By Christy Anyanwu
For Oluwadamilola Oladapo, founder and CEO of wave making Silk N Purple Clothing, innate love for the arts and passion for creativity inspired her fashion career.
After bagging a university degree, Oluwadamilola enrolled at a fashion school as an apprentice. But while in the university, she had exhibited a natural flair for the arts, encompassing paintings, portraits and bead making, which are the bedrocks of fashion designing.
“I love creative arts. I started making beads before I went to university, but the fashion aspect began when I was in the third year at the university,” she explained.
Silk N Purple came about as a result of a dream and passion for sewing with the best of African fabrics. In fact, Oluwadamilola wanted the best-sewn dresses with the best African fabrics fit for royalty.
She recalled with a glint of nostalgia, “I started after I left the university, firstly by going to a fashion school where I learnt to sew. But I wanted to be different. I wanted to sew with only the best of African fabrics like Daviva, Kente, Ankara and Hollandaise.”
Yet, in spite of this, Oluwadamilola rarely wore African dresses because she believed they weren’t properly made. “Aside this, I couldn’t find my style, so I chose to do it myself. I also sew for other people like me who wanted the best. But I must say that many young people have started doing it right, sewing to perfection,” she stated.
On what drives her creative muse, Oluwadamilola blurted without blinking. “My dad! My dad had a good fashion sense. He wore clean, well tailored and the best of fabrics. Also, I look up to every designer who is good at what they do, I look up to people who have gone ahead of me doing well, daring to be different. I look up to those coming behind taking baby steps, daring to be different.”
Silk N Purple specialises in ready-made wears designed with the best of African fabrics. These range from office to casual shirts, smart dresses, skirts and blouses, and Aso-ebi for both male and female.
But to the fashionpreneur, finance was a major challenge in the realisation of her dream. Also, sourcing for fabrics was another major hindrance on her path to successs. However, Oluwadamilola has nothing but praise for the African fashion industry.
“Africans have a high taste for learning, creativity and collaboration, and are diverse people. We are highly creative and not afraid to try new experiences,” she said, adding, “One of the things that have brought about this feat is globalisation. Because you can see what others are doing and you learn to do it better, and in your way.
Globalisation has also helped with marketing our products by making them available to a larger group, both in Africa and the rest of the world.”
But where does Oluwadamilola see her fashion brand in the next five to 10 years? Her response: “I want to be a trendsetter, the brand that other fashion designers look to for trends. I want to have the best team and be a brand worn by people from all walks of life. I desire to add more clothing lines and be in every continent of the world, thus reaching more people with African fashion.”