The glittering runways and dazzling photoshoots of Nigeria's fashion scene have long captivated audiences, but a powerful new documentary is now revealing the disturbing reality behind the glamour.
The Truth Behind the Catwalk
Model Citizen, the latest production from Aniyota Media, pulls back the curtain on an industry that has thrived on silence and submission. Produced by Aderonke Adeola and Funmi Coker, the film gives voice to Nigerian models who have endured exploitation, withheld payments, and various forms of abuse while working in the country's booming fashion sector.
For the first time, these models are sharing their harrowing experiences publicly, breaking years of enforced silence that has protected perpetrators within the industry.
Contrasting Reality with Industry Growth
The Nigerian fashion industry presents a stark contradiction. Valued at an impressive $4.5 billion, the sector continues to experience significant growth. The Nigerian fashion e-commerce market alone generated approximately $487 million in 2024, with projections indicating 10 to 15 percent year-on-year growth.
This expansion fuels demand for commercial models and content shoots, while platforms like Lagos Fashion Week elevate Nigerian designers to global prominence. Broader reports about Africa's fashion sector consistently highlight its substantial export value and growth potential.
Yet despite this economic success, the models who form the industry's backbone face systematic mistreatment, including low pay, poor working conditions, and even sexual assault.
A Movement for Change
Unlike previous productions that romanticized the fashion world, Model Citizen centers the authentic voices of models themselves. Their testimonies are raw, emotional, and brutally honest, exposing an underbelly carefully concealed beneath magazine covers and runway spotlights.
Each story carries the weight of years spent being instructed to remain silent, to smile through humiliation, and to continue working regardless of the personal cost. As one model powerfully declares in the film, "We're walking for ourselves" - signaling a transformative shift in attitude among industry professionals.
Emotionally charged and visually compelling, Aderonke's Model Citizen serves as both exposé and catalyst for change. The documentary forces both the fashion industry and its consumers to confront uncomfortable truths about what sustains the glamorous facade.
If you've ever applauded a model on the runway or admired fashion's sparkle, this film will make you look more carefully and listen more intently. Because once you witness the reality behind the lights, you cannot pretend you haven't seen it.
