds one of their heritage. This blends into the Nigerian streetwear community.

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The Colourways Blend

The shoes come in two distinct colours: safety orange & bright mandarin, inspired by Africa’s sunrise and Lagos high-hustling spirit. Designed for those who want to stand out in the festival and the city. The second colour symbolises identity. The colours are sleek Black base with university Red and court Green accents. It represents the Pan-African flag, symbolising the unity of the global Black diaspora.

The Homecoming Festival focused on connecting Africa to the rest of the world and bringing culture together. Collaborating with Nike has helped in this empowerment. However, What seemed to have started with the love trainers and street culture for Grace evolved into a partnership that has not only emphasised cultural authenticity,   but underlines the value of the connection of music, fashion, sports, and art. 

Tracee Ellis Ross just entered into the designer space, she released a limited-edition eyewear collaboration with the historic French brand Emmanuelle Khanh on April 7, 2026. The collection focused on bold, oversized shapes that mirror her style. The debut included two signature frames which are “Freedom”, an exaggerated mask-style sunglass designed for full coverage, and “Truth”, a vibrant, aviator-inspired optical frame available in colours like bright green, cherry red, and yellow.

The “Freedom” frame is a mask-style design with full coverage. It comes in five colourways, from inky black and classic tortoiseshell, to deep red, keeping the colours within a neutral range to offset the bold design. “To me, this is a perfectly practical pair of sunglasses. They give you full coverage. We stayed in the natural range of color because the frame is so exaggerated,” Ross explained.

Photo Credit: Erik Melvin

The “Truth” is a pilot-shaped optical frame drawn from the Emmanuelle Khanh archive. It functions as a prescription glasses and offers maximum vision, available in bold colours within bright green, cherry red, and lemon yellow. “I love an aviator because I think they look good on everybody. For the color, we went vibrant and joyful, just like me,” she said.

Photo Credit: Erik Melvin

If you are a fan of Tracee Ellis Ross, you should know she consistently embraces bold choices. Her styling choices are intentional, the collection follows the same approach. She has been wearing Emmanuelle Khanh in public for years, long before the collaboration was announced. At the 54th NAACP Image Awards in 2023, she showed up in bright purple Emmanuelle Khanh frames. The relationship between her and the label had been building for a long time.

Glasses have been part of her life since she was six, so entering this category felt natural. Emmanuelle Khanh’s creative director Eva Gaumé described the collaboration as a celebration of bold femininity. Founder Emmanuelle Khanh, a pioneer of French ready-to-wear in the 1960s who passed away in 2017, was best known for her signature oversize eyewear, and Ross fits right into that story.

The frames were handcrafted in France and Italy in limited quantities and are available at The Webster stores and online at EK.FR. She remains a prominent figure in fashion and this collection is further showing her influence in fashion.

Mimi Yina the visionary behind the brand Medlin Couture, known for her exquisite taste in style and high-fashion, stepped away from her traditional cooperate neutrals and gave us a simple unified silhouette. Mimi attended the Women’s Crush Wednesday on March 25, 2026, hosted by Amaka Diane Okeke in a Pink tailored suit from her brand Medlin Couture and styled by her. She shared the photos on her Instagram with the caption “A testament of God’s Grace”.

Photo Credit : Joseph Iso

She wore a structured, double-breasted jacket featuring sharp peak lapels and a standing collar that added a modern touch. The tailored waist and flap pockets created a powerful, feminine shape. She paired the suit with the same pink shade of midi-length pencil skirt that fitted her properly, stopping just below her knee to maintain a professional yet chic line.

Photo Credit : Joseph Iso

For accessories she went with a more executive approach. Mimi wore simple silver stud earrings and a classic gold wristwatch. Her hair was styled by Beatrice Hairline in a straight, low ponytail with a clean center part. Yina’s makeup done by Ruth Thompson Brand was a perfect matte finish which included, defined brows, soft smoky eyeshadow with winged eyeliner and a neutral brownish nude lip. She completed the look with lavender open-toe heels that had sparkling straps wrapped around the ankle.

Photo Credit : Joseph Iso

As the woman behind Medlin Couture, Mimi Yina has built a reputation for precision and taste. She designed it, styled it, and she wore it to a room full of women celebrating impact and excellence.