There are so many ways to describe OLORI RONKE ADEMILUYI OGUNWUSI, she is a SUSTAINABLE FASHION ENTREPRENEUR , RURAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT , CREATIVE INDUSTRY MENTOR, smart, intelligent, passionate about Women entrepreneurs to mention but a few. Olori Ronke Ademiluyi-Ogunwusi Royalty born to a scion of the royal family, she is the great granddaughter of late Ooni Ajagun Ademiluyi, 48th King of the Ife Kingdom in South West Nigeria & biggest tribe in Africa. She is also married the Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi the 51st King of Ife Kingdom and the Queen of Ife Kingdom. A Law graduate of West London University, who went ahead in 2011 to become the founder of Africa Fashion Week London now UK’S largest annual fashion event that promote and nurtures African and African-inspired design talent. Her Africa Fashion Week London has showcased over 1000 designers and exhibitors from Africa and the global diaspora to over 70,000 visitors and represented designers from 27 African countries and a further 20 African-inspired designers from countries outside the African Continent, including France, Holland, USA, Brazil, China, the Caribbean, and, of course, the United Kingdom. In 2014 she set up a sister platform in Nigeria, Africa Fashion Week Nigeria to enable her to reach out to young African designers from all over the continent who can’t afford the logistics of traveling to the London to showcase. She has produced over 20 fashion shows including the Mayor of London’s Africa on the Square event during every Black History Month in London, and for the past 9 years, has consistently employs over 50 BAME catwalk models every year to work with her. She produced The AFWL Business Fashion Forum, with special guest speakers that included the Mayor of London’s Office, Department of Trade South Africa and The V&A Museum. She is the co-founder of Fashion Future Online Courses in partnership with Henleys Business School UK & Parsons Design School New York. She set up the AFWL Mentoring scheme for Black fashion students in the UK in partnership with Northampton University in The UK. She is the co- author of the African fashion book “The Eyes of Originality & Creativity”. She is the producer of the documentary Ingenious Aso Oke fabric of Nigeria and founder of the Adire Oodua Textile Training Hub in Ile Ife, South West Nigeria, an indigenous handmade hub that empowers women and youth. Her Africa Fashion Week Nigeria partnered with Afronolly Creative Hub to Style MTN Y’ello Star, the largest mobile based music reality show, where over 10,000 contestants will compete to be the next Nigerian music star. She is the creator and producer of Queen Moremi The Musical theater drama that has been watched by over 30,000 people. In an interview with Zivang team she shares journey into the fashion industry, challenges, success and future plans. Read Excerpts below.
Can you briefly introduce yourself ma?
I’m HRM, Olori Aderonke Ademiluyi-Ogunwusi, a law graduate of West London University who went ahead to become the founder of Africa Fashion Week (London and Nigeria), the Global Ambassador of Queen Moremi Ajasoro International and the CEO of Adire Oodua Textile Hub.
Did you ever work in a 9-5 before starting out as an entrepreneur?
After University?
No, I did not. But while in school I worked as a chambermaid making beds, I cleaned offices in London, I worked in a dry-cleaning firm that is why I know how to iron very well, I also worked in McDonald’s.
While doing all these odd jobs in University, I was also travelling around the world to buy fashionable items to sell to my colleagues.
How did Africa Fashion Week start?
I wanted to study fashion but at the time, fashion wasn’t seen as a lucrative profession so I opted out and studied law as opposed to fashion.
In 2011, I felt a moral obligation to create a platform for African designers to enable them showcase their designs to a Global Audience. That was when AFW London was born.
From research, you sold the house you were living in London to start out Africa Fashion Week. Let’s talk about investment as an entrepreneur?
As an entrepreneur, you need to invest in yourself. Only then can other people invest in you.
I didn’t get the funding I needed to sustain AFW London so I decided to sell my flat.
As part of taking African fashion to international level, let’s talk about AFW London’s international collaborations?
