Source: 'I of Africa' with Aina Fadina | Published on 14 April 2015
Founder, executive producer, and host of I of Africa, Aina Fadina, interviews Nigerian Couture designer, Deola Sagoe. Watch as Deola Sagoe explains how Yoruba and Japanese culture has influenced her creative process. She also uses her 25 years in the fashion business to provide an insight into building luxury labels in Africa and the importance of being true to your brand.
About Deola Sagoe
Deola Sagoe, founder of Deola is the leading lady of African haute couture fashion from Ondo State in Nigeria. Deola has been at the cutting edge of high fashion since 1989 and became the first black woman to present a collection at AltaRoma, Rome’s celebrated fashion week, back in 2004. Her globally appealing style has earned her an enviable clientèle that ranges from Africa's first ladies, to society girls like Lydia Hearst, top model Alek Wek, and famous personalities such as Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith.
Deola, a mother of three, studied at the University of Miami and University of Lagos and earned a Masters in Finance and Management. She was appointed Nigeria's representative to the United Nations World Food Program 'Catwalk the World: Fashion for Food' with the goal of raising money towards halving the number of hungry people in the world, particularly children, by 2015. Deola frequently exhibits her couture collection at Cape Town Fashion Week and has been an invited guest of New York Fashion Week in the past.