La Mode Entrepreneur Excellence Grant

Because when Kiekie shows up to host, she doesn’t just read the room — she rewrites the dress code.

At this year’s Trendupp Awards, Kiekie didn’t just command the mic — she took command of the carpet too. In a look that felt part runway, part revolution, the media personality and fashion darling gave us an outfit that asked a question and answered it in the same breath: Why choose between tuxedo or ball gown when you can do both?

Kiekie
Bukunmi Adeaga-Ilori via Instagram.com/kie_kie__

Dressed in a structured black blazer complete with peak lapels and sharp tailoring, Kiekie layered masculine energy over a full, sweeping Victorian-style skirt that swished with every step like punctuation. The contrast wasn’t just striking — it was intentional. This wasn’t fashion for fashion’s sake. It was fashion as punctuation, fashion as punctuation, fashion as point of view.

Kiekie
Bukunmi Adeaga-Ilori via Instagram.com/kie_kie__

Underneath? A crisp white button-down shirt, neatly tied with a bowtie that said, Yes, I know exactly what I’m doing. On top? A wide-brimmed hat tilted just so — the kind of accessory that doesn’t beg for attention, it commands it.

Kiekie
Bukunmi Adeaga-Ilori via Instagram.com/kie_kie__
Kiekie
Bukunmi Adeaga-Ilori via Instagram.com/kie_kie__

From the stage to the photos, Kiekie’s ensemble felt like a fashion thesis on duality: soft but strong, old-world but modern, feminine but sharply tailored. It leaned into the “Black Excellence” theme without going literal — instead, she showed excellence as intention.

She didn’t just host the show. She was the show.

Author

Daniel Usidamen is Fashion Editor & Chief Critic at La Mode Magazine. Known for his sharp takes and unapologetic voice, he writes about runway moments, rising African designers, and the cultural pulse of fashion on the continent. Expect insight, a little sass, and zero filter.

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