When 18-year-old Brianna LeDoux from Florida walked into her high school prom in a black sequined and beaded gown, she felt like royalty.
“I wanted my dress to stop people in their tracks,” Brianna said. But it wasn’t just a dress, it was a statement. With Haitian and Dominican roots, she deliberately chose fabric linked to traditional Yoruba designs from Nigeria, hoping to showcase her heritage.
“I wanted a story I could wear,” she explained. “Something that said: ‘This is who I am, and this is where my roots run.’”
Her video on TikTok showing off the gown went viral, racking up more than a million views and highlighting a growing trend: American teens ordering African-made prom dresses.
What started as a social media movement has now grown into a booming business. According to Nigerian and Ghanaian designers, thousands of gowns are being shipped to the US each year, many priced between $600 and $1,000, far cheaper than the $3,500 it would cost to have a custom piece made in America.
Designer Shakirat Arigbabu of Ibadan, Nigeria, has become one of the biggest players in this market. Through her label, Keerah’s Fashion Cave, she and her 60 staff (plus 130 contract workers during peak season) delivered over 1,500 gowns this year alone.
“It’s no longer seasonal,” she said. “Prom is a year-round business. From July we’re already sketching, cutting, and sourcing fabric for the next year.”
Other designers echo the same success. In Uyo, Nigeria, Victoria Ani’s workshop shipped more than 200 gowns to the US, while in Ghana, Accra-based designer Efua Mensah says prom season has become a reliable sales cycle.
For the teens, it’s more than fashion, it’s identity. Seventeen-year-old Nian Fisher from Miami held lengthy video calls with her Nigerian designer to ensure every detail was perfect. When her emerald gown finally arrived, she remembers the reaction vividly.
“The veil dragged across the floor, the fabric was heavy, and people kept saying: ‘Wow… a beautiful black queen.’”
Her mother, initially skeptical about ordering overseas, was moved when she saw the result. “I knew instantly this was not made in America,” she said.
From corseted bodices to feathered trains, these bold, imaginative designs are winning “best dressed” titles and even prom queen crowns across the US. More importantly, they are connecting young people in the diaspora with African artistry, pride, and culture, one gown at a time.
