Nigeria’s fashion industry has been growing tremendously in recent years.
Fashion entrepreneurs are bringing in new innovations, designs and dexterity into the industry.
Recently, two entrepreneurs designed the outfits of British Prime Minister Theresa May and former United States’ president Barack Obama. This brought them into limelight and also showed the world that talents abounded locally. Here are the two entrepreneurs that made Nigeria proud.
Emmanuel Okoro
Read Also: https://businessday.ng/columnist/article/geles-turbans-and-fancy-headgears-in-between/
When it comes to fashion, Emmanuel Okoro, founder of Emmy Kasbit, knows it best.
He is one of the country’s most promising designers and was behind the custom-made Akwete jacket won by Theresa May during her visit to Nigeria in August 2018.
Ever since then, the designer has become a force to reckon with in the Nigerian fashion industry.
Emmy Kasbit brand was born out of a passion to clothe men and women in an unconventional manner.
The brand’s aesthetics is defined by clean and architectural cuts and has placed an emphasis on reinterpreting and reinventing vintage looks in a contemporary way.
It emerged as one of the top five finalists at the Lagos Fashion & Design Week Fashion Focus 2017 and since then, has been showcasing its collections at the LFWD.
The brand also won a $13,900 cash grant, and business mentoring from Ijeoma Ogbechie, an expert in finance who is currently a vice president at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and founder of Avivere, a fashion e-commerce start-up.
Taking inspiration from his family and Nigerian heritage—particularly his father and the looks he wore in the 70s in Nigeria—Emmanuel’s aesthetic is largely guided by his roots. As the brand continues to grow, Emmy Kasbit remains a pillar of the Nigerian fashion scene.
Lola Faturoti is a Nigerian-born, New York-based fashion designer with extensive experience and international exposure.
She is known for her modern silhouettes, innovative prints, and vibrant colours. She is a fashion entrepreneur who built her brand from scratch, achieved widespread press coverage and sales without significant start-up funding.
Her designs are recognised internationally and have been featured on the pages of The New York Times, UK Daily Telegraph, WWD, Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Essence amongst others.
Her inspiration is mainly drawn from her roots, and she rose to fame in New York when she made a dress to celebrate Barack Obama’s election as President of the United States.
The dress had these bold Yoruba words, ‘Oluwa gba President Barack Obama,’ meaning ‘God Bless President Barack Obama.’
Since then, her collections are sold worldwide in high-end department stores and boutiques, including Bloomingdales Dubai, IF Boutique NY, Harvey Nichols Hong Kong, Harvey Nichols Ryhadh, Sugar Italy, Loveless Japan, and Joyce Boutique Hong Kong, among others.
Faturoti, who hails from Ondo State, went to school in London before moving to New York in the early 1990s.
Her fashion journey began from childhood when she helped her grandmother, who was also a fashion designer. That played a major role in defining her personal style.
She currently has over 10 years of experience in clothing design.
Josephine Okojie
