Nigerian Designer Omosalewa Ogunjimi Wins Real Leather. Stay Different. Africa (RLSD) 2026
NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 4 – Nigerian designer Omosalewa Ogunjimi has been named the Real Leather. Stay Different. (RLSD) Africa 2026 Most Commendable Designer, emerging at the top of a highly competitive pan-African field with her collection EXUVIA, a striking exploration of leather, structure and transformation.
Inspired by the human spine, ribcage, and the natural process of moulting, EXUVIA explores ideas of resilience, protection, and renewal through a bold, sculptural design language.
Rather than treating leather simply as a surface or decorative material, Ogunjimi makes it part of the garment’s architecture, using modular construction to create a design capable of transformation and multiple expressions.
The result is a proposition that brings together storytelling, functionality and material experimentation qualities that distinguished EXUVIA through the final stages of the competition and earned Ogunjimi the honour of representing Africa at the international RLSD competition in Bangkok, Thailand, from October 27–29, 2026.
For Ogunjimi, EXUVIA is an expression of an increasingly distinctive personal design language.
“EXUVIA is a reflection of my design language where structure, functionality, and storytelling come together to create something distinct. I’m honoured to carry this work forward and represent Africa on the global stage,” she said.
Now in its fourth year in Africa and sixth globally, Real Leather.Stay Different. challenges emerging designers, creatives and design students to rethink what leather can become and explore its creative, sustainable, and commercial possibilities.
The 2026 Africa edition attracted hundreds of designers from more than 12 African countries.
Following successive stages of evaluation, 15 designers advanced to the final stage, representing Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Uganda across Apparel, Accessories and Footwear.
For the finalists, reaching the final stage required taking an idea beyond the page and proving it in the physical world turning research into sketches, concepts into prototypes and prototypes into real, functional products.
Each completed design was presented before an international panel of six industry judges and assessed against five defining criteria: Individuality, Conceptualisation, Relevance, Sustainability and CommercialityIt was here that EXUVIA made its mark.
Lead Judge Preston Viswamo described the concept as “spectacular” and Ogunjimi’s work as “really outstanding,” commending her creativity, modular design development, and prototyping.
He also highlighted the strength of its sustainability proposition and its potential for commercialisation.
The assessment captured the central challenge of RLSD Africa: to create work that goes beyond visual impact and connects originality, craftsmanship, responsible material thinking, functionality, and commercial possibility.
Ogunjimi’s achievement came from an especially competitive Apparel field, where three of the five finalists Omosalewa Ogunjimi, Clara Udegbe, and Emeka Oguejiofor were from Nigeria, reflecting the depth of emerging design talent coming through the continent.
Over four years, RLSD Africa has evolved beyond a competition into a continental platform connecting creativity, craftsmanship, sustainability, and commercial opportunity.
It discovers and nurtures a new generation of African designers while creating pathways for their ideas to move from concept and workshop to continental and international audiences.
The programme forms part of the global Real Leather. Stay Different. movement, which champions leather and other natural materials, promotes the responsible use of hides arising as by-products of the meat and dairy industries, and challenges the culture of disposable fast fashion.
Positioning leather as a material of choice for a more sustainable future, the campaign reached an extraordinary 750 million people worldwide in 2025 alone.
As the RLSD Africa 2026 Most Commendable Designer, Ogunjimi will carry EXUVIA and the continental title to Bangkok, Thailand, from October 27–29, 2026, where her work will join designs from other global regions.
The RLSD Africa journey returns to the continent in November, when all 15 finalists reunite in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the RLSD Africa 2026 Continental Showcase, where the remaining category winners will be officially unveiled.
