Naija! On Monday night in Lagos, Nigeria, “Nollywood” celebrities showed up and showed out for the Ocean’s 8 Nigerian premiere.
The stars pulled up to the Filmhouse Imax Cinema in Met Gala-themed attire, correlating with the film’s plot, in which the all-female cast attempts to steal jewels while attending the gala.
The annual event, dubbed “fashion’s biggest night,” is held at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City and has had many themes over the years, such as this year’s Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination and 2016’s Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology.
But the Nollywood crowd put the New York crowds to shame as fashion designers vying for a cash reward from Nigerian movie studio Film One and Warner Brothers for the most stunning red-carpet look dressed famed Nigerian women in their creations.
The winner has yet to be announced, but this premiere included some of the greatest red-carpet looks I’ve ever seen. See below:
Fashion entrepreneur Nowe Alexis looked angelic in a custom white-and-silver brocade gown and feathered headpiece by Jane Michael.
Nigerian actress and former Miss Black USA Osas Ighodaro Ajibade wore a plunging black satin mermaid gown with a peacock-feathered cape from Africana.
Entrepreneur Afua Osei, co-founder of She Leads Africa, wore a sleek white gown by CP Woman and a crownlike headpiece she made herself.
Fans took to social media to express their opinions about the looks, but also were confused as to where the actual cast of the Ocean’s 8 movie was, or why Nigerians should expend so much effort over the premiere of an American film that in no way represents them. I mean, come on, we at least need to see Rihanna.
But all criticism and controversy aside, if these ladies and their designers appeared at the next Met Gala in New York, they’d catch the eyes of many.