The Influence of Social Media on the Internationalisation Decisions of Nigerian Fashion Designers

This study explores the influence of social media platforms on the internationalisation decisions and strategies of Nigerian fashion designers targeting global markets. The Nigerian fashion industry has gained considerable international visibility, with designers from Lagos and Abuja showcasing at global fashion weeks and supplying the global African diaspora market through digital retail platforms. Social media tools including Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and Facebook have served as low-cost internationalisation catalysts, enabling designers to build international audiences without traditional distribution infrastructure. The study adopts a mixed-methods design, combining a survey of 60 Nigerian fashion designers with documented international sales or collaborations with qualitative content analysis of their social media brand communication strategies. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis are applied. The theoretical framework draws on the born global firm theory and digital internationalisation literature. The study investigates how social media activities including influencer partnerships, fashion video content, diaspora community engagement, and online retail integration have contributed to international brand awareness, cross-border order generation, and entry into new geographic markets. It also examines the challenges of international logistics, customs duties, and payment processing encountered by fashion designers accessing global customers through digital channels. Findings are expected to demonstrate that social media significantly lowers internationalisation barriers for creative industry SMEs in Nigeria. Recommendations for aspiring international Nigerian fashion brands are provided alongside policy suggestions for government digital trade support programmes. Keywords: social media, fashion industry, internationalisation, Nigerian designers, digital trade