Nigerian Fashion Designer Gets Vogue’s Attention

Popular UK-based Nigerian designer, Duro Olowu, has showcased his latest autumn/winter collection at this year’s London Fashion Week (LFW).

The annual fashion extravaganza, which kicked off last Thursday, wrapped up tuesday in the British capital.

The collections released by Vogue.co.uk were colourful and energetic ready to wear clothes.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Vogue’s Suzy Menkes described Olowu as “a one-man band’’ and “a designer who interacts with his customers”.

Menkas said Olowu understood the needs and desires of his customers.

“To hear him describing how he gives a dress a little lift at the waist and cuts the skirt on the bias so that it falls oh-so-lightly, is to understand how his collection comes into place each season,” Menkes said.

Since arriving on the London fashion scene in 2004, Olowu has impressed the right people with his vibrant mix of African prints, seventies tailoring, and unlikely color combos.

A high-waisted patchwork boho dress known as the “Duro” put the brand on the fashion map and became a cult item in 2005 after being discovered by American Vogue editor Sally Singer and Julie Gilhart of Barneys.

Born in Lagos to a Nigerian father and Jamaican mother, Olowu spent his childhood travelling between Nigeria and Europe.