Édito House

Author: cherylowolabs

  • The Christmas party edit: what to wear from the work do to New Year’s Eve

    December asks a lot of your wardrobe. There’s the work do, where you want to look good but still be taken seriously on Monday, and the big night out with friends. Then there’s New Year’s Eve, which deserves something new. Here’s who to shop for each.

    Save your favourites to a board called “Christmas parties” in My Edit, and add the date. We’ll count down for you.

    The work Christmas do

    Polished, a little dressed up, nothing you’ll regret in the group photo.

    MANIÈRE DE VOIR. Sleek wardrobe staples, from second-skin tops to tailoring. For him and her.

    Wanderdoll. Sculpting dresses, co-ords and tailoring with a grown-up feel, all under £75.

    TOVE. Sculpted, architectural pieces in natural fabrics, for the person who prefers quiet over sparkle.

    STH DEPT. Clean coats, overshirts and trousers worn relaxed. Smart without the suit.

    The big night out

    The one with your friends, where the dress code is “make an effort”.

    Kai Collective. Bold prints and body-skimming cuts from a British-Nigerian label made for being seen.

    TOFE. Kehinde Martins’ London label: bold, figure-hugging pieces with Nigerian names.

    Rat & Boa. Slinky, romantic dresses for nights out.

    Jaded London. Statement denim and going-out pieces with a club-culture edge. For him and her.

    New Year’s Eve

    The night for the piece you’ve been saving up for.

    Kwame Adusei. An LA designer making ethical, genderless pieces: sequin minis, sharp leather and trenches.

    BGM LABEL. Sculpted statement dresses made for big nights out.

    Onalaja. Sculptural, embellished pieces for the woman who wants to be the last word in the photos.

    Hertunba. Beaded fringe that moves when you do. Made in Lagos, and made for the countdown.

    YAGI. Figure-hugging going-out sets, corsets and denim for fashion-forward women.

    Bianca Saunders. Award-winning menswear with twisted seams and Caribbean heritage, for the man who wants to stand out without shouting.

    One tip

    Order early. Independent labels often make in small runs and some make to order, so give yourself two to three weeks before the party.

    Want picks for your exact party? Ask the Édito Stylist. Choose “Occasion”, tell it who you’re shopping for and your budget, and it will pick three brands for you.

    Some links on this page are affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. It never decides which brands we feature.

  • Gifts for her: 19 independent labels she’ll wear long after Christmas

    The best presents are the ones still in rotation in March. This edit skips the candle-and-bath-set aisle for independent labels she’ll actually reach for: everyday pieces, a proper coat, something for the next big night.

    Every brand is in the Édito Directory. Tap the heart to save them to a Christmas board, and add a date so we remind you before the last delivery day.

    Under £75

    WMNS WEAR. Limited-edition pieces somewhere between athleisure and glam, designed in London by three friends.

    Wanderdoll. Sculpting dresses, co-ords and tailoring with a sleek, grown-up feel, at a price that leaves room for wrapping paper.

    4TH & RECKLESS. Trend-led going-out tops, dresses and co-ords. A safe bet for party season.

    £75 to £200

    Maebe. Elevated everyday essentials: blazers, knitwear and wardrobe staples. The gift for the woman who dresses well without trying.

    RE ONA. Seasonless, luxe basics from London-born sisters, cut to sculpt and made in limited runs.

    COU COO. Female-owned and made in England: runway-inspired dresses and enhanced basics without the luxury price tag.

    5ENSES. Premium British womenswear in bold colour and fluid textures. One for a holiday later in the year.

    SUBSURFACE. Speciality silk from an independent LA label: liquid slips, tie tops and patchwork skirts.

    BACINO. Holiday and occasion dresses, from white maxis to embellished gowns, plus swimwear with gold details. Bikinis start around £33, so it works at any budget, especially for the friend with winter sun already booked.

    A VINTAGE FIT. Vintage-inspired pieces in modern sizing, from Afghan coats to fringe and feather dresses.

    LEMONLUNAR. Made for women, by women in the UK: corset tops, suede, leopard and tassels.

    DISSH. Easy linen, knitwear and dresses with a relaxed Australian ease.

    The proper treat (£200+)

    MEOTINE. Copenhagen outerwear: Scandi-minimal leather, suede, shearling and wool coats. A coat is the gift she’ll think of you in every winter.

