“Mother to Everyone”: Legendary Nigerian Designer Fola Francis, Remembered
Courtesy of the subject
One late October afternoon in 2022, Nigerian model and designer Fola Francis walked the runway in a tawny Cute-Saint gown to the rapturous applause of the nation’s fashion elite. She looked glorious while making history; Francis was the first out transgender woman to walk during Lagos Fashion Week, one of Africa’s leading exhibitions of style and design. But Francis, who died tragically last December, was much more than the precedent she set that day. She was mother, nothing short of a community icon — her achievements borne out not just in trophies, but the fully realized lives of countless queer and trans Nigerians.
The Fola Francis, as I and her admirers call her, understood how taking up space could be a kind of revolution. On TikTok, her “Day in the Life” series offered intimate and inspiring accounts from life as a trans woman living in Lagos. Last year, she founded Dolls Activities, a social club for trans and nonbinary folks dedicated to building community while sharing wisdom.
Before I ever met Fola, we spoke often online, where she shared her experiences with me. Queer stories that come from Nigeria are often filled with pain, but she preferred to focus on trans joy, so much so that she built her eponymous fashion label with it in mind.
“I honestly built this brand as a form of therapy, as a way to do something positive for myself,” she told Them in 2022. “I built the brand to serve everyone.”
When I finally met Fola in person, it was at a party planned by her and her friends. The night was total bliss, and she was effortlessly gorgeous, wearing a striped black-and-white body-con tee, paired with a gray mini skirt. The memory is now bittersweet because this spring she would have hit the third floor in age. In her honor, I spoke with her friends and chosen family about her legacy and their most memorable moments together.
Lola (she/her), a member of Fola’s Dolls Activities
What was your first encounter with Fola?
My first encounter with Fola was on social media, specifically Twitter (now X). When I wanted to start my medical transition, I reached out to people as I had little to no knowledge on what to do, and the responses I got were vague. Fola was the last person I reached out to; she sent me a PDF file that she had gotten from a doctor, what specialists I needed to see, and what tests I needed to do. She put me through everything.
For everyone who knew me and Fola, they would tell you that I am Fola’s daughter. But to me, Fola was more than just a mother: she was my sister, she was my friend. This woman was literally the elder sister that you pray for. She was my teacher, too.
Was there any parts of her that made you come to full terms with your identity?
Fola was the one who has helped me as a trans woman to overcome most of my body dysmorphia. She would tell me that certain parts of my body do not define me as a woman. She gave me certain things to think about, and that has changed my worldview of certain things. I usually judged myself very bitterly based on the measurements that society has placed on other women. But getting to know Fola as a person really made me grow in a way that as a trans woman, I know fully well that I am gorgeous, and that I am everything I think I am.
How would you describe Fola’s impact in the Nigerian queer community, particularly within the trans community?
After this unfortunate incident of her passing, I have had people tell me that she was the one person they looked up to. Fola had her “day in the life of a trans woman living in Lagos Nigeria” series on TikTok, and when I started transitioning, that was one of the things that brought me to where I am now. It makes me feel so good to hear and see other people say she was a beacon of hope to them, especially considering that we’re in Nigeria.
The first ball I ever went to was organized by Fola. The first ball I ever walked was hosted by Fola, too. Honestly, there are a lot of things to list about the impact of Fola Francis in the life of the trans community in Nigeria. She is a force to reckon with, because there’s no way you’d call her name right now, and people would not recognise it.
Nelson CJ (he/him), journalist
What are your fondest memories of Fola? Can you share some?
My fondest memory would be going out with her together with her to attend the movies or just events together here in Lagos. I also enjoyed seeing her live her life and having a great time with her friends and the people she cared about. She enjoyed living life fully, and she took the business of living very seriously.
Did Fola impact your perception or understanding of transgender rights in any way?
Before I met Fola, I did not personally know any trans people. Of course I was very much aware that they existed, but I did not know anybody personally until I met her. I was able to learn a bit more about what their experiences are like, and what it means to be a trans person.
