- Nigerian designers are securing more British fashion visas than any other nationality.
- This trend highlights the growing global influence of Nigeria’s fashion industry.
- The UK is actively working to diversify its creative sectors.
Nigerian designers are now obtaining more British fashion visas than any other nationality.
This surge underscores both the rising global impact of Nigeria’s fashion industry and the UK’s drive to diversify its creative sectors.
Between 2019 and 2024, Nigerian designers submitted 291 applications for the UK’s Global Talent fashion visa significantly higher than any other country. Chinese designers came next, with 67 applications.
Approvals for Nigerians have increased dramatically, rising from just three in 2019 to 145 in 2024. Reports from The Telegraph indicate that the British Fashion Council (BFC) has endorsed 71 of these applications, the highest for any nationality.
Some context
The BFC, a nonprofit organization authorized to endorse creative talent visas on behalf of the UK Home Office, receives about £2 million annually from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to champion British fashion. Since the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement, the council has emphasized diversity, helping integrate more African creatives into the UK’s fashion ecosystem.
The Global Talent visa requires applicants to demonstrate outstanding achievement, including proof of international coverage or commercial success. Many Nigerian designers have relied on local media features or social media evidence such as Instagram activity to satisfy the criteria.
What to know
Nigerian fashion’s global prominence has grown steadily. The Victoria and Albert Museum hosted a groundbreaking African Fashion exhibition in 2022–23, while Lagos’s Arise Fashion Week, now in its 13th edition, continues to attract worldwide attention, with endorsements from prominent figures like British supermodel Naomi Campbell.
Information about the visa pathway has also spread widely on social media. Nigerian creatives often use YouTube and Instagram to share guidance, encouraging others to pursue the Global Talent visa instead of relying solely on post-study work opportunities.
This rise in Nigerian fashion applicants reflects a broader trend across creative disciplines. Since 2019, Nigerians have filed 729 Global Talent visa applications in fields including literature, film, music, dance, and visual arts second only to the United States’ 977 applications. However, Nigeria’s endorsement success rate remains relatively modest at 59%, compared with higher rates in other leading countries.
Globally, over 5,000 artistic Global Talent visa applications have been submitted since 2019, with around 3,600 endorsed by the UK Arts Council. The Home Office does not disclose how many endorsements ultimately result in issued visas.
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