Ordering couture from abroad: timelines, shipping, duties and video fittings

If you live outside Nigeria and want a piece made in Lagos for a wedding at home or abroad, the process is straightforward, but it has more moving parts than buying locally. The clients who have the smoothest experience plan for time, shipping and customs from the start.

The timeline, working backwards

Take your event date and count back. Allow time for the making, the shipping, and a buffer for customs.

• Buffer: one week before the event, the piece should be in your hands.
• International delivery: 7 to 14 days by DHL after dispatch.
• Making: four to seven weeks for couture, eight to fourteen for bridal, from the day the deposit clears.
• Consultation, measurements and quote: usually one to two weeks.

For a couture piece, that means starting at least nine to eleven weeks before the event. For bridal, start fourteen to eighteen weeks out.

Consultation and measurements

Consultations happen on a video call. We sketch, share fabric options on camera and discuss the occasion. Measurements come from your phone, and the points the system is unsure of are confirmed with a fitter on the call.

Paying from abroad

Quotes are in naira. You can pay by card through Paystack, which accepts most international Visa and Mastercard cards, or by bank transfer. Your bank may add its own foreign transaction fee or apply its exchange rate; check with them before paying a large deposit. The deposit is 50% and the balance is due before dispatch.

Video fittings

For a video fitting, you receive the toile or the partly finished piece by courier, or we fit it on a stand matched to your measurements while you watch, depending on the design. Before the call:

• Use a laptop or a phone on a stand, not held in your hand.
• Stand in good daylight with a full-length mirror behind the camera if you can.
• Wear the shoes and underwear you plan to wear at the event.
• Have someone with you to pin or photograph areas the fitter asks about.

Shipping and customs

We ship internationally by DHL for ₦95,000. Import duties and taxes are charged by your country's customs authority when the parcel arrives. They are not included in our price, and we cannot pay them in advance. Rules and thresholds differ by country and change from time to time, so check the current position with your customs authority or with DHL before you order.

We always declare the true value of the garment. Undervaluing a parcel is the most common reason for a shipment being held, and a held parcel is how a gown misses a wedding.

What to budget beyond the quote

• International shipping (₦95,000)
• Import duties and taxes in your country
• Any bank or card foreign transaction fees
• Local alterations only if your body changes significantly after the final fitting

Tell us the event date and the country at the first message. It changes the plan more than the design does.

Ready to start? Book a virtual consultation, or read the full delivery information.