I learned a lot about the struggle, and what it means to survive in a very anti-queer society like ours, and she gave me a deeper appreciation and resolve for trans people, generally, and being true to oneself in the society.
Were there any memorable events or milestones in Fola’s life that stand out to you?
Yes, of course. She was and still remains one of the first trans people to walk on the Lagos Fashion Week runway. You can understand that the Nigerian fashion industry is very closed-off. It’s very contradictory as well, in the sense that even though certain fashion designers, the clothes they make, and the people who work behind the scene are very likely queer, the faces of the brand are often not allowed to present as queer in that way. So you find that a lot of openly queer voices and designers tend to be shut down.
To have had Fola walk on the runway was such a huge shift in perception, and it was incredible for that moment. Also, just her setting up her initiative for trans people, or just being a good friend, I’d say is one of her biggest achievements.
Liber (they/them), a member of Dolls Activities
How would you describe your relationship with Fola?
I really see it as a mother-child relationship, to be honest. I remember in June last year for the Pride in Lagos ball, she was going to walk for the “Mother of the Year” category, and she asked me to introduce her, and I did the entire introduction for her. I think that’s when we started establishing the whole mother-child relationship, and it really grew from there.
She would randomly invite me to her place for dinner, and would call every time she found out that things were happening with me. I remember when I had an accident last year, I tweeted about it, and she called me immediately. She constantly checked up on me. From our first interaction to the last few ones we had, there was so much growth in the relationship in itself.
What qualities or characteristics did Fola possess that made her such a beloved figure among her friends and peers?
Fola is able to make time for everybody. She’s loving, she’s community-oriented, she is honest, she’s a leader, and she’s a mother. I say that because she knows how to organize and manage. She knows how to speak to people, and make suggestions that cause actions. I think those are some of the most definitive characteristics of Fola. It was really just how intentional she was about people around her and people in the community.
Chisom Peter Job (he/him), journalist and managing editor at Statement Films
How do you think Fola would want to be remembered?
She will want to be remembered for all the things she did when she was still around; for breaking the record of being the first trans woman to walk the Lagos Fashion Week, for being an actress and doing a lot of things, while living proudly as a trans woman.
It’s not easy for trans people to exist in a country like ours, but she did that. I think she would want to be remembered for that. She would also want to be remembered for all the love she shared among her friends and community.
Can you share some of your fondest memories of her?
Where do I begin? I think one of my favorite memories of Fola would have to be the day she went for an event all glammed up. When she came home, she was laughing, and when I asked her why, she said when she walked into the auditorium, everyone was looking at her and wondering “How did she get here?” But she just waltzed in with all her sass, and said, “Yes, exactly! I let them know that I am the Fola Francis, and I am here to stay.”
I think that’s one of my fondest memories of her, because it constantly reminded me of how much she truly lived.
What legacy do you believe Fola left behind, both personally and within the wider community?
Personally, she showed that trans people can be whatever they want to in Nigeria. She showed that there is not a single way, linear way, one line and one path that trans people should follow. She also left behind the ballroom. Fola’s ballroom legacy is going to live on forever. There are plans for a ball this coming June, and it’s been changed to The Fola Francis Ball, from 14 years and a day.
That something’s that’s forever going to live on, as the next generation of queer Nigerians/Africans are always going to remember her through all these things. She also left behind Dolls Activities, a place for trans and nonbinary people to feel safe. She made sure that people felt safe and found chosen families. She left them behind for us to continue running them.
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Is there anything else you’d like to share about Fola that you think is important for others to know?
Fola lived life on her own terms. She did things she wanted to do, and not what society wanted her to do, and I think that’s an important message she left behind. Even when she was here, that was an important message she passed across: that you should live without caring about society because this is the only life you have, so we have to do everything we can to live in it, and exist as who we are.
She was kind, she was sweet, she was loving; she was mother — mother to everyone and to a lot of people . I think it’s important that people around the world know this, and the impact her life had in the Nigerian LGBTQ+ community.
These conversations have been edited and condensed for clarity.
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