Founder Grace Ladoja And Yoon AMBUSH Detail Homecoming Festival Africa

Forbes

5 hours ago

Founded by visionary creative Grace Ladoja, HOMECOMING Festival in Lagos, Nigeria, now joined by Yoon Ahn of AMBUSH, the festival serves as a dynamic platform uniting music, fashion, and community. TONII
In the heart of Lagos, Nigeria, a cultural shift has been brewing among the creative youth. A wave transcending borders, industries, and expectations of African people, founded by visionary creative Grace Ladoja, HOMECOMING has evolved from a grassroots festival into a platform merging music, fashion, and community, fueling a new generation of African entrepreneurs. Conceptualized as an intimate gathering in 2017, it is a defining moment in contemporary festival culture, bridging the African diaspora with the continent's diverse creative energy.
Founded by visionary creative Grace Ladoja [pictured], HOMECOMING Festival in Lagos, Nigeria, has grown from an intimate 2017 gathering into a powerful cultural movement. Now joined by Yoon of AMBUSH, the festival serves as a dynamic platform uniting music, fashion, and community, while empowering a new generation of African entrepreneurs. Bridging the African diaspora with the continent's vibrant creative scene, HOMECOMING is reshaping festival culture and redefining global perceptions of African innovation. HOMECOMING
Ladoja's journey underlines the festival's emotional resonance with her African roots and UK nationality. After returning to Nigeria for the first time in 14 years following her mother's passing, she experienced a revelation. She noted, "It felt like when you land on a plane, and everything about your life makes sense. You know the sounds, how people talk, why they talk that way. Everything was making sense for me in one split second." That moment was the inception of HOMECOMING as a mission to create a space where the diaspora reconnects with their roots while amplifying Africa's homegrown talent.
Bridging the African diaspora with the continent's vibrant creative scene, HOMECOMING is reshaping festival culture and redefining global perceptions of African innovation. HOMECOMING
This year's edition took place from April 17 to 21, 2025, and marked the festival's pivotal evolution. With headliners and pop-up shops, HOMECOMING unveiled its first permanent hybrid creative hub. This hub is a year-round space fusing a concept store, braid salon, café, and radio station under one roof, a remnant of global African diasporic communities.
Founded by visionary creative Grace Ladoja [center], HOMECOMING Festival in Lagos, Nigeria, a creative scene with Angelo Baque of AWAKE [left], reshaping festival culture and redefining global perceptions of African innovation. HOMECOMING
Grace explained the vision stating, "Lagos needed [it]! A space that activates the community, amplifies their voice, allows outsiders to show up where it's curated." The retail component is revolutionary, offering exclusive drops like the Nike x Slawn collab (one of 2025's most hyped releases) and long-awaited local access to global designs.
Mowalola on the racks at the HOMECOMING retail space. TONII
'The retail side is exciting because we're one of the few that can get brands to collaborate with us, [and] make exclusive products for West Africa,' Ladoja expounded. 'That doesn't happen. That exclusivity is something I grew up on—you'd have to travel to get that exclusive T-shirt. I was like, Nigeria needs exclusivity. People need to feel they get it first.'
Now joined by Yoon of AMBUSH, the festival serves as a dynamic platform uniting music, fashion, and community, while empowering a new generation of African entrepreneurs. Bridging the African diaspora with the continent's vibrant creative scene, HOMECOMING is reshaping festival culture and redefining global perceptions of African innovation. TONII
Streetwear has become one of the many pillars of HOMECOMING's cultural exchange. With exclusive drops from AMBUSH founded by Yoon Ahn, Marni, Mowalola, Denim Tears, and Patta, alongside rising Lagos-based labels, the festival boasted a new look on the streetwear and fashion markets.
Now joined by Yoon of AMBUSH, HOMECOMING is reshaping festival culture and redefining global perceptions of African innovation. HOMECOMING
Yoon Ahn, who first collaborated with Grace in 2018, finally experienced Lagos in person and was struck by its raw energy. She recalls, "I told [Grace], 'Bring that energy into your streetwear. Don't try to be version two of the West. Learn from it, but make your own.'" The festival's Street Souk marketplace embodied this ethos, spotlighting how African designers redefine global fashion on their own terms.
Street Souk jerseys; Founded by visionary creative Grace Ladoja, HOMECOMING Festival in Lagos, serves as a dynamic platform uniting music, fashion, and community, while empowering a new generation of African entrepreneurs. HOMECOMING
She stated, ' I saw that raw energy in young designers—their graphics, cuts. I'm excited to see how their culture matures. Like Afrobeats—it's globally loved, but it's distinctly theirs. I want that for fashion.'
