Nigerian-British luxury label Banke Kuku made its debut on the official digital calendar of Milano Fashion Week Women’s Collection Spring/Summer 2027 on Monday, September 28, with the premiere of its fashion film, The Invitation. Presented as part of the official Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI) schedule, the digital presentation marked a significant international moment for the Lagos-based house.
The film is an immersive meditation on color, craftsmanship, and nature—the three pillars that have defined the house since its founding in 2011. True to its name, The Invitation is an open call to the world: it invites a global audience into African luxury fashion, its creativity, heritage, and craft, carried from the heart of Lagos to one of fashion’s most storied stages.
Filmed in the Landscapes of Lagos
Filmed in the gardens of Lufasi Park in Lagos, The Invitation places the natural landscape at the heart of the story, bringing together the colors, textures, and organic surroundings that have long informed Banke Kuku’s creative language. The film premiered digitally as part of Milano Fashion Week Women’s Collection Spring/Summer 2027.
Banke Kuku is one of only three brands presenting digitally on the official calendar for the first time this season. The selection marks a significant moment for the house and for African and Nigerian luxury fashion on the international stage, placing Lagos-born creativity within the global fashion conversation.
“The Invitation” to African Luxury
“We called it The Invitation because it is exactly that: an invitation to the world to experience the beauty, depth, and craftsmanship of African fashion, told through the landscapes that inspire us.” — Banke Kuku, Founder and Creative Director
The title of the film reflects the house’s intention: to open a door into an expression of African luxury shaped by place, craftsmanship, and a distinctive approach to color. Rather than presenting Lagos simply as a setting, The Invitation uses its landscapes as part of the visual language of the collection and the wider Banke Kuku identity.
Nature as a Creative Collaborator
The film continues the house’s long-standing commitment to the environment. Recent collections have championed forest conservation, ocean preservation, and the protection of wildlife. In The Invitation, nature is not simply a backdrop. It is the collaborator—an integral part of the visual story and a reflection of the landscapes that continue to inspire the house.
From Lagos to Milan
Founded in Lagos in 2011, Banke Kuku has developed a distinctive identity around vibrant color, intricate textiles, and prints inspired by Nigerian landscapes and stories. The brand’s Milan debut brings that established language into a new international setting while keeping Lagos firmly at the center of its visual narrative.
With The Invitation, the journey from Lagos to Milan is therefore more than a change of fashion capital. The film uses landscape, movement, color, and craftsmanship to introduce an expression of African luxury on one of fashion’s most prominent international calendars.
The Invitation premiered digitally on September 28 as part of Milano Fashion Week Women’s Collection Spring/Summer 2027. The official CNMI calendar confirms the presentation as a digital event.
All images courtesy of Banke Kuku
—Read also
