African Fashion Now! Cuppy and Temi Otedola’s Creative Spirit in Metropolitan London

•Aliko Dangote flies across the world to be part of the Otedolas’ success story
•How Dangote and Standard Chartered Bank sponsored the event

Not for a long while will the Victorian city of London snap out of its thrall. Yet last Tuesday, October 4th, in the scenic and Victorian fashion capital, an excited Temi Otedola showcased her genius and art to an array of fashion enthusiasts who crowded through closely-guarded doorways into the hallways of great London’s couturier circuits. In the wake of the breathtaking event, London barely manages to breathe, writes Lanre Alfred

Genius is electrifying. It exudes such creative spirit, passion and acclaim that the odds can never tame. It is the reason Cuppy and Temi Otedola manifest on the world like picturesque spokes of the rainbow after a downpour. The heiresses of Forte Oil boss, Femi Otedola’s fortune, hack their paths to affluence and acclaim in conscious, premeditated strides, reminiscent of their forebears ascent the ladder of industry.
Cuppy, 23 and Temi, 19 thus manifest as alluring bastions of filial bliss even as their exploits become objects of the world affection.

Temi Otedola
Temi is a blogger, stylist and contributor who started her fashion blog, jtofashion.com, in December 2015. So far, Temi’s blog has gained an international audience and has been featured in British Vogue, CNN and the Times Magazine. JTO fashion is a platform where Temi can offer inspiration and insight into her fast paced life in Fashion, but also express her passion for African culture and design.

‘African Fashion Now’ is a presentation of some of the best African Fashion and design. As a strong advocate of African creative, Temi extensively searched to bring together some of her favorite brands for this unique presentation. The models are dressed in Lisa Folawiyo (Nigeria), Sophia Zinga (Senegal), and MAXHOSA by LADUMA (South Africa). These trailblazing designers are innovating the way that fashion from Africa is perceived across the globe.

Other collaborators in this presentation include Adele Dejak, who creates her jewelry in a Nairobi based studio, and internationally renowned shoe designer, Richard Braoo. Temi’s presentation is only a taster of leading African fashion today. In collaboration with a showcase of exquisite African art and music, the presentation demonstrates the collective power of African originality.

Otedola heiresses
Everywhere the Otedola heiresses navigate, they radiate a spirit of independence and sense of self that even the world’s finest and most daring industrialists live in awe of. Little wonder, Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest billionaire and chairman of Dangote Group, nurtures no inhibitions taking a break from his very hectic schedule to be part of the Otedola girls’ success story. Some days ago, Dangote travelled across the world to honour the girls with his presence at their entrepreneurial showcase in London, United Kingdom.

More importantly, he sponsored the event through his Dangote Foundation. His generosity according to our findings, was inspired by the girls’ daring exploits and uncompromising display of competitive edge despite the stupendous wealth they were born into.

Otedola’s daughters hosted a showcase of African art, music and fashion in London, United Kingdom (UK), in furtherance of their quest to carve their niche in the competitive world of business and high society. The event, which held last Tuesday, at Bonhams on old Bond Street, London attracted the crème of Nigeria and international high society. At the event, Temi presented her smashing fashion designs and DJ Cuppy treated guests, fans and dignitaries to soulful tunes from her creative, daring music mixes.

For most of the year, London adheres to the urban ritual of a working lunch. But during this show, the bow-tied and sensibly heeled easily forgo risotto on an expense account for exotic dessert in a crowded hall. Dazzled by the chic, they perch themselves near the elegantly propped boardwalk where the best and most innovative African designers unveil their seasonal collections. The classy event which was sponsored by the Aliko Dangote Foundation and Standard Chartered Bank, lived up to its billing and initial hype as it drew the best of the global elite crowd and high society to celebrate the career achievements of Forte Oil boss’ ravishing daughters.

The daughters of the Forte Oil boss and billionaire magnate, evoke such wondrous tribute of ceaseless cheers and support by their ambitious strides in their father’s footsteps. While many billionaire heiresses spend their time squandering the frills and thrills of their fathers’ estates, DJ Cuppy and Temi devise ingenious means to make a name for themselves and establish their own dynasty.

London heaved to the bulk and merriment of the Otedolas’ high octane event. Memories of tipsy and appreciative folks with tired eyes, hoarse tenors and weary legs evoke random echoes of DJ Cuppy’s adroit renditions on the wheels of steel or disc machine if you like. As DJ Cuppy thrilled the audience to delightful music, their hair stood on end and they tipped over in merriment – their joy spilling from their souls into the air and sky high into the blue firmament.

The stage exploded inwards and outwards in colorful bursts, the bass and treble guitars black strumming and buzzing to mesh with the cymbals and drums in a thunder clap. Enthralled, the guests moved in gaiety, tap dancing and swaying to the beat as if they meant to enact a madhouse jamboree.

The melody reverberated through the halls and passageways of the London venue and climbed straight up into the atmosphere, drawing excited and muted sighs of pleasure from the invited dignitaries. The sound of the bass reverberated in their chests as they cheered and celebrated the ladies fondly referred to as the Forte Oil boss’ pride.

Few people will forget in a hurry the day Nigeria’s Forte Oil boss showed to the world, what makes his beautiful daughters, worthy heiresses of his £650million fortune or thereabouts. On that day, friends, family, and business associates trooped to London to glower in awe at the genius of the Otedola clan. Dignitaries at the event forgot their worries and ditched the family challenges of the mundane to rejoice with the Otedolas.

The elaborate event, which paraded society big wigs and captains of industry, saw Bola Adesola, the MD of Standard Chartered Bank, Aliko Dangote, Chairman of Dangote Group and sponsor of the event, step out in the company of other world renowned dignitaries in honour of Otedola and his daughters.

Indeed, Cuppy and Temi Otedola are no hostages to fortune. Despite their father, Femi Otedola’s amazing wealth, the beautiful daughters and heiresses to a huge fortune, seek to prosper by their own merit. Cuppy and Temi would rather command the applause of listening senates and succeed by their own merit. Wearing their beauty like a satin bow, the sisters engage in feverish pursuit of their dreams, with the determination of huntsmen seeking to catch tiger cubs by trashing the tiger’s lair.

The heiresses to the Forte Oil conglomerate among others, understand perfectly that in the pursuit of their dreams, even if their strength should fail them, their boldness will deserve praise. Cuppy and Temi are aware that in great endeavors even to have had the will is enough.

Thus even though they currently lead what the Daily Mail of London describes as a “jet-set lifestyle enjoying all the trappings of wealth,” the Otedola sisters are poised to seek their fortune and sustain it, far from the trappings of their father’s affluence.
To this end, Cuppy and Temi have taken decisive steps to establish themselves in their preferred careers.