The African Gowns Taking Over American Proms

When 18-year-old Brianna LeDoux from Florida stepped into her black, sequined gown, she didn’t just feel dressed for her high school prom – she felt transformed.

“I wanted more than a dress,” she says. “I wanted to wear a story.”

Her gown, crafted from traditional Yoruba lace fabric, shimmered with beads and sequins. For Brianna, who has Haitian and Dominican heritage, it wasn’t just about standing out. It was about wearing something that connected her to deeper cultural roots.

The effect was undeniable. When she posted her prom look on TikTok, the video exploded – over a million views and thousands of comments. But Brianna’s viral moment is just one example of a fast-growing movement: American teenagers ordering custom-made African gowns for one of the most celebrated nights of their young lives.

A new prom tradition

In the US, prom is more than a dance. It’s part red carpet, part rite of passage – a night where style and identity merge in spectacular fashion. But while many teens still turn to local boutiques or department stores, others are looking thousands of miles away to Nigeria and Ghana, where designers are meeting a demand for bold, intricate gowns unlike anything available at home.

Prom dresses from African designers typically cost between $600 and $1,000 – far less than the average price for custom US gowns, which often start at $3,500. For many families, the cost is significant but still affordable compared to American alternatives, making the dresses not only culturally meaningful but economically practical.

Designers rising to the moment

In Ibadan, Nigeria, designer Shakirat Arigbabu has built a thriving business around this very trend. Her label, Keerah’s Fashion Cave, employed 60 full-time staff this year and hired over 130 temporary workers just to keep up with orders.

“In 2019, I made 50 prom dresses,” she says. “This year, we delivered more than 1,500 – 98% of them to the US.”

Each July, her team begins preparing for the following prom season: sketching silhouettes, cutting corset bases, sourcing fabrics. “Prom isn’t seasonal anymore,” she laughs. “It’s an all-year cycle.”

In Uyo, designer Victoria Ani shares a similar story. She started shipping dresses to the US in 2022 and has since built a small but busy workshop. “There’s a sense of pride when clients say, ‘My dress came from Nigeria,’” she explains. Some of her gowns have even helped students clinch titles like “Best Dressed” or “Prom Queen.”

Social media: the runway of choice

Much of this business is fuelled by social media. Instagram has become the showroom, TikTok the runway. Hashtags like #AfricanPromDress – now boasting more than 61 million views – serve as a global catalogue of styles, from feathered trains and detachable capes to corseted bodices inspired by Yoruba brides or Met Gala themes.

For 17-year-old Nian Fisher from Miami, Instagram was how she found her designer. “They had over 200,000 followers, and their work ethic blew me away,” she says. Measurements were taken over a live WhatsApp call, with a tailor in Nigeria guiding her and her mother through the process.

When her emerald gown arrived, complete with a dramatic veil, she recalls: “Everyone was amazed. People said, ‘Wow… a beautiful black queen.’”

Challenges behind the glamour

The demand is booming, but it’s not without hurdles. Some designers admit to working 20-hour days during peak season. Others face shipping delays and customs backlogs that can cause stress for both makers and clients.

And now, US tariffs on Nigerian imports – set at 15% – pose a fresh challenge. “It will make dresses less competitive,” Arigbabu worries. She’s already considering shifting to a ready-to-wear model, producing gowns in advance to cut costs and delivery times.

A dream worth the price

Despite the challenges, African prom gowns are not just surviving – they’re thriving. For many teens, they offer something priceless: individuality, heritage, and the feeling of stepping into a fairytale.

Brianna, looking back on her viral prom night, says it was worth every penny. “Honestly, if my nails were ugly, my makeup was off, and my hair wasn’t cute, it wouldn’t have mattered. As long as I was in that dress, I was fine.”