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What am i to do with this? You want people to be squinting at your posters?
6. “I will do the creative thinking and you’ll do the design”
You should really consider logical thinking before talking.
7. “Make it pop”
Did they tell you in a business class that a shiny logo is directly proportionate to brand visibility?
8. “Make it bigger”.
Someone should please tell this people that the bigger the better is not a design rule.
9. “It’s just that I am busy if not I would have done it myself”.
If only designers got a dollar for every time they heard this scam line.
10. Make it look like XYZ’s logo.
Is XYZ you? Are you XYZ? Is you and XYZ the same? Plus the word for the “strategy” is plagiarism and it is a crime.
11. Insisting on colors that don’t work.
This is not a cockroach brown and Lagos red situation please. Choose colors that make sense.
12. Insisting on getting the source file even after you tell them it’s an Adobe file.
20 minutes later and they sending you texts talmabout they can’t open the file with Microsoft Office. Wow, what a plot twist.
13. “Your prices are funny”.
But you want a design that is profound and that will make your brand stand out.
That’s 13 different ways you have probably gotten on a Nigerian graphics designers’ nerve.
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Everyone keeps screaming “NIGERIAN MUSIC TO THE WORLD!” which is great because our music is great. But what we also should be screaming is “NIGERIAN FASHION TO THE UNIVERSE!” because our fashion is also great.
How’s that for a climax?
From Beyonce to Anika Noni Rose, tons of foreign celebrities have rocked outfits from Nigerian designers, proving (not that we needed their validation) that our designers indeed sabi the work and that the future of Nigerian fashion is bright.
Here are 5 Nigerian fashion designers that we believe will be instrumental in bringing about that bright future.
1. Lisa Folawiyo
Known for her label, Jewel by Lisa, Lisa Folawiyo is renowned for the way she mixes modern tailoring techniques with traditional West African fabrics and her fabric line that also produces accessories (purse and jewellery).
Her label, which always aims to showcase the best of Nigerian culture, is a blend of Afropop and urban designs. With showrooms in Nigeria and New York, some of her foreign celebrity fans include Beyonce and Eve (the rapper).
2. Deco
Pictured: One of Deco’s Agbada designs.
Though new on the scene, Deco is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with. He quickly carved a niche for himself by appealing to the younger generation with his hip and stylish patterns of male traditional attires (particularly, Agbadas). Ebuka Obi-Uchendu and Noble Igwe are just a fraction of the celebrities known to frequently patronize his brand.
3. Adebayo Oke-Lawal
Adebayo Oke-Lawal treats his brand not just as a fashion label but as a movement. Adebayo is the founder of Orange Culture, an androgynous fashion brand that aims to break gender stereotypes in Nigeria while also celebrating its culture.
He has been profiled by Vogue Magazine and is the only African to have been nominated for the Woolmark prize.
4. Hafsah Mohammed
A fashion blogger and influencer, Hafsah Mohammed has shown everyone that it’s possible to love fashion and your religion without guilt or compromise. Her label, Elora Collection, is dedicated to redefining “modest fashion.”
5. Tokyo James
Tokyo James is a British-Nigerian designer that has combined elegance with streetwear since he debuted his self-named brand back in 2015 at South African Menswear Week. Before shattering societal norms with his unique style and futuristic collections, James started out as a Creative Director and stylist from London and was an Editor-in-Chief for a few fashion magazines. Now he’s one of Nigeria’s most celebrated designers.
HERE’S SOME EXTRA TEA:
Two of the designers on this list, Adebayo Oke-Lawal and Tokyo James, were picked by Budweiser to design pieces for The King’s Stitch collection.
The King’s Stitch is a movement (started by Budweiser in their latest campaign) that seeks to safeguard the Nigerian youth who are often misunderstood when all they want is to be their true selves. It’s a platform where youths looking to show their personalities can engage and be engaged.
Pieces from The King’s Stitch Collection are currently available for purchase on Budweiser’s website. Click here to check it out and join the movement.
Oluwatobi’s T16 world of Fashion was part of the top 15 fashion focus finalists at GTB Lagos Fashion and Design Week, 2014 and one of the top 4 finalists at the DSTV Fashion Protégé Contest. Her collection was showcased at the Africa Fashion Week Nigeria, Lagos Fashion and Design Week, and the MTN Business Overlook Forum. SS15, the latest from the label, was debuted early this year.
