Meet the Finalists for the GTBank British Council Lagos Fashion & Design Week Young Designer Entrepreneur Awards 2013

They’re young, have a deep passion for fashion and they’re paving the way for fashion’s Generation Next. Presenting the finalists for the GTBank British Council Lagos Fashion & Design Week Awards 2013.

With the Young Designer of the Year award, young fashion designers are offered the opportunity to be participants at targeted seminars and workshops facilitated by the British Council and a chance to exhibit their collection in front of a select audience and judiciary at the Lagos Fashion and Design Week.

This year, they’ve picked 10 of what promises to be the best young fashion designers out of Nigeria to show their competing collections and be crowed the Lagos Fashion & Design Week Young Designer Entrepreneur of the Year, win N4 Million Naira and a 6 month paid Internship with International Ethical brand, Edun to name a few.

First on the list is…

Ayo Elizabeth Olagoun | Ayo Van Elmar

The Ayo Van Elmar label has been described as having a uniqueness that stems from her ability to create designs that cut across cultures and continents.

Ayo Elizabeth Olagoun, the Creative Director of the young fashion brand, draws her main inspiration from her experience as an Afro-European. Her trans-cultural lifestyle has truly impacted her work. Ayo graduated from the University of Vienna as a certified nutritionist. After her graduation, she crossed over to the Master’s program for fashion, her real passion, at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, an institution renowned for its challenging curriculum and top-notch professors (the list of former visiting professors includes names like Karl Lagerfeld and Vivienne Westwood).

Ayo van Elmar creates for the one who is liberal, cosmopolitan, open-minded and the one who believes that elegance knows no bound… the one who embraces going beyond borders to add a fine touch of difference to their wardrobe.

Bomo Anthony | Wanaemi
Owner of the eponymous fashion label – Wanaemi – the designer is dedicated to creating a womenswear label that creates timeless clothing that suits any lifestyle. It evokes individuality with whimsical expression and nostalgic expression of conservation dressing, so you feel stylish and youthful in luxurious professional wear.

Bomo graduated from the London College of fashion in 2011 with a BA in Fashion Design Technology specializing in subjects like creative pattern cutting which shines through in all her designs’ detailing, asymmetry and contrasting textures. Bomo has a fondness for youthfulness and holds her childhood memories close, which transpires ever so slightly in the designs, making them witty, vibrant and fun to wear.

Creative pattern drafting, luxe fabrics and innovative process makes a signature Wanaemi piece. Wanaemi’s A/W 13 Collection sold in London’s Oxford Street College Shop.

Eno Ekong | Diana A La Vid

Eno Ekong is a graduate of Mathematics and Computer Science from the Federal University of Technology, Minna.

Her passion for fashion began after secondary school when her mum taught her to sew. Since she was learning to sew, she decided she might as well design the things she would sew and thus, a fashion designer was born.

Her design aesthetic is conservative, modern, chic. Her brand is a high street brand. She designs clothes for everyday activities from work to play, although she shows more emphasis on work clothes.

her design label Diana A La Vid (DLV) incorporates long flowy dresses that reference the early centuries of kings and queens and the classy, prim and proper way women of the 50′s dressed. When coming up with designs, she merges all of this with her love for the clean, simple, graphic lines of contemporary architecture and interior design.

Rodney Emeka | McMeka

You might remember Rodney’s design label, McMeka’s, collection ‘Work Hard, Play Hard’ which was featured on the BN Style page a while ago. {click here for a refresher}.

Igwedinma Rodney Emeka the Creative Director of McMeka; a menswear fashion brand; was born October 29th 1987 in Enugu, raised in Port- Harcourt and later moved to Lagos in 2007.

Rodney’s urge to design emanated from the need and want of acquaintance while he was studying Accounting in the University of Lagos. Having a bigger vision of what men should dress like, he expended his target market launching the McMeka brand in September 20, 2011. The McMeka brand focuses on male bespoke tailoring. The pieces are sharp and made to perfect fitting with evident aesthetics associated with the brand; masculinity, versatility, flexibility and expensive clothing.

Kenneth Ize

Kenneth studied at the University of Applied Arts, Vienna in the fashion department under Prof. Bernhard Wilhelm. His collection, titled ‘Son Soufflé’ features aesthetics such as dandelion clock, sparkle, dream, soft, pyjama, pipping and summer time in the south of France.

Tumisola Ladega | Tumiila by Tumi Ladega

Tumisola is the youngest of the finalists, 15 years old and studying for her GCSE in the United Kingdom.

Tumiila is a womenswear clothing and accessory label with a wide range of clothes from ready to wear couture to avante guard, and competed in the Celebration of Young Designer Awards organized by the FDC (Fashion Design and Craftmakers) UK in 2011 where she came in 2nd with her garment inspired by the works of the Artist Wassily Kandinsky.

In 2012, her collection was inspired by Alexander McQueen and the life under sea. Sptly titled ‘Midnight Aqua Marine’ it was showcased in Miami, at the FDE( Fashion Design Expo).

In the year 2013 she created her second collection ‘Monochain’ which was showed at Maryland Fashion Week Baltimore USA.

Ladunni Lambo

This eponymous design label, thrives on incorporating unique traditional attire from other nations whilst maintaining an elegant silhouette with her garments.

Ladunni Lambo graduated from Nottingham Trent University, with a degree of Fashion Design in 2012. She is currently exploring the various cultural aspects of Nigeria, focusing on different fabrics and fabric techniques synonymous to Nigeria, and other areas of fashion within the Nigerian (particularly Yoruba) and infusing it with her brands aesthetics.

Adesola Obebe | SHO by Adesola Obebe

SHO by Adesola Obebe is a luxury womenswear brand which infuses conceptual art and design to create truly unique pieces for the woman who loves to stand out.

The Designer, Adesola, graduated with a BA (honours) in Fashion Design with Marketing from the University of East London in 2012 and now she has chosen the GTBank Lagos Fashion and Design Week as a platform to launch her label in Nigeria.

The SS14 collection is entitled ‘A Beautiful Thing is Never Perfect’ inspired by images of strong women from the book (un)fashion. She uses pleats and folds to create hidden pocket details within garments.

The collection is mostly white with hints of water colour. Her fabrics play with contrasts mixing hard leather with soft cottons and silks. S H O’s woman is strong, chic and endearing.

Bimbo Oyewunmi | Reni Smith

Reni Smith is a design label that aims to create something classic and timeless but still modern enough for the woman of today. Fitting women of different ages, bringing out something different in each person who wears them.

Oyewumi Abimbola was born in the early 90’s in the city of Lagos, Nigeria and spent her early years growing up in Lagos. Her grandmother was a seamstress thus giving the young lady an early taste of the world of design and fashion. Beginning her formal training at Instituto di Moda Burgo (Nigeria Branch), she then entered the exciting world of fashion by establishing the Reni Smith brand.

Her design aesthetic is architectural in concept, but flowing in nature, dimensional, practical and comfortable.

Paolo Sisiano | Sisiano

Paolo Sisiano is a Nigerian born on the 13th of December 1988 and over the years has added the titles of dancer and student to his repertoire.

He is the Creative Director behind the Sisiano design label and their debut collection “Ms. Green – The Beginning” featured on the BN Style page {click here for a refresher}.

Congratulations to them all and may the best designer win.

They are scheduled to show on Saturday 26th October 2013 at 4.PM. If you haven’t gotten your ticket, keep calm and visit Eko Hotel or call 08065559164. Tickets cost N5000.

For more information on the GTBank Lagos fashion & Design Week 2013 please visit www.lagosfashionanddesignweek.com.