At Orange Culture’s 2023 Lagos Fashion Week presentation, Kareem worked behind the scenes, where samples, fittings, and final adjustments became part of the runway process. Fashion week is often judged by what happens on the runway, but a garment has already passed through several stages of scrutiny before a model takes the first step. At […]
3 years ago
At Orange Culture’s 2023 Lagos Fashion Week presentation, Kareem worked behind the scenes, where samples, fittings, and final adjustments became part of the runway process.
Fashion week is often judged by what happens on the runway, but a garment has already passed through several stages of scrutiny before a model takes the first step. At Orange Culture’s Lagos Fashion Week presentation in October 2023, Adeyemi Kareem worked within that less visible process as a Backstage Garment Fitting and Sample Production Assistant.
The experience placed him within the technical preparation behind one of Lagos Fashion Week’s most anticipated returns. Orange Culture, founded and led by designer Adebayo Oke-Lawal, returned to the Lagos Fashion Week schedule after a two-year absence, presenting its SS24 collection, It Comes in Waves, on October 29, 2023.
The collection reflected Oke-Lawal’s evolving approach to contemporary Nigerian fashion. Vogue described the presentation as a combination of new and older Orange Culture pieces, with silhouettes ranging from a crocheted ocean-blue dress and tailored womenswear to sequined pieces and fluid evening looks.
For Kareem, working as a fitting and sample-production assistant meant operating at the point where those creative ideas had to function on real bodies.
Fittings are among the most practical stages of fashion production. A garment that appears convincing on a sketch or dress form can behave differently when worn. Proportions become visible, fabric responds to movement, closures are tested, and details that seemed minor during development can suddenly become significant. The fitting process allows a production team to identify these issues and make adjustments before presentation.
Sample production is similarly important. Samples provide the physical evidence of whether a design works as intended. They allow the creative and technical teams to assess construction, proportion, and finish before garments move toward final production.
That makes Kareem’s contribution distinct from the work of the collection’s designer. Adebayo Oke-Lawal remained responsible for the creative direction and design of the Orange Culture collection, while Kareem’s role was concerned with helping prepare and refine garments within the production process.
The distinction is significant because fashion’s final appearance depends on both creative vision and technical execution. A striking silhouette needs to sit correctly. A dramatic proportion needs to remain wearable. Fabric needs to respond to the body in the way the designer intends.
Orange Culture has built its identity around fluid silhouettes, gender-inclusive fashion, and contemporary interpretations of Nigerian identity. Oke-Lawal’s work frequently challenges conventional assumptions about how clothing should be worn and by whom. That makes fitting and sample development particularly important because garments designed to disrupt familiar silhouettes often demand careful attention to proportion and movement.
Kareem’s October 2023 experience, therefore, represents valuable exposure to the mechanics of contemporary fashion production. Working backstage places a young fashion professional close to the final stages of decision-making, where design becomes tangible, and imperfections have to be solved quickly.
His contribution may not have been visible to the audience, but that is precisely what makes the role significant. Before the lights come up and the music begins, fashion has already been tested, adjusted, and refined behind the curtain.
For Adeyemi Kareem, the fitting room was part of that process, providing practical experience in turning a designer’s vision into garments ready for the runway.
