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• My passion comes from living with my fashion-loving grandma in Nigeria
From Christy Anyanwu, London
Ifeoma Achiekwelu is the founder and creative director for IfeAchi Exquisites. She was among the fashion exhibitors at the just concluded Africa Fashion Week London (AFWL) 2026, held in London.
The exhibited items in her stable were pure luxury fashion, art and lifestyle brands.
In this interview with Saturday Sun, she explains her brand, the creative process and the artistic and business sides of her job, noting that her passion is to promote African culture to the world and introduce the world to Nigerian fashion and culture. She also went down memory lane about her journey as a fashion designer.
What makes your design distinct?
Nigeria and Africa at large have beautiful clothing and we want to normalise it such that it’s not only Nigerians wearing our clothing so they will see the heritage, the beauty, the story behind it. And we try to make outfits that stand out. We make outfits that are bright, bold, luxurious and glamorous.
When you wear it, there’s beauty in representing who we are, especially for those of us that live in the diaspora. So, that’s why I’m doing this.
Aside from fashion, do you work elsewhere?
On a personal note, outside of fashion, I’m a consultant. I work within the oil and gas, offshore, renewable energy and infrastructure sector. I do procurement, commercial, contract management and project management.
Fashion is still my side hustle, but it’s something that I am passionate about. I do unique items that stand out. Bold and colourful.
Tell us about your journey into fashion
I love fashion. My passion for fashion started with my grandma. I was raised by my grandma in Nigeria. I finished primary education in Nigeria before coming over to the United Kingdom. So, growing up, my grandmother was very fashionable.
Was she a fashion designer?
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No, but she was a very big influence on me. She also lived in the UK for some years before she went back to Nigeria. She was one of those women in the 1960s that wore trousers when most women didn’t wear trousers. She was wearing trousers even in the village. And, in those days, they wouldn’t allow a woman to wear trousers or anything like that.
I called her mummy until she passed. Mummy wore trousers, loved making up her hair.
She had afro hair in her younger days. Up until when she passed in 2014, she still did her nails. Her nails were longer than mine. She loved fashion. My own biological mum also loves fashion.
In the whole family, there’s something about class. You can’t buy it, no matter what.
It’s innate in you, it’s either you have it or you don’t. It’s just something about class. So, that’s how I’ve always loved fashion.
And, when I came to this country, years back, I had this idea of bringing our prints. I was much younger then. Obviously, at the time, I couldn’t do it.
I went to university in the USA, came back and I started to talk to a lady that I knew previously that made clothes. So I said, I’ve been wanting to do this. Can we just do something little?
That was two, three years ago. So we did something together; there was an exhibition in church. We created a few items. I exhibited. And here we are, almost three years now, and it’s continuing to grow.
How do you combine your work and fashion?
It’s not easy. I have sleep deprivation. Sometimes, I go to sleep at 3 o’clock in the morning. Because, even for us to come to Africa Fashion Week, I still have to do my day job, I work from home, and then get these things ready.
So, I’m a night owl. A lot of the things I do, I do at night.
Meanwhile, I have someone in Nigeria, thankfully, that I coordinate with as a designer. I have my own consulting firm. I’m somewhat self-employed.
How does it feel, as this is your first appearance in Africa Fashion Week London?
Yes, this is my first appearance here. But the first time I came was not as an exhibitor. When I got back from the U.S., I think in 2017 or 2018, I came here with a friend just to see the fashion show.
So, sometime this year, I saw the advert. I saw it on Instagram, on social media. I thought, okay, let me try it. And here we are.
What kind of fabric do you use?
I like Aso Oke. If you look around here, you’ll see a lot of things with Aso Oke prints.
So I tend to mix. I use Adiré, I use Ankara, I use Mikado. I use silk. But I like infusing Aso Oke into a lot of things I do.
They’re bold colours. I do a lot of patchwork patterns. In my designs, I do a lot of bold colours or structured items.
