The 20 Most Iconic AMVCA Dresses Of All Time

Ever since the AMVCA aired in 2013, it has been about showcasing African culture and style while honouring the acts that have significantly impacted how the Nollywood industry has grown in the year in review. In plain terms, every Nigerian knows fashion is a lifestyle.

Regardless of tribe, identity, and gender, an essential part of celebration in the continent as a whole is gracing events in the best of the best, and every year since its inception, the AMVCA has given the platform for Africa’s biggest acts to showcase their styles while stunning in luxury pieces that mirror their achievements. It’s Africa’s MET Gala and Oscars in one.

From avant-couture pieces that showcase the mastery Nigerian designers have reached to out-of-the-box styling that showcases the innate culture and style of the average Nigerian, each year, the women have served face and style on the red carpet with the help of their designers and stylists.

Here are the 20 most iconic AMVCA dresses of all time.

Sola Sobowale

When you are tagged the King of Boys, a dress that showcases the regality of your title is all that matters to grace an award show, and that’s exactly what Sola Sobowale did as she stunned in a dress designed by Ceo Luminee.

From the embroidery on the neck to the choice of colours and accessories, everything screamed royalty.

Adesua Etomi

There’s something about a well-graded dress that just gives off the exquisite, and that’s what Adesua Etomi’s dress to the 2022 AMVCA achieved. The hand-beaded dress from Matopeda Atelier’s Iluminar bridal collection was made of yellow, red, and orange hues.

Bonang Matheba

Bonang stunned in four different pieces at the 2022 AMVCAs, but one outfit we’ve not been able to forget in a hurry is this peach dress designed by Sheye Oladejo. The pearls, the shawl, the silhouette, the mesh corset, every element came to create a masterpiece that deserves a place on this list.

Damola Adeyemi deserves accolades for this styling choice.

Cee-C

It was her first AMVCAs, and all Cee-c heard was, ‘We are here to make history,’ and she did just that with this dress. The dress designed by Lanre Da Silva Ajayi was simply the talk of the town at the 2018 AMVCAs.

Erica Nlewedim

Erica had the opportunity to make a fashion statement at the AMVCAs, and she went on to employ the expertise of Polish designer Patrycja Kujawa to create a twist to their exclusive floating draped dress.

The intricacies behind the dress alone was enough to steal the show, and the detachable train made it more majestic.

Genevieve Nnaji

This outfit is a testament to how far the movie industry has evolved since the maiden edition of the AMVCAs as Genevieve faced backlash for wearing the ‘outrageous and revealing dress.’

Designed by Bridget Awosika, the overall fitting of the dress is still one of the best of the time. If we’re talking iconic, this dress deserves a mention.

Idia Aisien

Speaking of iconic dresses, Idia Aisien gave us another interpretation of the word when she stunned at the 2022 AMVCA in a mermaid cut dress with a giant bow on her neckline.

The outfit styled by Swanky Jerry was designed by Ceo Luminee, a combination that pulls off maximalism with ease.

Kie Kie

Pictures do not do this dress justice. Valdrin Sahiti is known for its intricate cuts and use of jewels, but they went above and beyond for this dress. From the way the jewels dropped to the silhouette of the dress, to the choice of accessories and everything in between, Kie Kie was not there to play.

Nana Akua

Nana is fashion personified. It’s no surprise that at every award show, she steals the show with her dresses. Particularly, this Gaurav Gupta dress was sculpted for the gods, and Nana looked every bit of a doll in it.

Nancy Isime

Speaking of dresses designed by Valdrin Sahiti, Nancy Isime’s mesh dress for the 2022 AMVCA is one for the books. An outfit that deserves a space in a hypothetical AMVCA museum for its iconicness.

She was giving Nigerian goddess with pearls masterfully draped around her arms and infused in her dress. Medlinboss really outdid herself with the styling.

Nse Ikpe-Etim

There is something about the overall vibe of Nse’s outfit to the 2023 AMVCA that just screams Queen. The purple-toned theme that transcended from the colour of the dress to the choice of blush and hair, just made the outfit stand out altogether.

The outfit styled by Nenji was designed by Toju Foyeh.

Osas Ighodaro

Osas is the queen of the red carpet. Every look is a slay, but this particular dress that won the AMVCA Best Dressed Award stands among the greats effortlessly.

The fitting of the dress, the embellishments, the mesh tone, the simple accessory, and the carriage were enough for this dress to sweep the Best Dressed Award. Veekee James simply understood the assignment.

Rita Dominic

This dress gave birth to the excellence we’ve seen Rita Dominic and Tubo pull off at all her major events. The puffy bodice off-shoulder was all it took for the dress from Tubo’s Her Form 2018 Collection to stand out. She was styled by Style Infidel.

Sharon Ooja

Despite this outfit being a two-piece from Sheye Oladejo, it deserves a spot on this list for its ethereality. The fabric texture, the embellishments, and the rosettes were pieces perfectly put together to take this outfit to the next level, and the overall styling is all thanks to her longtime stylist, Damola Adeyemi.

Somkele Idhalama

Somkele is an Andrea Iyamah woman. It’s not all that surprising considering that the eponymous brand is owned by her sister, but what brings the wow factor is how well she embodies their designs.

What better way to receive the Trailblazer Award at the 2017 AMVCA than to stun in a high-slitted wine dress with an intricate cutout? This outfit will always be a slay.

Tacha

Xtrabrides Lagos pulled all the stops for this outfit. Everything from the hairstyling choice to the layers that transitioned into a train and the studs were perfectly put together. As usual, Medlinboss did what had to be done.

Toke Makinwa

Every year at the AMVCA is an opportunity to watch Toke Makinwa slay. Although many dresses of hers could have made the list, this Gert-Johan Coetzee dress, however, is the people’s favourite.

The choice cannot be faulted, because looking at the draping of the outfit alone shows the craftsmanship put into designing it.

Toni Tones

When a dress takes four months to put together, you expect nothing short of mastery, and Yemi Shoyemi showed exactly that with Toni Tones dress at the 2017 AMVCAs.

Ini Dima Okojie

Ini Dima-Okojie and Derin Fabikun are a fashion match made in heaven, and like every other year, Ini Dima stunned in her design at the 2018 AMVCAs. The gold and black patterned dress stood out for its uniquely structured neckline and accessories.

Lillian Afegbai

This dress was as scandalous as scandalous could ever get at a Nigerian award show in 2018, but it still was a slay. The mesh dress designed by Nonnistics Fashion fit Lilian to the letter, but most importantly, the fabric choice was the most brilliant part of this dress.

Beyond the iconic fashion moments, the AMVCA has created at least 27,000 jobs since its inception. This was revealed in new data released by the BHM Research & Intelligence in its AMVCA Impact Report. As the African film sector continues to grow, with over $9 billion worth of investment in the last decade, 61.9% of film sector players believe that the AMVCA has contributed to its growth.

Download the full AMVCA report here.