From Ribcage To Runway: How Human Anatomy Inspired Nigeria’s Top Leather Design

By Our Correspondent

The human spine and ribcage, along with the natural process of moulting, inspired a Nigerian designer to create a sculptural leather garment that has won her the top continental prize in a major design competition.

Omosalewa Ogunjimi was named the Real Leather. Stay Different. (RLSD) Africa 2026 Most Commendable Designer after her creation, EXUVIA, came first among designers from across Africa.

The design draws on the spine and ribcage as symbols of structure and protection, while moulting informed its ideas of transformation and renewal.

Rather than using leather simply as an outer layer or decorative finish, Ogunjimi made it part of the garment’s structure, using modular construction so the design can shift and take on different forms.

The result blends anatomy, nature and fashion, while giving leather a structural function in the garment.

For Ogunjimi, the concept was also a way to express a design language built around structure, functionality and storytelling.

“EXUVIA is a reflection of my design language where structure, functionality and storytelling come together to create something distinct. I’m honored to carry this work forward and represent Africa on the global stage,” she said.

Her success followed a competition process meant to test whether designers could turn ideas into functional products, rather than stopping at attractive concepts.

Finalists had to move from research and sketches to concept development and prototyping before presenting their completed designs to an international panel of six judges.

They were assessed on individuality, conceptualization, relevance, sustainability and commerciality, with the criteria weighing both creative originality and the potential for the designs to work beyond the competition.

EXUVIA stood out during that process, with lead judge Preston Viswamo describing the concept as “spectacular” and Ogunjimi’s work as “really outstanding”.

He praised her creativity, modular design development and prototyping, and also pointed to the design’s sustainability proposition and commercial potential.

The win came from a strong continental field. The 2026 RLSD Africa edition attracted hundreds of designers from more than 12 African countries, with 15 finalists eventually representing Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Uganda in apparel, accessories and footwear.

Nigeria had a particularly strong presence in the apparel category, with three of the five finalists: Ogunjimi, Clara Udegbe and Emeka Oguejiofor.

Ogunjimi’s victory places her within a wider push to present African designers not only as creators, but as innovators able to turn local talent and materials into commercially viable products.

Now in its fourth year in Africa and sixth globally, RLSD asks emerging designers to rethink leather and explore its creative, sustainable and commercial uses.

The program is part of a wider effort to promote leather as a durable material and encourage alternatives to the disposable consumption associated with fast fashion.

In Africa, the initiative is coordinated by Center for Business Innovation and Training (CBiT) in partnership with the Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALLPI), and the broader program aims to connect creativity, craftsmanship, sustainability and commercial opportunity.

For the organizers, the goal goes beyond identifying individual winners.

“The ambition goes beyond producing competition winners. It is to cultivate a growing network of African design ambassadors capable of advancing responsible design, building sustainable businesses and strengthening Africa’s place in the global design conversation,” CBiT said.

The program also aims to give emerging designers international visibility, market access and mentorship, while encouraging them to explore leather’s applications and sustainability credentials.

Ogunjimi will now take EXUVIA to the international RLSD competition in Bangkok, Thailand, scheduled for October 27 to 29, where she will compete alongside designers from other regions.

The continental finalists are also expected to reunite in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in November for the RLSD Africa 2026 Continental Showcase, where the remaining category winners will be officially unveiled.

For Ogunjimi, the journey from the human skeleton and the cycle of moulting to an award-winning leather garment shows how observation can be turned into design.

What began as an exploration of structure, protection and renewal has become a continental-winning design, and a way to carry an African creative idea to the global stage.