Omoyemi Akerele is the founder and executive director of Style House Files, a fashion business development agency that primarily focuses on the Nigerian and African Fashion Industry. She launched the Lagos Fashion and Design Week and has been called the woman behind it all. Her creative development agency gives African brands the opportunity of showcasing on Pitti Immagine in Italy and the Lagos Fashion and Design Week. She is a leading figure behind Nigeria's expanding fashion industry and a motivator when it comes to providing a platform for young creatives that are finding their way to shine and show off their talents. Omoyemi is not public with her family, however she is very close with her parents as well as known to be married and having 3 children.
Education
editOmoyemi attended the University of Lagos where she developed a bachelor's degree in Law. She proceeded to the University of Warwick where she received a master's degree in International Economic Law. She worked at Olaniwun Ajayi, a Nigerian law firm, from 2000 to 2003 before becoming a fashion designer.[1] Akerele has completed two degrees in Law (BL, LLB), starting a third (LLM) while contemplating a fourth (PhD). She has stated that the reasoning of such an interest in Law she can thank Ally McBeal for, an American legal comedy TV series. Akerele has cut her career path with law and her work in fashion business has brought her closer with agencies like the International Trade Centre, United Nations and United Nation Industrial Organization.
Career
editIn the early days of Omoyemi, she had always wanted to be a lawyer and to be part of a policy formulation that can impact the world and work with such organizations like UNICEF, UN etc. However, with her belief that she has relied on “some of the most important things in life are purpose and passion-driven, combined with a deeper need to contribute to something meaningful”[2], Akerele made the decision after studying Law in university to change her path to what she felt more passionate about since childhood.
Omoyemi`s fashion career started 15 years ago with a motive to contribute more in society where she cant only just lead people, but influence, with her creative visions in Fashion. Her first job starting off her journey was as a stylist assistant for popular fashion magazine at times True Love, which eventually, after years of progression, she became a senior style editor leading her the way to Bola Balogun. Bola Balogun was an exclusive styling and imaging consulting agency with PR powerhouse and content producer. This was a first step of recognition as Bola Balogun is know for working with several celebrities such as Justin Timberlake and Destiny Child`s. However, she knew that it wasn`t her dream job and there was a lot more to be done in the industry. Omoyemi knew she could be growing more than she was at the time. As Akerele says “I realised that there was a huge gap that needed to be filled and, for the industry to grow, it was important to think of a platform that would act as a catalyst on the scene to spearhead change and work towards positioning fashion properly in Nigeria, and of course in Africa, as a business.’’[1] Akerele is born in Nigeria hence understanding the power and potential of the country as well as being inspired by the talents found, she was motivated to bring a light to her vision of Fashion within Nigeria. She also saw this as an opportunity to give back to community by contributing in Nigeria economy.
This led her to open a creative development agency for Nigerian and African designers called Style House Files[3] (SHF). She works and collaborates with Nigerian brands on top of brands spreading her retain strategies. A big part in this also plays her mother by international exposure through runway shows at Pitti Immagine[4] in Italy and through the Lagos Fashion Week found back in 2011. As she says "For us, it's always been beyond fashion week. It’s not just an event; it’s a platform. [SHF] has developed and executed strategic initiatives to support and strengthen the industry. Lagos Fashion Week is one of them."[5] LFW is an event featuring innovative and upcoming designers and fashion entrepreneurs specifying in African fashion. Lagos Fashion Week is all about shaping the profile of the Nigerian fashion industry which has already had success with international attention as well as international investors. "At SHF, we believe that, by creating an agenda of the most pressing issues faced by the fashion industry and then inviting thought leaders to share their perspectives, we can gradually begin to develop a semblance of structure for creating sustainable change in the industry. Our goal is to effectively capture, engage and connect with a diverse demographic of industry players, contributors, stakeholders, fashion cognoscenti, policymakers and potential investors. We achieve this through [the] Fashion Business Series."[1] Omoyemi also has an Instagram account, joining in 2015, where she uses this as one of her platforms to represent herself as a brand.
Everyday style
editOmoyemi is a big influence in society not just from success but also as a style icon. Akerele has been independent since childhood on what and how she presents herself through style. After her mother used to dress Akerele and her sister in the same outfits, soon after she started to create her own ideas which normally consisted of wearing jeans and t-shirts instead of more girl known outfits- dresses. As from childhood she has had a strong opinion on being able to differentiate from worlds stereotypes of what women should and should not wear. Her typical working day normally starts at 9am starting with back-to-back meetings where she normally sticks with, as she says ‘’basic business uniform’’;[6] tailored shift dresses or shirt and skirt combo with a blazer. She also is a fan of full suits with different accents of color and a pair of heels to complete the look. She states "I love the flexibility and freedom of expression that comes with the job, over the years I’ve come to accept that my foundational years working in a law firm still influence the way I dress to a considerable extent. There’s always a need for an element of structure."[6] Omoyemi has more of an old fashion approach however still stylish and full of experiments. She does not believe in new trends such as crop tops or bra-let tops.
Companies worked with
editSince starting her career in fashion she has worked with and been represented in huge online magazines and websites as:
Vogue
BOF500
The Guardian
The Guardian Life
Selfridges - creating a pop-up shop featuring designers from Nigeria.
References
edit- ^ a b c "Omoyemi Akerele: The Woman Behind Lagos Fashion Week". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2018-03-18. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
- ^ "Omoyemi Akerele: The Woman Behind Lagos Fashion Week". GegeNews. 2018-12-21. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
- ^ "Home". Style House Files. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
- ^ "Sfilate, Eventi e Saloni Moda Uomo, Donna, Bimbo, Filati, Lifestyle, Fragranze, Food, Fast Fashion - Pitti Immagine". www.pittimmagine.com (in Italian). Retrieved 2020-01-23.
- ^ newsinfopedia (Thu. Dec 23rd, 2018). "The Woman Behind Lagos Fashion Week". Newsinfopedia. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
{{cite web}}: Check|archive-url=value (help); Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Carlos, Marjon (26 May 2016). "African Prints With a Dose of Céline: What This Nigerian Fashion Trailblazer Wears to Work". Vogue. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
External links
edit- ^ "Africa Style Profiles: Omoyemi Akerele, Founder MTN Lagos Fashion and Design Week". HuffPost. 2013-01-09. Retrieved 2020-01-24.