Adebayo Oke-Lawal has been designing since the age of 10. He started Orange Culture in 2011, after having worked with several Nigerian designers, to turn his unique vision of fashion into reality. Since starting the label and an official runway debut at Lagos Fashion & Design Week 2011, he’s been hard at work trying to showcase Orange Culture to the world.
The label is more than a clothing line, Adebayo insists. It is a “movement” that covers universal silhouettes with an African touch to a creative class of men, translating into a heady mixture of Nigerian inspired print fabrics, colour and contemporary urban street wear.
This does not however, mean that Orange Culture forgets women who have taken over the brand, giving an androgynous twist on Adebayo’s designs. The garments answer to just about anyone who's interested in telling a story with the way they present themselves.
All pieces are manufactured in Lagos, from ethically-sourced fabrics from local Nigerian fabric makers. Orange Culture takes their staff through rigorous training processes and offers them the opportunity to attend skill acquisition initiatives.
Aside from fashion design, creative director Adebayo Oke-Lawal also worked for three years as the fashion editor for WOW! magazine, and has styled numerous celebrities such as Kate Henshaw, Rita Dominic, Munachi, Lala Akindoju, Ice Prince. He has also done editorial work for magazines like Vogue Italia, Nataal, WOW and many more.
Oke-Lawal also teaches, and most recently held a skill acquisition class for budding fashion designers supported by Fets Wallet. He is also very concerned with the youth as he launched a CSR project called "Painting your Dreams", where he inspires young people through the art to believe in themselves. As a result of the project, he has been listed under Forbes 30 under 30 people in the creative industry in Africa.
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