If you’re Nigerian, you already know the question that starts floating around by November:
“Will you be in Lagos next month?”
Detty December is more than a holiday season – it’s a migration. Nigerians from all over the world return home for a month-long reunion of music, food, fashion, and joy. The whole city turns into one big celebration, and for many of us in the diaspora, it’s a reset… a reminder of where our story began.
This year, I knew I didn’t just want to visit Lagos.
I wanted to create in Lagos.
A Homecoming in the Motherland
Last month I returned to Lagos to host a Muehleder Pop-Up – a true homecoming. We welcomed women into our world of structured silhouettes and bold color in the city where my mother grew up and where my own childhood began.
Between hugs, fittings, and laughter, I couldn't shake the desire to shoot my new favorite pieces while in town even though I was set to fly back to New York in less than 48 hours.
While our guests mingled and shopped, I hid away in a fitting room and scoured instagram for local talent, managing to book a model, hair stylist, and makeup artist in less than a days notice. They all agreed to bring my vision to life at the early time of 8am.
When I think back, I see myself as a little girl in the market, holding my mother’s hand, sneaking mini tomatoes from the bowls and eating them fresh while she shopped. The noise, the colors, the energy of Lagos – all of it trained me to feel at home in the kind of beautiful chaos that now mirrors my life as a designer and entrepreneur. So when I started thinking about where to capture the heart of Lagos for this campaign, the market felt like a dream scenario.
- Margaret Muehleder Circa 1994
Capturing the beauty of a woman around the age my mom was when I was just two feet off the ground next to her, dressed to the nines in something I designed, hit me harder than I expected. This was actually my first time in Nigeria without her, and that alone made the trip emotional. It reminded me how far I’ve come from that little girl holding her hand in the market. Coming back after 10 years as a grown woman, with a brand and a life I built, felt almost spiritual — remembering those innocent moments before I had any idea who I’d become.
The Shoot Day
To be honest, by the time shoot day arrived, I had nothing left in the tank. It was the day after our pop-up and the day before my flight back to New York. My body was done. I woke up, looked at my cousin, and didn’t even have words, just pure exhaustion written all over my face.
She looked right back at me and said, mercilessly:
“No, you can’t cancel.”
So I got up. And we got it done.
My beautiful team showed up for me:
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@rebeccafabunmi_ – the stunning muse who brought each look to life
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@thefolajimy – the photographer who captured every ray of Lagos sunlight and every fold of the fabric
What we created that day will forever be one of the most special shoots in my career.
Introducing the Maya Dress
At the heart of this campaign is our newest heroine:
The Maya Dress.
Cut from Seda Cruda stretch shantung – a luxurious, textured silk inspired by traditional Chinese silk shantung and embraced in Nigerian culture as a beloved asoebi fabric – Maya is a love letter to heritage and craftsmanship.
The fabric itself tells a story:
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A natural, nubby surface that feels honest and organic, like something with history
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A subtle sheen that catches the Lagos sun without screaming for attention
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A structured drape that holds Maya’s sculptural bubble volume, so the dress keeps its drama and shape through movement, travel, and time
It’s the kind of piece you can dance in all night and still feel just as sculpted and powerful at sunrise.
In the market, with hanging sachets overhead and bowls of grain at her side, Rebecca isn’t just “modeling” Maya. She is every Lagos girl getting ready for the holidays – poised between tradition and the future, grounded in her roots but ready to take on the world.
