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By Christy Anyanwu
Bola Obileye is a Nigerian-born, UK-based fashion designer. He’s the founder and director of Tote London, a brand known for its timeless handbags and art-inspired pieces.
With a background in Information Technology, where she worked as a Cisco-certified consultant and business analyst, her journey into fashion did not follow a traditional path—but one shaped by curiosity, creativity, and a deep sense of purpose.
What began as making clothes and handbags for herself soon grew into something global on the fashion scene. She spoke with Sunday Sun recently about her brand, her days of humble beginnings and lots more.
How did your journey begin? And what was the defining moment in your craft?
Well, it really started with me making items of clothing and handbags for myself and people telling me they loved it and I started making two and then I started making three. So it was really about curiosity. I found out by chance that I was talented, so to speak, because I never really saw myself initially as a designer.
I literally started with just making things for myself, then went into this curiosity mode and we just started to push the button, you know, a little bit further.
So the defining moment I would probably say is not one single thing.
However, one of my friends, Isabel, held a lifestyle event at home in 1004, Victoria Island, about 16 years ago now and she invited me to showcase some of the things I had made. At that point, I started to sell those pieces and that was where I saw that there were really opportunities there.
As founder and director of Tote London, what inspired the creation of the brand?
The inspiration behind Tote London, as I mentioned earlier, was just my own need to create pieces when I had a brief stay in Nigeria and I wanted to make handbag pieces. I was making handbag pieces, I was making clothing items that people would comment that they really loved.
And then I started to make two and then three. And then I really wanted, to make them world-class when I came from London, so there was a deep desire for me to play at the highest level. And I started to research more into how I could bring this fantastic world-class brand to life.
Are they made in Nigeria or the UK?
I am really excited that, my handbags are made in some of the finest factories at home and abroad. So I’m really excited about how Tote London is going.
What gap in the fashion market were you looking to fill when you started out?
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I started out making my handbags and making my pieces in Nigeria. And I saw that the people that were making at the time, I am talking about, 15, 16 years ago, then, in terms of handbags, there were just a handful of us that were making handbags at that time. And at that time it wasn’t being done at the level that we felt or I felt was world-class. And that was what I was aiming for when I started making handbags.
How does Tote London reflect your personal style and philosophy?
My philosophy in life is really just pour yourself into your creativity. You were given this creativity, you were given this talent, you were given this vision, this insight for a reason. And one of the reasons to me, is sharing with the world, all of these gifts are inside of me. I always say that when I die, I want to be empty. I want to be empty of every good idea. I want to be empty of every dream, every vision that I have carried, that I believe belongs to this world. I want to make sure that I birth everything for my enjoyment and for the enjoyment of the world as well.
It’s all about legacy for me. And I want that legacy to be in the work that I do. I want people to be able to look back on my time on earth and say, well, that started because Bola lived.
What has been the most defining moment for the brand so far?
One of the most defining moments for me is having styled the crew from The Lion King last year, at the Africa Fashion Week London. Also naming a bag after a first lady and having her style and wear this bag and then some actresses as well. It’s such an honour to see things that have faded in the privacy of my own home on display on the world stage. That has been really exciting to me.
I have had many defining moments for my brand. I’ve had first ladies carry my brand. I’ve had really, really incredible women of substance.
I’ve had one of the richest women in the world carry my bag. I’ve had many defining moments that made me smile.
Growing up, did you always know you wanted to work within fashion and lifestyle, or did that path unfold over time?
I think fashion and lifestyle have always been a part of my life. I’ve always grown up knowing I love fashion. I’ve always loved to put clothes together.
I have always had that eye for detail. But I just used to think it was something I did effortlessly. I never thought about it as something that would be my career.
You know, sometimes when things come so easy to you, you just think, well, that is not work. We expect that we have been, I don’t want to say brainwashed, but we have been kind of like convinced to think that work had to be hard. So I’m really glad that I found fashion because it is so natural to me that sometimes I have to pinch myself that this is what I do for a living.
Fashion allows me to explore life, to really sit in purpose and really just be able to see how my place fits into the world. And I love it. I love it so much.
Your hairstyle has become a signature. What inspired it, and how long have you worn it this way?
I think there was a period where I used to wear a lot of weave-on and then when I decided to go natural, I started to wonder how to wear my hair. I needed something that was easy and over time I started to understand that if I wanted my natural hair to stay in place, I needed some hairpins and you know as I went along you know things started happening and the hair started to take shape naturally so I didn’t set out to make my hair the way I do.
I’ve always, however, loved the 1950s so it was easy for me to take on board hairstyle or inspiration from the 50s but it was really about finding an easy way to wear my hair, my natural hair efficiently and without drama but still looking nice and somehow it’s managed to be my go-to hair for over 10 years so and I love it now. It’s really hard for me to show up anywhere without it. It just feels natural. It just feels you know like how I’m meant to show up.
I love it and I just don’t know how I can like change now, but yes it has indeed become part of my identity.
What inspires you outside of work?
I love travelling. I love food. I love shopping and I love to discover more about my heritage.
I love the Yoruba language. I love to discover new proverbs and to engage. I love the Igbo language as well. I always brag that I’m the Yoruba Igbo girl. I’m very curious about Igbo culture and yeah I just love Nigeria as a place. I love Nigeria as a cultural hub so when I’m not working within my space I am probably found to be coaching people on what I do and how people can show up better in life or alongside finding their own purpose to be able to do what they were called to do.
