Nigerian Female Creatives You Should Have on Your Radar
As we round up Women’s Month, it’s a good moment to reflect on Nigerian female creatives shaping culture in real time. These Nigerian female creatives are building, experimenting, and defining what creativity looks like across fashion, film, art, and music.
From different disciplines and perspectives, they each bring something distinct to the table. This list highlights a few Nigerian female creatives whose work continues to stand out and contribute to the evolving creative landscape.
Renike Olusanya — Multidisciplinary Creative / Founder, ShopBawsty
Morenike Olusanya is a visual artist and illustrator whose work has been featured in Vogue, GQ South Africa, Essence, CNN Africa, Culture Custodian, and OkayAfrica. As an illustrator, she has worked on several book covers, extending her creative expression into publishing and visual storytelling across different formats. She’s conscious about creating spaces where black women see themselves in full color, and her work reflects that.
Her brand, ShopBawsty, is fashion-forward, expressive, comfortable, and unafraid of individuality. When she’s not illustrating or being a plant mom, she’s shaping how fashion and art collide for a generation of Nigerian creatives.
Mowalola Ogunlesi — Fashion Designer & Singer
Mowalola Ogunlesi is one of the names that people outside Nigeria already know, and for good reason. Trained at Central Saint Martins, she’s become a global fashion force with a signature style that challenges traditional silhouettes and gendered design. She’s designed outfits for Skepta’s “Pure Water” video, created uniforms for Nigeria’s World Cup team with Nike, and was appointed design director of Yeezy Gap in 2020.
Beyond fashion, she has also explored music, stepping into the space as a singer with releases like “WAWA”, extending her creative expression beyond clothing into sound.
Her work is fearless in its experimentation and rooted in youth culture.
Korty EO — Filmmaker / Storyteller
If you’ve spent time on YouTube or TikTok absorbing smart, thoughtful commentary, you’ve likely encountered Korty EO. Known for her Flow With Korty and Love or Lies series, she’s become one of Nigeria’s most compelling digital storytellers, blending graphic design, videography, writing, and lived observation into content that feels honest and human.
What many people might not know is that she worked with Victoria’s Secret as a filmmaker on its World Tour documentary.
Ashley Okoli — Creative Director
Ashley Okoli is one of those creatives whose aesthetic carries a statement. She’s a key figure in the alté movement — a subculture rooted in self-expression, individuality, and non-conformity — and her visual direction reflects that.
Her style blends goth, grunge, punk, and Y2K influences with confidence and allure, and her work as a creative director carries that same fearless visual identity.
Aniko — DJ
Aniko is one of the DJs shaping the rave culture that’s rapidly growing in Nigeria. She’s not just selecting tracks; she’s curating energy, mood, and experience. While DJ culture in Nigeria has historically been male-dominated, women like Aniko are bringing fresh perspectives to how music is experienced live.
Ayanfe Olarinde — Visual Artist
Ayanfe Olarinde works across visual art and music. As a visual artist, her work explores form, expression, and composition, contributing to the broader visual language of contemporary Nigerian art.
Beyond the canvas, she is also a DJ, and that side of her practice adds another layer to how she engages with creativity. Through sound, she shapes atmosphere and energy in live spaces, much like she does visually with her art.
Her ability to operate in both disciplines reflects a growing pattern among creatives who are not limiting themselves to a single medium but instead exploring multiple ways to express ideas, moods, and perspectives.
Director Pink — Music Video Director
Praise Onyeagwalam, better known as Director Pink, is one of the directors shaping how Nigerian music is seen, not just heard. After breaking in with Chike’s “Running To You”, she’s gone on to direct visuals for top artists across genres, from Wizkid to Rexxie, and even produced short films like Lady Koikoi. Through the Pinkline Academy, she is now training the next generation of filmmakers and creators.
Wavy The Creator — Multidisciplinary Artist
Wavy the Creator is the definition of creative cross-pollination. A recording artist, photographer, fashion designer, and filmmaker, she’s someone whose work can’t be boxed into one category. She started as a performance photographer and eventually became the official photographer for Olamide before releasing music like “H.I.G.H” and branching into fashion with her brand Piece et Patch.
Her creative practice reflects a layered approach where music, visual art, fashion, and storytelling are all parts of the same expressive whole.
These women (and many others) represent what Nigerian creativity looks like right now: fearless, intersectional, and unafraid to blur boundaries. They remind us that creativity isn’t just a job; it’s a lifestyle.
