“You walk like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders,” came a firm voice from behind. Startled, Mariam turned to meet the determined gaze of Omoyemi Akerele, the founder of Style House Files, a fashion business agency in Lagos.
Raised in Kano, northern Nigeria, Mariam, 22, had never fancied herself on the runway. “At home, modelling was seen as something shameful,” she said. On her first day at the Style House Files Workshop, her duties entailed helping with fittings, pinning seams, and clearing scraps of fabric in the brightly lit studio.
“I wasn’t ready to hear anything positive about myself,” Mariam recalls, sitting on a low stool in that same studio years later. “I’d been invisible for so long. I thought I was just a girl from nowhere who didn’t belong.” But Style House Files thrives on uncovering beauty in unlikely places.
Over the years, Africa has been celebrated as a source of creative inspiration in global fashion, yet many African designers have struggled to break into international markets. Style House Files (SHF), a non-governmental organisation, is changing that narrative. By supporting designers in building sustainable brands, SHF leads a fashion revolution where creativity meets philanthropy.
From Fabrics to Futures
Founded in 2011, Style House Files is more than a fashion advocacy platform—it’s a bridge connecting local talent with global opportunities. Through strategic mentorship, training, and advocacy, the organisation empowers African designers to scale their businesses while showcasing the continent’s rich cultural heritage.
Omoyemi still remembers the day she first saw Mariam in the studio: thin, quiet, her eyes darting nervously between people. She had been hired to assist a designer SHF was mentoring, but something about her movements caught Omoyemi’s eye.
“I asked her to stand up straight,” Omoyemi says, a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. “She didn’t know what I meant at first. But I could see it—the posture, the grace. She just didn’t believe it yet.”
That day, Omoyemi asked Mariam to try on one of the dresses they were fitting—a long silk gown designed for Lagos Fashion Week. Mariam hesitated, shaking her head.
“I said, ‘Me? No, madam. I can’t. I’ll spoil it.’ But she told me, ‘You’re not spoiling anything. Just try.’ That moment changed my life.”
The Lagos Fashion Week Magic
The pulse of Style House Files is Lagos Fashion Week. Designers, models, buyers, and fashion enthusiasts gather annually in Lagos from all corners of the world. But it’s more than just a runway—it’s a stage for showcasing African voices, ideas, and innovations.
For designers like Kemi Adewale, Lagos Fashion Week is a dream come true. For Mariam, it was her rebirth.
At the next fashion week, Mariam wasn’t holding pins or sweeping floors. She was on stage, walking for Kemi’s new sustainable collection—her first appearance as a runway model.
“I remember standing backstage, my heart pounding. I could hear the music, the chatter of the crowd. Kemi came up to me and said, ‘Just walk. Walk like you’re telling a story only you know.’ I didn’t understand what she meant, but I walked anyway.”
The crowd roared. Cameras flashed. For the first time, Mariam felt seen. Not as the girl from nowhere, but as a storyteller wearing Kemi’s designs—fluid gowns made from locally sourced fabrics and hand-beaded by artisans from Ibadan.
“After that day, I cried,” Mariam admits, her voice breaking. “I couldn’t believe someone like me could be important, could have people clap for her.”
A Movement Beyond Fashion
Style House Files has long known that fashion is more than clothes; it’s about giving a voice to people like Mariam, weaving creativity and community into something bigger. The programs at SHF focus not just on designers but also on the ecosystem that keeps fashion alive: models, artisans, photographers, and tailors.
Omoyemi sits across from Mariam now, pride in her eyes as she watches her. “When Mariam walked that runway, it wasn’t just her. She carried her story, her struggles, her dreams. That’s what fashion is—storytelling without words,” says Omoyemi.
Since that first walk, Mariam has graced runways in Accra and Nairobi and has become the face of new collections. But she continues working closely with SHF, mentoring young girls who, like her, once couldn’t imagine themselves in fashion.
“I tell them, ‘Believe me, I was you. I was ashamed of who I was. But you have to walk tall, even when the world tries to bend you down.’”
Sustainability is the beating heart of SHF, and it’s more than using eco-friendly fabrics. It’s about sustaining lives, building futures, and lifting up communities. Designers trained by SHF, like Kemi, now employ dozens of artisans and tailors in local communities. Models mentored by SHF, like Mariam, carry their success back home to inspire new generations.
Omoyemi’s mission isn’t just about creating fashion stars; it’s about creating impact. Through initiatives like Lagos Fashion Week and the Green Access Program, African creatives learn to compete on the world stage while staying true to their culture.
“We want to show the world what Africa has to offer,” says Omoyemi. “And that includes not just what we create, but who we are.”
A Full Circle Moment
A year after her first walk at Lagos Fashion Week, Mariam was mentoring young girls in Kano during an SHF outreach program. Among them was a shy 15-year-old who wouldn’t meet anyone’s gaze.
“I went up to her and said, ‘Stand up straight.’ She looked at me like I was crazy, the same way I looked at Omoyemi,” Mariam says, laughing. “And I told her, ‘You don’t know this yet, but you are important.’”
The day fades into night at the SHF studio in Lagos. Mariam meticulously stitches beads onto a dress for fashion week, while Kemi sketches a new collection across the room. The hum of creativity fills the air, alive and boisterous as ever. Omoyemi watches the duo, a subtle smile on her face.
“These are the stories we live for,” she says. “The moments when creativity becomes a tool for change. Fashion isn’t just a runway—it’s a lifeline. It’s where dreams are stitched into reality.”
Mariam looks up, nodding quietly. “I used to think I was just a girl from nowhere,” she says. “But now I know—I am somebody.”
Mariam, a young woman from northern Nigeria, initially felt invisible in the fashion world, her upbringing seeing modeling as shameful. However, her fortunes changed at Style House Files (SHF), a Lagos-based fashion agency aiming to elevate African designers and creatives to global prominence. Under the mentorship of Omoyemi Akerele, Mariam gained confidence and skills, transitioning from assisting designers to gracing runways at events like Lagos Fashion Week. This platform transformed her identity from a “girl from nowhere” to a celebrated model and storyteller through fashion, wearing designs that highlight African culture and sustainability.
Style House Files, founded in 2011, not only mentors designers but focuses on an inclusive fashion ecosystem encompassing models, artisans, tailors, and photographers. By fostering a movement where fashion intersects with community empowerment and sustainable practices, SHF impacts local economies and nurtures talents like Kemi Adewale, who incorporate local artisans in their practices, and Mariam, who now mentors others. The organization’s initiatives, including Lagos Fashion Week, aim to bring African creatives into the global spotlight, celebrating their culture and contributions while training them to compete internationally.
Through SHF's efforts, Mariam's story underscores the transformative power of fashion beyond aesthetics — it's a vehicle for storytelling, identity, and change, offering new narratives and futures for people who once felt invisible. Mariam's evolution into a mentor signifies the agency's broader impact, creating a ripple effect where inspired individuals return to their communities, fostering new dreams and awareness. As Mariam reflects on her journey, she realizes her newfound importance, affirming that fashion can indeed be a lifeline and a platform where dreams translate into reality.
