"Great stories start with textiles, I guess," Nigerian fashion designer Deola Sagoe told Globetrotter when we sat down for an exclusive interview last year, after her long-awaited Lagos Fashion Week debut. She was talking about her family's designing legacy when she said this, but she might as well have been talking about herself.
Deola is a weaver of stories. And having started her career in 1988, she had a lot of great stories to share.
Deola came home from studying in the US in 1987. By the time, her mother's clothing business had grown so much, that her father had to go around selling the products, which in turn led him to start his own car company. After refusing to join her father's automobile business, she decided to help out her mother instead. Although her initial plan was to do the administrative works, her love for art eventually took over, and she ended up making her own designs. Her creations were an instant success, giving her family enough means to build the business even more.
Today, in addition to becoming an icon in the African fashion industry, she is the creative director of House of Deola. Her fashion empire holds several labels under it, including CLAN, which was established by her three daughters. "Obviously, there is something that God is doing with this family in terms of fashion in Africa and worldwide," she said.
Deola was with her daughters when CLAN was shown alongside her namesake brand at New York Fashion Week in 2014. At the time, Deola was already a veteran in the global fashion network. After winning the MNET Anglo Gold African Design Award in 2000, she became the first black woman to present a collection at AltaRoma in 2004 and the first Nigerian to have a stand-alone show at New York Fashion Week in 2014.
Her many accomplishments may be enough to inspire her fellow Africans, but Deola wants to do more. By encouraging the use of authentic African handwoven, she hopes to empower the traditional weavers. "What I actually wanted to do, what is still on my mind to do, is to create all those clusters of those different weavers… from the different regions. This way, I'm able to empower them; this way, I'm able to create an industry," she said.
In line with her desire to empower Africans, Deola took part in a round table discussion that was held by UNESCO on September 23 in conjunction with Paris Fashion Week. With "Made in Africa: the Next Global Manufacturing Hub?" as the theme, the discussion highlighted the talent and potential of the African fashion industry, and examined the policies needed to make it flourish and compete globally. At the event, Deola and the other panelists also emphasized the importance of fashion in "creating employment and generating economic growth," especially for women and young people.
Watch our conversation with Deola above!
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