Divinity To Form
by Polly Leonard
OKUNOREN is one of the most celebrated Nigerian designers of our time. From their home in Lagos, the high-end menswear label is heralded as Nigeria’s most recognised and esteemed tailors and this reputation has founded OKUNOREN’s global presence.
This year, the label is collaborating with the African Institute of Design – an innovative pan-African design hub educating and empowering over 1,000 young Nigerians annually. For their latest collection ‘Divinity to Form’, 20% of all proceeds are donated to the Emerging Talent Initiative, which provides industry guidance for emerging talents in the Nigerian design space. For Taiwo and Kehinde Okunoren, education underpins their commitment to championing design excellence by nurturing, supporting and promoting African fashion talent on the global stage.
The OKUNOREN name is renowned for its reimagining of traditional Nigerian sentiment and the timeless collections present a contemporary take on Saville Row inspired tailoring. Showcasing African artisanal techniques such as Aso Oke, the most prestigious hand-woven cloth of the Yoruba people, each carefully tailored and highly- detailed OKUNOREN suit is striking from all angles. Acknowledging their Nigerian legacy, the underside is just as beautiful as the front, the label carries the ‘Conceived in Africa’ trademark. As the only Nigerian clothing brand to have been issued a royal warrant, OKUNOREN is able to creatively utilize sacred royal emblems on western-style clothing, a reflection of the reality that two cultures can co-exist and compliment each other.
OKUNOREN’s ‘Divinity to Form’ collection is available for purchase in their Lagos flagship store and London showroom. A taste of Nigeria, the London showroom now offers bespoke, made-to-measure, and ready-to-wear by appointment only.
Read next: Jessica Hemmings' article Irresistible in the Ethnographic issue. Subscribe to Selvedge here.