Skip to 47 minutes in to get to Mowalola's show
Fashion isn’t always kinds to its young but even with the relentless pace of the industry, every once in a while a new designer’s vision cuts through the noise. More often than not, it’s the ones with a clear idea of who they are and why, like in the case of Nigeria-born designer and Central Saint Martins student, Mowalola Ogunlesi. Ogunlesi’s graduate collection (her first ever) was inspired by Nigerian psychedelic rock from the 70s and 80s, exploring the culture and desires of the African male, in homage to the community she grew up in. The accompanying lookbook was shot by Ruth Ossai and styled by Ib Kamara, whose work Ogunlesi liked for being ‘unapologetically black’ - much like her own.