The Elements Of Style: Lola Faturoti

Written By: Nani Hapa—Born the daughter and granddaughter of tribal chiefs in her native Ondo, Nigeria, designer Lola Faturoti is deeply influenced by both her personal history and African roots. “I got interested in fashion because my grandmother was a designer, she designed traditional Nigerian clothes. That was my first introduction to fashion,” laughs Lola, “which I hated because I wanted to be out playing instead of picking out seams!” Along with her grandmother, Lola’s mother played a pivotal role in the development of her daughter’s personal style. “My mom traveled a lot to London and New York. She bought me a lot of clothes, so I began to dress differently. I think that was the first introduction to me wanting to be different through clothing.” MIMI interviewed Lola to find out more about what inspires her eponymous label and how her heritiage influences her work.

Read The Elements Of Style: Lola Faturoti in the latest issue of MIMI, Unapologetically Modern.African.Female.

(Photo Credits: © Corbis) (Model Used Solely For Illustrative Purposes)