We’ve worked with so many organizations and universities like the London College of Fashion, North Hampton University, Henley Business School London, and Parsons Design School New York. We’ve also collaborated with various trade and investment councils like South Africa’s Department of Trade, Nigeria’s Export Promotion Council, Enterprise Seychelles Agency, Mayor of London’s “Africa on the Square”, Ecobank, and many international organizations that see our platform as credible and consistent enough to be used to promote their various fashion creatives.
What makes Adire Oodua Textile Hub’s adire stand out?
The adire we make is unique in its way in the sense that we are innovative with our designs, and not afraid to take risks. We experiment with so many fabrics that make our adire not the same as other artisans.
Fabrics used in making our adire include cotton, jersey, asooke, organza, chiffon, silk, and crepe.
Aside from that, our hub is also a textile training hub where we offer free training to women and youth within Ile-Ife and its environs.
Adire Oodua Textile Hub’s unique selling point?
Our never seen before designs.
Africa Fashion Week Nigeria was a huge success in 2022, any plan to take it to other African countries?
Yes. It is in talks at the moment but this year we’re focusing on international collaborations like Paris, Brazil, Scotland, and Atlanta.
In collaboration with the Mayor of London’s Office, the Department of Trade South Africa, and The V&A Museum Africa Fashion Week London Business Fashion Forum was created, what inspired this fashion business forum?
The fact that there wasn’t much awareness about the diversity of African fashion. A lot of people outside of Africa think Africa is just one country. They don’t know there are about 54 countries, with each country having about150 tribes and each tribe, its own fashion.
We decided to educate the world because when our designers come to showcase, they don’t just come with fashion but with their entire cultural identity.
The Adire Oodua Textile Hub was created to curb unemployment among youths and create jobs for women. Do you plan to take this initiative to different states?
Yes, we would be looking at other Yoruba communities because our Chairman, HIM; Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, the Ooni of Ife, who is the custodian of Yoruba culture and tradition, supports the adire hub and is at the forefront of promoting youth employment and capacity development for women and sees the business of adire as a wealth creation project that can sustain many youths and women. This year through his generosity, we’re expanding to Osogbo, Akure, and Lagos.
Let’s talk about Queen Moremi Mentorship programme and Moremi The Musical, how has the acceptance been since inception?
The acceptance has been phenomenal. The Queen Moremi Ajasoro Initiative, of which I am the Global Ambassador, was set up in 2016 by His Imperial Majesty. It was conceptualized to honor the legendary Queen Moremi Ajasoro, a Queen in Ile-Ife and we’re focused on Women Leadership, Women Empowerment, Education, and Culture.
What’s your take on Women supporting other Women?
Women need to support women a lot more. Women need to come together to pull each other up. The industry is more like a dog-eat-dog world and everyone is trying to survive and in doing that, they don’t mind stepping on other people on their way to the top.
The narrative is changing now and more women are embracing the younger ones and training them to become better versions of themselves. This was one of the reasons we launched the Queen Moremi Leadership Awards in 2022, to appreciate women in all professions that act as an inspiration to younger women.
You are beautiful in different adire outfits, what’s your favorite fashion quote?
“Fashion fades, style is eternal” – Yves Saint Laurent
That is why I have created my own unique style with adire.
What’s your definition of African Fashion?
Whatsoever things are bold, regal, vibrant and with so much creativity.
What keeps you going when the chips are down?
Gratitude.
I look at all my achievements and I’m grateful for creativity.
I am grateful to the God of creativity for gifting me with so much creative knowledge, and the ability to express it.
Asides from work, how do you relax?
Ah, I love sleeping o
Your advice to female entrepreneurs and youths?
As women, we have a unique God-given gift which is the ability to multitask. That is why we can seamlessly do 10 things at the same time. My advice is to channel this our unique gift into doing so many positive things.
To the youths, we all know that the current trend in Nigeria is so many young people trying to “japa” and my advice is to look inwards. We have so many resources in Nigeria but we’re not looking at them. The adire industry for instance has endless opportunities and possibilities, which is why we offer free trainings for the youths and women.
Skill acquisition is also important. Make sure to acquire other skills in addition to your degree. It helps when your degree can not provide you with the income you need. Fashion for me started as a hobby and it is now very profitable.