2. Akabogu Ogochukwu – Lines by Chaab
Ogochukwu’s Lines by Chaab emerged winner of the Nigerias’ Next Top Designer Competition and won the Music Meets Runway ‘Rising Icon Competition’ in 2014. She has exhibited the label at the Africa Fashion Week Nigeria and Winasbet Nigerian Student Fashion and Design Week. In 2014, Ogochukwu was rated as one of the top 12 newcomers in the industry by BlackNBold Fashion House. Lines by Chaab has been featured on E! Online, Africa Magic, Studio 53, Pulse Nigeria, Onobello, Bella Naija; and will be showcasing again at the Music Meets Runway later this year.
3. Chukwudozie Maduabum – Counterfeit Designs
via pulse.ng
Chukwudozie’s Counterfeit Designs offers uniquely packaged bespoke shoes handmade in Nigeria, both male and female, including brogues, monk straps, oxford shoes, loafers, and various other kinds of shoes. The Counterfeit Design brand was a clothing and shoes line but ultimately veered strictly into shoes in 2014.
4. Kofoworola Akinjomo – KophoJomo
Kofoworola’s KophoJomo is a brand that focuses on eccentric creativity and that was obvious when she won at the 2012 edition of the annual Redefinition Fashion Show. The show featured newspaper dresses, styled it after the fashion of the 20’s, the flapper and the fringed dress age.
5. Omowunmi Owonifari – Mo’fari Couture
Omowunmi’s Mo’fari Couture was a part of the top 15 Lagos Fashion and Design Week and British Council Fashion Focus 2014 finalists. Her latest collection was showcased at the Lagos Fashion and Design Week 2014. The label was one of the four finalists at the 2015 Zinkata Red Carpet Challenge. In June 2014, Omowunmi was featured in the Guardian Newspaper as the ‘Designer of the Week’.
6. Folu Ajayi – House of Dabira
Folu’s House of Dabira was nominated for the Oyo 30under30 Awards, Fashion Category, in December 2013. The brand has showcased at the Nigerian Television Fashion Show, The Dreams Come True Show With Jazzyb, Miss Heritage Competition and the Ife Runway Fashion Show. In 2013, an official launch for the brand was held in April at the University of Ibadan; after which she participated at the Nigerian Student Fashion and Design Week in June, at the University of Lagos. Her brand recently won the Zinkata Red Carpet Challenge, for which she got to dress Dakore Egbuson-Akande for the 2015 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards.
7. Gbenga Luke-Adetule – NVO
Gbenga’s NVO showcased at the second edition of Winasbet Nigerian Student Fashion and Design Week (NSFDW) in June 2014, and at the Nubian Runway and Fashion Show (N.R.F.S) in August 2014. NVO apparel recently signed a partnership deal with Goge Africa, where the label gets to dress their TV presenters for a period of time.
8. Kambili Ofili-Okonkwo – Kamokini
Kambili’s swimwear brand, Kamokini aims to provide a swimwear brand that caters to “what real women expect of a fashionable, affordable and figure complimenting swimsuit”. The Kamokini “Blocks” feature sexy cut outs & very colourful pieces. Kamokini was one of the three finalists at the 2015 She Leads Africa Entrepreneur Showcase.
9. Ifeanyi Nwunne – IN Official
Ifeanyi Nwune, only 20 years old, is one of Africa’s youngest fashion designers, he recently presented his Spring/Summer 2015 collection featuring models Peter Fin and Ndani TV presenter, Onos O. He is mostly known for minimalist designs and has styled various celebrities including D’banj, Iceprince and Runtown.
10. Bimbo Oye-Akinnifesi – Reni Smiths
Bimbo Oye-Akinnifesi’s Reni Smiths was launched at the 2013 edition of GTB Lagos Fashion & Design Week. She was one of the top 10 young designers showcasing the Bella Donna collection.
11. Modupe Adeoti – 17.09 Couture
Modupe’s 17.09 Couture has released three collections released so far, the last been a runway collection showcased at the Winasbet Nigerian Student Design and Fashion Week in 2014 which was referred to as the brands major debut. Modupe was listed under the Top 12 fashion industry newcomers in the year 2014 with her brand in the Top 10. She was also one of the finalists that made it to the Game On house for team fashion, The reality TV show sponsored by Malta Guinness, which has been a huge break out for the brand. Her “Silver Lining Collection” was just recently released.
Honestly, I cannot pick a favorite. They’re all so good. We know there are more designers out there; so which upcoming designers did we miss?