The presence of a brand like AMBUSH further exemplifies this cultural bridge to the world with its starting point in Africa. 'We did easy-to-grab pieces for HOMECOMING; remade a T-shirt from five years ago because of demand,' Ahn detailed her experience at the festival. 'The panel turnout surprised me [with] so many people - so knowledgeable. My first time in Africa was [in] late 2023 in Joburg for a Nike program. Kids there told me they started brands because of me. That blew my mind! I didn't think my work as an Asian creator would resonate like that. It made me feel more responsible.'
Founded by visionary creative Grace Ladoja, HOMECOMING, now joined by Yoon of AMBUSH, the festival serves as a dynamic platform uniting music, fashion, and community, while empowering a new generation of African entrepreneurs. HOMECOMING
She continued, 'What I loved about Lagos was the directness. In Japan, design is very cerebral. In Lagos, creation feels instinctive, from the gut. That's vital! Customers feel that energy. I told them, 'Learn from others but don't replicate. Make your own journey. It reminded me to trust my gut more, be raw again.' For Homecoming's future; I'd love more cultural exchange—Lagos to Asia, everywhere. More youth, more voices. It feels like it's just beginning.'
Founded by visionary creative Grace Ladoja, HOMECOMING Festival in Lagos, serves as a dynamic platform uniting music, fashion, and community, while empowering a new generation of African entrepreneurs. TONII
Sustainability emerged as another key theme, with brands like Dye Lab leading the charge in 'circular' design. Ladoja highlighted Africa's inherent advantage. "In Nigeria, tailoring is so normal—it's not unusual to say, 'I'm going to a wedding on Saturday, I'm getting a dress made.' That's very normal."
The festival founder has rooted the experience in learning inherent traits of African culture, circular in their design. Ladoja revealed, 'I'd say there's a lot of sustainability happening in Nigeria, especially with brands looking at the end-to-end process of waste. I see a lot of upcycling with Nigerian textiles. During the festival, we brought the original artisans, weavers, and dyers from Kano to Lagos to show that process. We spoke about offcuts and waste. We did a customization based on offcuts of traditionally dyed products.'
Bridging the African diaspora with the continent's vibrant creative scene, HOMECOMING is reshaping festival culture and redefining global perceptions of African innovation. TONII
'If your brand is in Nigeria and I see it on the streets, you've made it. I've seen Palace, Free the Youth, random [brands]. I saw Palace a few years ago and was like, 'Palace is in Nigeria? This is crazy.' It's more [of a] bootleg knockoff,' she explains of the popularity of streetwear's cultural impact. 'I did a panel with Free the Youth from Accra, and Joey said, 'Before you could buy the product, you'd remake it.' We'd see something and remake it ourselves. That's how it works."
When mentioning fashion aesthetics, Ladoja highlighted the deliberate stereotypes, resenting the idea of Africa as a dumping ground for fast fashion, pointing to innovators transforming waste into high-value products. There are a lot of people looking at sustainability within the continent. We don't need to be a dumping ground for another country's waste. With a brand like Dye Lab [and] all their artisans - everything's sustainable. The waste products go back into their products."
Artist Slawn at HOMECOMING Festival in Lagos, Nigeria, a vibrant creative scene, HOMECOMING is reshaping festival culture and redefining global perceptions of African innovation. HOMECOMING
The festival's impact extends far beyond commerce, becoming a creative incubator. Grace's partnership with Slawn, the 22-year-old Nigerian designer behind the viral Nike collaboration, exemplifies HOMECOMING's role as a talent incubator. She recalled their first meeting in 2018. "We put an ad out for graphic designers, and Slawn and his Motherland crew showed up. They were making little patches for our customization. We met them when they were 15, but they were extremely talented. It's important for people to see," Ladoja reflected.
Davido performs at the HOMECOMING concert; Bridging the African diaspora with the continent's vibrant creative scene, HOMECOMING is reshaping festival culture and redefining global perceptions of African innovation. HOMECOMING
Ladoja envisions HOMECOMING as a catalyst for pan-African collaboration and a hub for the African diaspora. "The diaspora could be the biggest ally for the continent," she urged. Ahn echoed this sentiment, inspired by Lagos' unfiltered creativity, "We have to feel more like a collective. It reminded me to trust my gut more, be raw again."
Bridging the African diaspora with the continent's vibrant creative scene, HOMECOMING is reshaping festival culture and redefining global perceptions of African innovation. TONII
Ladoja concluded, "This isn't just about events, it's about building infrastructure." As popular culture grows an appetite for authentic connection, HOMECOMING is filling a gap and rewriting narratives for Africa and how it's shaping global culture.