April 25, 2025 |
Lagos over Easter is always a good energy – but this year, it felt like something seismic shifted. Homecoming, the culture-defining platform now in its seventh year, returned to Nigeria’s capital with its most ambitious edition to date: five days of music, fashion, design, sport and cultural exchange that transcended festival norms. And at the heart of it all? The launch of Homecoming’s first-ever permanent space in the city – a landmark moment for African creativity.
From April 17 to 21, Homecoming surpassed celebration, becoming a crowd-pulling cultural summit. A magnet for global tastemakers and local legends alike, this year’s lineup of collaborators read like a who’s who of creative disruptors: from Marni creative director Francesco Risso and Ambush’s Yoon Ahn, to Lagos-born designer Mowalola and visual provocateur Slawn. Photographer and filmmaker Gabriel Moses, too, brought his sharp-eyed aesthetic into the mix, as part of a programme that blurred the lines between fashion, music, art, sport and education.
What truly set this edition apart, though, was the unveiling of the Homecoming Store – a hybrid concept rooted in Lagos but reaching globally. Think concept store meets braid salon, café and radio station – a year-round engine for culture built by and for the continent. Designed to support creative ecosystems across Africa, the space spotlights innovators through exclusive drops and collaborations with Nike, Denim Tears, Stüssy, Patta, Ambush, Awake NY, Meji Meji and more. Street Souk, the city’s foremost streetwear fair, curated an edit of the region’s hottest rising brands for an in-store takeover that felt more like a glimpse into the future than a pop-up. Fashion took centre stage across the weekend, with headline drops from cult labels including Mowalola, Cactus Plant Flea Market and PDF Channel.
photography by Kehm 6ix
But it wasn’t just about buying – it was about building. On April 18, Homecoming hosted a full day of open-access panels, workshops and masterclasses that gave guests direct access to creative leaders shaping industries from the inside out. From Gabriel Moses discussing visual storytelling, to football icon Jay-Jay Okocha sharing his journey and Yoon Ahn offering a rare insight into the shaping of her career, the Education Day was a rare chance to tap into first-hand knowledge and start rewriting the rules.
For Ahn, Lagos wasn’t just another stop – it was a revelation. “Ambush has always thrived on tension – between cultures, disciplines and expectations. And cities like Lagos are exactly where that tension sparks something new,” she said. “There’s an energy there that feels raw, urgent and deeply creative. It’s not about copying existing systems – it’s about rewriting them, using fashion as a form of identity, resistance and celebration.”
That spirit was unmistakable across every aspect of Homecoming. “Lagos is reshaping the global fashion conversation by showing that innovation doesn’t have to come from legacy – it can come from lived experience, youth and resourcefulness,” Ahn added. “That kind of spirit aligns with Ambush at its core. We’ve never followed the rules and we’re always looking for the future in unexpected places.”
Sport had its moment too – and then some. At the J Randle Centre for Yoruba Arts and Culture, the energy peaked with the launch of Three90, a high-octane football format inspired by Nike’s re-release of the T90. Three teams, two players and one fast-paced battle that flipped the game on its head. Okocha’s surprise appearance brought star power and street cred, as he crowned the first-ever Three90 champs and even laced up for the grand finale. The Homecoming Cup returned in full force, with The Plug lifting the trophy after a heated showdown between Lagos’s streetwear heavyweights and cultural crews.
“Sport and music have always been the heartbeat of streetwear – raw, emotional, unapologetic,” Ahn shared. “But right now, those worlds are evolving. They’re less about idol worship and more about community, storytelling and self-expression. It’s not just about the athlete or the artist – it’s about the world they build around them and the culture that rises from it.”
photography by Fiifi Abban
Musically, Homecoming 2025 was genre-bending, border-breaking and future-facing. From Afrobeats to amapiano, alté to experimental, the line-up was stacked with powerhouses: Davido, Odumodublvck, Teni, Cruel Santino, DJ Tunez & Friends and more. A standout addition this year? HI-FI – a new late-night platform for progressive African electronic music, featuring genre-pushers like Coco Em, Del Noi, Sons of Ubuntu and Aniko. The message was clear: the future of African club culture is already here.
“At Homecoming, that energy is alive. You feel the beats, the sweat, the style – all colliding in one space,” said Ahn. “Ambush shows up by channeling that chaos into something intentional. We’re not just here to dress the moment, we’re here to listen to it, absorb it and remix it into something new. Our work lives between disciplines and that’s what makes it resonate. This kind of space doesn’t just inspire us – it amplifies us.”
As the festival wrapped and Lagos’ creative community spilled into the newly-minted Homecoming space, the city felt like it was entering a new era as a global nexus for creativity. “I see Ambush not just participating in that shift, but learning from it, collaborating with it and helping spotlight new voices that are redefining style on their own terms,” Ahn said.
Homecoming didn’t just come home. It built one.
Photography courtesy of Homecoming.
