Adebayo Oke-Lawal // Orange Culture

Adebayo Oke-Lawal is a fashion designer with a unique sense of humour. A creative director of Orange culture, he is regarded as one of the pioneers of modern menswear in Nigeria. According to Bayo, as he is popularly known, he started sketching at the age of ten for a store in East London and that’s how he got his start. He then moved on to work with Kiki Kamanu and gained survival skills for working in the industry.

With this determination, the Orange Culture was born. Bayo refers to OC as a “movement” more than a clothing line, for a creative class of men who he describes as “self aware , expressive, explorative, art-loving nomad.” The label previously produced womenswear options, but Oke-Lawal says he’s since decided to focus on men. Combining classic and contemporary western silhouettes (like collared button-ups and lapel-less blazers) with African sensibilities, this fashion designer creates offerings for modern men who like a little flair, and of course: colour. Orange Culture is a heady mixture of Nigerian inspired silhouettes, print fabrics and contemporary urban street wear.

Orange culture last week launched its autumn/winter collection during the London Fashion week and was able to collaborate with other fashion designers, among them Adele Dejak. OC infused the amazing Adele Dejak accessories with his elegant collection. His unique designs and the featuring of top African designers created a buzz for this brand across the industry.

The brand and it’s creative director have previously been featured in Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, Voice of America, Financial Times, Wings, among others. The brand has been a finalist for huge design platforms like the LVMH (Louis Vuitton and Moët Hennessy ) prize – where he was picked alongside 29 of the biggest emerging designers from all over the world out of 1221 , MTN Lagos fashion and design week and Mode men awards, picked by Vogue and GQ Italia to present a collection at Pitti Uomo in Florence, Italy.