Kanyinsola Onalaja
Kanyinsola Onalaja was born in Nigerian and Educated in London, where she studied BA Fashion Design at Istituto Marangoni. Upon Graduation, she was awarded best fashion collection of the academic year 2013 – 2014. The collection was shown at Graduate Fashion week and Africa Fashion week in London. She briefly attended Academia di Costume E Moda, Rome to develop her 3D Pattern Cutting. During her studies she worked with brands such as Christopher Kane.
Kanyinsola Onalaja
hotogrpaher: Lakin Ogunbanwo
Model: Uju Marshall
Production/Styling: Studio Matte
Makeup: Odiri Obrutse
Designer: Onalaja
Growing up in Nigeria she discovered traditional art and became fascinated with the different media used to express it. Her love for colour and textiles grew, leading her to experiment with different mediums and ways to create works of art that used fashion as a means to showcase it.
Delving into the creative mind and world of this rising star has been so insightful, inspiring and uplifting and I wish her so much success in everything she does.
Tell me about yourself, the woman behind the brand – Onalaja? My name is Kanyinsola Onalaja, I am 24, and born in Nigeria, educated in London, where I studied BA Fashion Design at Istituto Marangoni. Prior to that, I pretty much studied Fine art and textiles and surface manipulation. Upon Graduation, I was awarded best fashion collection for the academic year 2013- 2014. The collection was shown at Graduate Fashion week and Africa Fashion week in London, which was very exciting for me. It was the first major platform for me to showcase my work. I attended Academia di Costume E Moda in Rome to develop my 3d Pattern Cutting skills after that and then an MA Fashion Design at Istituto Marangoni to further enhance my skill set. For my MA studies I worked at Giles Deacon (a British Couture designer) and during my BA studies, I worked with brands such as Christopher Kane (A British designer), Kosibah (the biggest African Wedding dress designer). As of today, I am currently trying to build up my brand and skills. Once in a while, I freelance as a fashion magazine editor and illustrator.
How did you get into fashion and why fashion design as a career pathway? What would you say sparked this desire for fashion? Growing up in Nigeria I was able to discover traditional art and became fascinated with the different media used to express it. My love for colour and textiles grew, leading me to experiment with different mediums and ways to create works of art that used fashion as a means to showcase it. My mum also played a huge part in me becoming a designer. Growing up, I would see her embellish, dye, hand-paint and manipulate fabric. One can say, she was my original art teacher.
Deciding to study Fashion was a difficult decision. Being from Nigeria, there is often a stigma and a sort of disapproval in studying “non-academic” subjects, as they would say. It was not the typical degree choice, or career part for a Nigerian. Most parents and people I know aimed to be doctors, lawyers, economist, which are all very academic professionals. Luckily for me, my parents have always been very supportive and pushed me to support my dreams and follow my interest. During A-level, I had to make a choice between English Literature, Law and Fashion. English Literature had always been something I loved; I loved reading literature and enjoying the written art form that celebrated words, wit, culture. Law, I guess was probably that “Nigerian thing” to study seeing as 90% of my relatives, including my parents are lawyers. A month before starting university, my parents sat me down and told me just to do what I love and forget the rest. I think hearing them tell me it was okay, made my decision a lot clear.
You are currently based in London. Can you tell me what it is that you love about London and if the capital has any influence on your creative aesthetics? London is pretty much home, it has been a great influence for me throughout my time post and pre university. Being in London unlike any other fashion city has truly allowed my creative quirkiness to thrive. What I love mostly about London is the many cultures within one city, the museums, the theatre, the galleries, the amazing libraries, fabric shops and the monuments. Anywhere in London could be a backdrop for a different story. I love how certain locations are known for certain things. I could go on.
How did you develop your interest in fashion design? My interest in fashion design developed primarily because whilst studying fine art I often got frustrated with it being in one format. Not sure if that makes sense but I felt quite restricted to only flat surfaces and or a canvas so to speak. I really just started exploring with other mediums and found design to be the most satisfactory especially as the female form was a much more exciting and exhilarating canvas.
You studied at Istituto Marangoni in London, can you tell me about your time there? How do you think your education has prepared and equipped you to work in the industry? My time at Istituto Marangoni was one filled with many tears, many more tears and the sense of fulfilment once any task was achieved. It was very intense and really required a lot of dedication and motivation. Looking back I truly am grateful because we were taught continuously how to push the boundaries and status quo. My education equipped me for the real industry by teaching me an important rule. What you give sometimes may not be what you get. You often have to go over and beyond to getting what you want and when you don't you keep it moving. Having to listen to people criticize your work simply teaches you that there are many many people with many different options. You should listen but always stay true to yourself even if it means go against everything because there will be someone who gets it.