    TOVE. Sculpted, architectural pieces in natural fabrics. Quiet, but striking.

    Hanifa. Fluid, figure-loving knits and dresses with an elegant, modern line.

    Kilentar. Michelle Adepoju’s British-Nigerian label: hand-woven cotton, hand-applied beads and fringe. The kind of dress that gets asked about.

    Onalaja. Sculptural demi-couture with African embellishment, in sizes XXS to 4XL.

    Tolu Coker. Sharp tailoring and pleating from the British-Nigerian designer who opened London Fashion Week this year.

    Hertunba. Lagos couture with Akwete, aso-oke, fringe and beadwork, from Florentina Agu’s label.

    How to get it right

    Sizes vary between labels, so check each brand’s size guide against something she owns. Unsure? A coat, knitwear or a silk slip is more forgiving than a fitted dress.

    Still stuck? Ask the Édito Stylist. Tell it what she’s into and your budget, and it will pick three for you.

    Some links on this page are affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. It never decides which brands we feature.

  • Gifts for him: 14 independent labels he’ll actually wear

    The hardest person to buy for usually knows exactly what he likes. He just hasn’t told you. So skip the socks and the aftershave set, and give him a label he’ll wear on repeat, from the people actually making it.

    We’ve split this edit by budget. Every brand is in the Édito Directory, so you can tap the heart and keep a Christmas board as you go.

    Under £75

    MKI Miyuki Zoku. A Leeds label inspired by a 1960s Tokyo style tribe. Clean fleeces, puffers, polos and hoodies at friendly prices: an easy win for the man who lives in a good hoodie.

    Parlez. Started in Bristol by two friends in 2012, Parlez does clean streetwear with a sailing and vintage-sportswear twist. Quietly smart, never loud.

    Jaded London. For the one who likes to be noticed: statement denim, cargo and going-out pieces with a club-culture edge.

    £75 to £200

    Represent. Brothers George and Mike Heaton’s Manchester label. Heavyweight hoodies and graphic tees that feel built to last.

    SAINT ALEXANDER. Minimalist luxury tracksuits, hoodies and knitwear with a clean finish. The gift for the man who likes his loungewear to look expensive.

    DESTRUCTIVE (DSRCV). Timeless, minimalist essentials: heavyweight hoodies, knitwear and utility jackets.

    STH DEPT. Formal codes, loosened. Clean coats, overshirts and trousers worn relaxed, for the man who’s outgrown streetwear but not comfort.

    Cold Culture. Hoodies, puffers, knitwear and denim, with men’s and women’s lines, so you can match if you’re that couple.

    SEASZN. Luxury British streetwear: bombers, hoodies, denim, jerseys and polos.

    Broken Planet Market. Cosmic graphic hoodies and tracksuits from a London label started in 2020. Small drops, big following.

    Syna World. Central Cee’s West London label: logo tracksuits and limited drops. The store only opens for drops, so follow it in the Directory to see when the next one lands.

    Seventh. Bukki Ojo’s London label: minimal, elevated essentials like hoodies, sweatpants and worker shirts. For the man who wears the same five things, but wants them to be good.

    about:blank. London menswear started in 2021: contemporary minimalism, from tees to trousers.

    F/FECTED. Luxury streetwear with considered denim and heavyweight tops in washed-out tones.

    The proper treat (£200+)

    Martine Rose. The South London designer remixing shirts, football tops and tracksuits through rave, hip-hop and her Jamaican heritage. A gift with a story.

    Bianca Saunders. Award-winning menswear playing with twisted seams and Caribbean heritage. For the man who notices the details.

    Art Community. Extremely oversized staples, Japanese denim and heavy fleece from LA, with off-centre details.

    Labrum London. Foday Dumbuya’s menswear: West African stories cut with British tailoring. This year it won the BFC/GQ Designer Fashion Fund.

    Orange Culture. Adebayo Oke-Lawal’s Lagos label: fluid, gender-free menswear in Nigerian prints, made in Lagos. A gift with real personality.

    How to get it right

    Check his size on something he already wears and loves, and keep the receipt. Independent labels often make in small runs, so if you see it, don’t leave it in your basket for a week.

    Not sure which way to go? Ask the Édito Stylist. Tell it you’re shopping for men and give it your budget, and it will pick three for you.

    Some links on this page are affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. It never decides which brands we feature.

