The rustle of a discarded polypropylene sack, the kind used daily in Nigerian markets for grain, cement, and other trade goods, isn’t a sound one usually associated with the high-fashion runway. Yet, for Akpa Ilemona Theresa, that material is the heartbeat of a movement.
It started in 2022, not in a grand atelier, but in the quiet space of material exploration. As the creative director of Reina_de_las_fabricas, Akpa saw something in those utilitarian industrial sacks that others walked past: she saw stories. She saw labor. She saw the resilience of a nation woven into plastic fibers. Thus, the BagCo Project was born, an initiative dedicated to turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.
The project began as an individual exploration, but by 2024, it had captured the country’s imagination. With the debut of the collection “Phoenix: Of Ashes and Gold Dust,” which earned a spotlight in The Guardian Nigeria, the project proved that it wasn’t just making bags; it was creating collectible fashion art.
The 2026 Vision: A Cultural Movement
The BagCo Project challenges us to rethink value. It bridges the gap between the familiar and the conceptual, asking critical questions about what makes an object worthy of preservation and how Nigerian narratives can exist within global cultural conversations.
The project is evolving once more. It is shedding its singular skin to become something larger: a community-driven initiative. It has become an invitation to designers, artists, and cultural thinkers to join a dialogue about the value of Nigerian materials. This isn’t just about fashion. It is about redefining what is precious. It is about taking the everyday, the very fabric of our trade and survival, and lifting it into the light of the gallery, where it can finally be respected, collected, and admired as art.
Get Involved
Bluetooth Entertainment is honored to partner with the BagCo Project as they embark on this next chapter. We aren’t just watching this movement; we are helping to build it. We invite you to join us, whether by donating a sack, sponsoring the transformation of material into art, or funding the future of these exhibitions. By participating, you aren’t just supporting fashion; you are helping to build a future where Nigerian craftsmanship is collected, respected, and revered as art.
To learn more about the creative process behind these works, follow reina_de_las_fabricas on Instagram