How did you feel when you realised that your graduate collection made it to the Young Vision Award Women’s wear 2014 finals by Vogue Talents? I was extremely happy, mostly for the support that people gave. It definitely motivated me to want to achieve more.
Everyone has to start somewhere. What was your first job? I concur! My first job was working at the local drycleaners and seamstress doing alterations and some bespoke dress for ladies. I definitely learnt a lot whilst there, so techniques machine stitching, hand sewing and patterns which I hold dearly and still use till today.
What inspired and motivated you to set up your own label soon after graduation? What drives me is trying to come up with new ways of constructing and making textiles and how it can be enhanced on the female form. So setting up my own label was a natural process. Plus the support from family and friends made it a more a firm decision.
Do you regret not having worked for other labels before setting up your own? I actually worked for four fashion brands prior to me setting up my brand, a fabric company and three other companies in other aspects of the fashion industry. From the four brands, I learnt many skills and was definitely put to the test often. My time at Christopher Kane and Giles deacon couture brought me closer into deciding to make my brand that of luxury. Both brands shared and enabled me to discover further my love for textiles and manipulation. Embroidery, Print and unconventional surfaces and intricate detailing I would say are my signature features. The embellishment and hand embroidery was inspired by my time at Giles Deacon couture. I often try to incorporate techniques from couture to create texture within my work. In that sense, I most definitely do not have any regrets. I learnt something very key which I will always try to uphold, that being the importance to have the perfect balance between silhouette, textures, volume or lack of and colour.
Do you have a mentor who has helped you since you started your label? I have a few mentors actually, all from various aspects of the fashion industry. I am very lucky as this always helps for a 360 view of the industry.
How important would you say having a mentor is to emerging designers? I don’t think its a necessity, however if you can find one all the better. They give you the best advice based on their experiences so you can learn from it and avoid certain things. Plus it makes the journey far more interesting.
Tell me about your label and the type of woman you design for. How do you describe your fashion and style? I would like to think that my clothing style is a combination of the Italian design aesthetic, the formality of British fashion and the Nigerian flair for artisan crafts and surfaces. I want to create pieces that are simple, subtle, yet complement the very technical fabric manipulations, exploring colour, detail, tailoring and texture clash of fabrics, surfaces and materials. Experimental, unconventional but deemed wearable.
The women I have in mind whilst designing, I like to think would like something special and unique that shows the craftsmanship and work that goes into each process and something which is quite conceptually challenging, that's why I often try to take the Demi Couture route.
I come from a family full of strong, independent and often very opinionated women. The pieces I design are for the modern woman who represents the new ideal, where the woman is her entity, a strong representation of freedom, change and modernity. Onalaja new woman has the modern day appeal with old-fashioned ethos. She is a perfect blend of these two ideals; family and love still hold a great importance but fused with her ambition and drive. She is not socially engineered and represents a new form of beauty, one that is not so easily identified. She doesn’t necessarily follow the idea of what is socially accepted as beauty, and as a result doesn’t always fit fully into the perception of reality that the media creates. Femininity above everything. She expresses a softer, dulled sensuality. Quite masculine in her approach to work and independence yet still strongly rooted in the feminine ideal and embraces it fully.
Which designers would you say you learn a great deal from through their aesthetics and inspire your designs? Mary katrantzou, Maxhosa laduma, Erdem, Christopher Kane, Faustine Steimen, Iris Van Herpen, Ruban, Maticevski, Dion Lee, Issey Miyake, Phelan, Giles Deacon, just to name a few.
Where does your artistic influence come from? My main source of inspiration comes from my heritage and African culture and experiences. I am proudly Nigerian with a mixed rich heritage (Bini (Benin) and Yoruba). I grew up in Nigeria but moved to England to study when I was 8 years old. I attended and went to an Italian university and also briefly studied in Italy. All these diverse experiences have influenced and helped to shape the creative me; so I am constantly drawing on these elements for inspiration.
Growing up, how would you say you developed your own creative sensitivity? At school art was my form of creative expression, learning the different processes, the history of art works and artist alike with the support of my mum and her own works in fashion allowed me to develop my own creative sensitivity.
What is it like working for yourself now and who is your dream client? It’s different from school where a timetable really guided our days. So it's a lot of self-motivation involved and reminding yourself you are working towards something great. My secret dream client will have to be Kim Kardashian. She is a fashion icon in her own rights. I think within a collection I do aim to have something for every type of woman, so in that sense my ideal client is someone who understands the beauty of the process of creating the many artisanal elements.
Would you say your personal life and journey has in any way influenced your views on fashion and design? Yes definitely. At school I noticed my collection was really dependent on how I was feeling and till today it is still the same way. How I feel during collection research really determines the direction I follow.