  • Lagos, Rewoven: What Lagos Fashion Week 2026 Said About Craft

    Every fashion week has a headline. At the 16th Lagos Fashion Week, which ran from 28 October to 1 November, it wasn’t a colour or a silhouette. It was cloth: hand-woven, hand-beaded and hand-threaded, made by people whose skills go back generations.

    Around 65 designers showed across five days, on the main runway at the Federal Palace Hotel on Victoria Island and at smaller presentations across the city. This season’s theme was “Crafted: Heritage. Innovation. Circular Futures.”, and almost every show answered it. Here’s what stood out, and the labels to know.

    Akwete, reimagined

    The most talked-about collaboration of the week paired menswear designer Emmy Kasbit with luxury retailer ALÁRA. Their capsule, Akwete Reimagined, takes Akwete, the hand-woven cloth from Akwete town in Abia State, and cuts it into contemporary shapes.

    It matters because of who’s involved. ALÁRA is one of Lagos’s most influential luxury stores. When a retailer like that puts its name to a traditional weave, it tells customers the cloth belongs in a luxury wardrobe, not only at weddings and ceremonies.

    See the look from Emmy Kasbit on Instagram →

    Fringe, beads and raffia

    Hertunba opened the main runway on the Thursday night. Florentina Agu founded the label in 2020, and her collections are built on structure and storytelling: bold geometric patterns, Akwete and aso-oke panels, and fringe that moves as the model walks. This season brought black dresses dripping with red beaded fringe and a brown beaded mini that was one of the looks of the week. Agu also puts 10% of net profits into an adult education programme for women. Shop Hertunba →

    See the look from Hertunba on Instagram →

    Kilentar skipped the main tents for an intimate offsite show. Designer Michelle Adepoju, who is British-Nigerian, built her Spring/Summer 2027 collection around womanhood and growing into new versions of yourself. There were beaded dresses, robes and swimwear in yellow, orange, blue and purple, all made with her signature hand-woven cotton and hand-applied beadwork. Shop Kilentar →

    See the look from Kilentar on Instagram →

    They weren’t alone. Khadiju and Eki Kere also worked raffia, cowries, aso-oke and adire into their collections, and a showcase called the Irapada Circular Design Initiative put sustainability centre stage, with Tunture, Éki Kéré, IAMISIGO and Hertunba.

    Heritage craft is being treated as luxury, not costume.

    Streetwear takes a seat

    It wasn’t all couture. Street Souk, the platform that became the first streetwear name to show at Lagos Fashion Week the year before, came back with four designers: 520G, Cashmerihero, Zacchi Lagos and Fahlil. Think bomber jackets, metallic finishes, experimental headwear and hoodies with detachable parts. The standout was the agbada, the flowing traditional robe, remade in leather.

    See the look from Street Souk on Instagram →

    If you want that mix of Lagos tailoring and streetwear in your own wardrobe, start with Orange Culture. Adebayo Oke-Lawal has been making fluid, gender-free menswear in Nigerian prints since 2011, and everything is produced in Lagos.

    Beyond Nigeria

    Lagos Fashion Week has become a stage for the whole continent. Designers from Ghana, Uganda, Morocco and South Africa showed this year, and Ghanaian label Christie Brown returned to the Lagos runway after eight years away.

    Look across the week and two colours keep coming back: deep red and earthy brown. They showed up at Hertunba, Sevon Dejana, For Style Sake, Maliko and Christie Brown. If you’re shopping now, those are the shades to look for.

    Why it matters

    For years, “African fashion” has been sold abroad as a print or a trend. This season said something different. The value is in the making: the weavers, beaders and tailors behind the clothes, and designers who treat that work as the luxury it is. That’s a story worth buying into, and many of these labels ship to the UK.

    Shop the story

    Hertunba. Lagos couture with Akwete, aso-oke, fringe and beadwork.

    Kilentar. British-Nigerian womenswear in hand-woven cotton and hand-applied beads.

    Orange Culture. Gender-free menswear in Nigerian prints, made in Lagos.

    ímátà. A Lagos studio making bold, feminine maxi dresses and co-ords, with inclusive sizing.

    LAUVE. Designed between Lagos and London: resort, occasion and bridal wear in bold colour.

    Save your favourites to a board in My Edit, or browse more in The Culture.

    Not sure where to start? Ask the Édito Stylist. Choose “Occasion”, and it will pick three brands for you.

    Some links on this page are affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. It never decides which brands we feature.