The red carpet has always been a kind of cinema before the cinema — a place where fashion performs, culture speaks, and celebrities attempt, with varying degrees of success, to tell us who they are before saying a single word. And nowhere is this truer than at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA), where style has become almost as anticipated as the awards themselves. By now, the annual ritual is familiar: timelines pause, group chats awaken, and everyone suddenly develops the discerning eye of a fashion critic armed with screenshots and hot takes.
For its 12th edition, the AMVCA arrived under the theme “Honouring Craft, Celebrating Culture”, a fitting prompt for an industry increasingly interested in the meeting point between African glamour, storytelling, and heritage. The assignment, at least in theory, was clear: bring fashion that honours artistry, nods to culture, and still delivers spectacle. Some attendees understood this perfectly, arriving in looks so breathtaking they deserved their own standing ovation. Others, unfortunately, reminded us that ambition and execution are not always close friends.
From gowns that made us gasp to ensembles that made us quietly tilt our heads and whisper “hmm”, here are the AMVCA 2026 looks we loved — and the ones we really, really didn’t.
The Looks We Loved
Nini Singh
If there was a race for best dressed, Nini Singh was sprinting. In a breathtaking feathery confection by Sevon Dejana, she gave drama without tipping into costume — a delicate balance many red carpet attendees fail to strike. The texture, movement, and sheer confidence of the look made it impossible to ignore. This was glamour with intention.
Osas Ighodaro
Osas Ighodaro and a red carpet moment are now practically synonymous. Both of her looks by Veekee James felt masterfully executed : sculpted, glamorous, and impossible to look away from. Osas understands something many celebrities forget: fashion should not wear you; you should wear fashion. And she did exactly that.
Nana Akua Addo
At this point, Nana Akua Addo doesn’t attend the AMVCAs; she owns it. Year after year, she approaches the carpet like a theatrical production, reminding everyone that fashion is also performance art. Whether you love maximalism or not, her commitment to spectacle deserves applause.
Doyinsola David
Doyinsola came dressed like the heroine of an epic fantasy film — equal parts warrior princess and high-fashion muse. In Mamadi Couture, the look had strength, presence, and just enough drama to command attention without overwhelming her. She looked powerful, and fashion is often at its best when it makes the wearer feel exactly that.
Toni Tones
Toni Tones looked absolutely breathtaking in Style Deja Vu. There are dresses that are beautiful, and then there are dresses that seem to belong to the person wearing them. This felt like the latter. Elegant, refined, and deeply flattering, it was one of those looks that quietly lingers in your mind long after the carpet ends.
Sunshine Rosman
Sunshine Rosman arrived dressed like she had every intention of being remembered — and succeeded. In Weiz Dhurm Franklyn, she delivered one of the evening’s most arresting fashion moments. The look felt bold, confident, and refreshingly fashion-forward without trying too hard.
Mercy Eke
Mercy Eke understood the assignment and submitted it before the deadline. Her futuristic aqua number felt daring in all the right ways. Sleek, memorable, and unapologetically glamorous. It was giving “the future, but make it fabulous.”
Isabella Georgewill
Recreating an iconic red carpet moment is risky business, but Isabella Georgewill made it work. In Adenike Orekoya, channeling a former Met Gala look worn by Cardi B could have felt derivative; instead, it felt celebratory. She didn’t merely recreate, she committed, and it paid off.
Uche Montana
Uche Montana in Tubo? Stunning. Tubo has become almost shorthand for architectural glamour, and this look felt polished, elevated, and beautifully tailored. Nothing felt overworked. Just clean, expensive-looking elegance.
Enado Odunsi
Enado Odunsi looked quietly beautiful in Trish O Couture. Not every memorable fashion moment needs theatrics; sometimes elegance is enough. This look felt soft, graceful, and wonderfully wearable while still deserving a second glance.
Erica Nlewedim
Erica Nlewedim’s second look of the evening deserves a place in the AMVCA fashion archives. Timeless is an overused word in fashion writing, but here it feels appropriate. There was something old-Hollywood about the elegance of it all — polished, effortless, unforgettable.
Dorathy Bachor
Dorathy Bachor looked genuinely good and, perhaps more importantly, comfortable in her fashion identity. The look felt confident and flattering, reminding us that the best red carpet appearances happen when someone truly understands what works for them.
Chinonso Arubayi
There is something eternally irresistible about a good white dress, and Chinonso Arubayi in Prudential Atelier proved exactly why. Fresh, elegant, and gorgeously executed, the look struck that sweet spot between simplicity and impact.
Laura Ikeji
Laura Ikeji’s look by Lipex Stitches was genuinely beautiful.
Thelma Lawson
Thelma Lawson delivered a solid fashion moment. The look was polished, flattering, and understood the spirit of the AMVCA carpet: come dressed to be seen, but more importantly, come dressed to be remembered.
Lydia Lawrence-Nze
Lydia Lawrence-Nze looked like a flower in full bloom — and what a gorgeous sight it was. The look felt soft, romantic, and delightfully feminine. There was something sculptural yet effortless about the way it came together, as though she had stepped straight out of an editorial celebrating springtime glamour. On a carpet filled with drama and theatrics, this felt refreshingly beautiful.
Least Favourite Looks
Queen Mercy Atang
Queen Mercy Atang’s look was undoubtedly one of the night’s biggest conversation starters — but not entirely for the right reasons. The incorporation of actual bread loaves into the design felt excessive in a way that distracted from whatever fashion statement was being attempted. Beyond the shock factor, there is an uncomfortable irony in using real food as ornamentation in a country where conversations around food costs and waste are very real for many people. Fashion thrives on symbolism and experimentation, yes, but the choice here felt less thought-provoking and more unnecessarily wasteful. A theatrical concept can work on the AMVCA carpet; this one simply felt underbaked.
Eniola Ajao
Eniola Ajao in Tiannahsplaceempire was, unfortunately, a case of too much happening all at once. Fashion maximalism can absolutely work — the AMVCA carpet practically rewards drama — but this leaned into excess without enough cohesion. The embellishments, styling, and overall presentation competed for attention rather than complementing one another. The result felt more overwhelming than unforgettable.
Toyosi Etim-Effiong
Toyosi Etim-Effiong looked beautiful, which is precisely why this look felt slightly frustrating. In Lanre Da Silva, the dress had strong elements, but there was simply too much happening at once. The textures, details, and overall composition made the look feel visually crowded. Strip back just one or two elements, and this could easily have landed on a best-dressed list. She herself, however, looked radiant.
If there is one thing the AMVCA red carpet continues to prove, it is that African fashion is in no danger of playing small. Year after year, the carpet becomes more than just a parade of pretty clothes; it transforms into a visual archive of ambition, artistry, experimentation, and occasionally, glorious excess. Under this year’s theme, “Honouring Craft, Celebrating Culture,” many attendees understood the assignment, arriving in looks that paid homage to African creativity while still serving the kind of spectacle red carpets demand.
Of course, fashion, much like film, is subjective. One person’s masterpiece is another person’s “what exactly was the vision here?” But perhaps that is part of the fun. The AMVCA carpet works because people take risks. Some landed spectacularly, others… less so. Yet even the misses contribute to the conversation, reminding us that memorable style has always required a little courage.
