KEY POINTS

• Ololade Ayelabola breaks Guinness World Record for the longest catwalk.
• Walks 130.62 kilometers at the University of Lagos sports center.
• Achievement showcases the potential of Nigeria’s fashion industry.

The Guinness World Record for the most distance walked by a model was broken by Ololade Ayelabola, a student at the University of Lagos (UNILAG).

On October 1, 2024, Ayelabola started her 120-kilometer effort at the university’s indoor sports complex. She eventually increased the distance to 130.62 kilometers.

With 2,058 circuits around the premises, this accomplishment represents a major turning point for Nigeria and the fashion sector.

Representing More Than Herself

According to Ayelabola, this project was undertaken not only for personal fulfillment but also to showcase the inventiveness of Nigeria’s burgeoning fashion sector.

She explained the larger purpose of her record-breaking trek in an Instagram post. “I’m not just walking for myself. “I am walking for a lot of models who have been constrained by rigid system standards and stereotypes,” she said.

This audacious claim highlights how the Nigerian fashion industry has the ability to question and reshape international norms.

Her feat is subject to confirmation by Guinness World Records, but it is poised to surpass the previous record set by Roberta Brown and Lorraine McCourt in 1983, when they walked 114.4 kilometers in Dublin, Ireland.

A Game-Changer for Nigerian Fashion

The rise of Ayelabola coincides with Nigeria’s fashion industry becoming more well-known worldwide. Moreover, this record adds to the momentum that Nigerian designers and models have been gaining at international fashion events in recent years.

In addition to raising awareness of Ayelabola, the historic walk highlights the enormous potential of Nigeria’s fashion sector, which has been rapidly upending preconceived notions about African creativity around the world.

Given this accomplishment, Ayelabola’s work is seen as a turning point for the Nigerian fashion industry as well as aspiring models.

Ayelabola has helped close the gap between local talent and worldwide exposure by putting Nigerian fashion on the map through her breaking of world records.