Photo credit: Tim Buol
By Joséphine Li
For Tia Adeola, the young American-Nigerian fashion designer, launching a fashion brand during a global pandemic is bittersweet.
Adeola made her debut at New York Fashion Week last February showcasing her newly established eponymous brand to the world.
After the show, Adeola went back to her family home in Lagos, Nigeria, to ride out the worst of lockdown. In the first month, things went from bad to worse, with the fashion industry completely shut down and Adeola having a creativity burnout, she felt herself being at a total standstill. But eventually Adeola returned to her Manhattan studio and dove back in her work — studying ancient paintings and reconnecting with her original art history references, which inspired her first collection featuring her signature ruffles.
Angela Bassett, Ryan Coogler to honor Spike Lee at American Cinematheque ceremony
Looking back on the experience, Adeola said it was bittersweet. When asked what got her going again, she said unwaveringly: “I represent a generation that is going to change the world.”
Adeola’s ruffle design was originally inspired by her art history books at school. While studying 16th-century Spanish dress through fine art paintings, she noticed that the clothes in the ancient paintings, especially those with ruffles, were beautiful. “In those days, The bigger your ruffle the higher you were in society,” she explained.
Adeola’s signature ruffles not only helps to reclaim that part of history but also showcases feminine beauty and power. She sees it as her responsibility to dismantle the traditional constructs that strip women of their freedom, especially their freedom to express their sexuality. Her work has attracted the attention of a number of celebrities: Lizzo, Dua Lipa and Gigi Hadid have all worn her pieces.
Over the past year, Adeola’s career has taken a battering as the global pandemic has brought the entire fashion industry to its knees. It wasn’t easy for this young talent, but one thing’s for sure: She is determined to continue on the path she had chosen and she’ll be leaving her ruffles along the trail.