What has been the best advice you have received so far on your journey as a designer? A friend told me “Always be ready to adapt and adjust.” The fashion industry is always changing, so where trends are going and allow yourself to adapt and adjust to them while not moving away from your core brand ethos.
Can you tell me what your most memorable challenge/s have been since setting up your label and how have you been able to deal with these challenges? Finding production. Production cost in London are quite high and especially for a young designer like myself but there are companies who are willing to provide small runs. This I combined with in-house production.
What are you fascinated by at the moment and how does it feed into your work? Africa for starters has to be on the top list for me. If you haven't heard, Africa is rising. Also Nature. Around us we have so many fascinating things happening that we tend to ignore. I recently researched Fractals for my dissertation and you will be surprised at the amount of fractals present in nature and in Africa. Also Bees are very close to me! It has a connotation to my traditional name so it's included with every aspect of my work, even if it's in the smallest of details, it is there. With my new collections I will continue along those lines.
What is the biggest lesson that you have learnt since you started your company? Don’t be scared to ask for help. Being from a fashion school that focuses so much on the creative process, I have learned that starting a brand and turning it into a business are completely different things. Starting a brand for me meant continuing what I was taught in school, i.e. research, draw and develop a collection and then present it but the business side of it means you have to look at costs, sales and much more.
What would you like to achieve before the end of the year? For 2017, I have a few surprises I am currently working on, so I hope to complete that and present it to the world before the end of the year. Also continue to grow organically and work with more stockists to continue distributing the Onalaja brand.
What would you say are some of the rules you live by that has been really beneficial in your running your own business? I try to be cost effective in my everyday life and I have passed this onto my business dealings. This does not mean I cut short in the creativity aspect but I try to look for the most viable and efficient method to do things.
What’s your motto? Focus on your goals and let things evolve around you!
What are some of the issues you feel emerging designers face within the industry and do you have any suggestive solutions to these issues? Emerging designers like many of our colleagues in other industry face the challenge of enable platform. Fashion unlike many industries has actually tried to tackle such issues with different methods for emerging designers to showcase their work, however I believe improvement still needs to be made, as there are still limited platforms. Also the issue of funding is also a challenge. Many emerging designers do not have access to investment into their brands/business and this can stifle creativity as exploring techniques and different textile manipulations cost. In regards to a solution I hope there will be more investors looking to invest in young designers like they do in tech start ups, as the numbers show that the fashion industry is growing globally.
Lets talk about your new collection, SS17 ‘Melanin, “Her Story”, & The Art of Manipulation’. What was the inspiration for this collection and what motivated the title for it? This collection is a tangible, visible and wearable manifestation of cultural heritage. My heritage has been re-imagined through the ideologies of Fractals. The aim was to break the cycles of consumerism by making bolder more expressive statements in order to reinforce some fundamental ideas and important facets of culture and beliefs. African culture is artistically characterised in its expressive nature, from markings to carvings. These aesthetics have been manipulated and are represented through each fabric and textile manipulation. Circles, spots, and dots play a significant role. This collection explores patterns within patterns and shapes within shapes to try to recreate an infinite scope. Repeated markings are often used to represent beliefs, tribes and elements of culture, glimpses of these can be seen throughout the collection. Recursive loops are created through repeated manipulations, shapes and forms. Emulating various shades of melanin act as a physical representation of one's identity, equally imitating different skin tones. Deep tones are direct references to typically African sculptures, while others reflect my Edo and Yoruba roots
Colour plays a large part in the Nigerian society so often I try to express that within my work. I often stick to natural tones that connote the clay sand in parts of Nigeria or terracotta ornaments. I am also influenced by the traditional fabrics such as Aso-oke and traditional basketing and weaving techniques. I also play on the traditional crafts using modern materials and incorporating it to modern techniques. In my culture, we communicate through various unspoken languages, one the traditional art of Adire. Adire is a way of communicating idioms, proverbs or simply to say a simple statement like I am a woman, I am strong. Using this philosophy, I try with my creations to communicate a story, one that isn't heard but can be seen.
When you say “Her Story”, whose story are you trying to tell and how much of your personal story is embedded in this collection, if any at all? The SS17 collection is a celebration of culture and women, mostly African who have inspired, challenged the status quo and impacted our world. It is a representation of femininity and “GIRL POWER.” Women including, Funmilayo Anikulapo-Kuti (her work with the Abeokuta Women’s Union, in the collection, is represented through surface fabrication and the use of traditional woven Yoruba fabrics.), Margaret Ekpo (the fashionable woman who combined western and Nigerian fashion influences and ultimately coined the “afropolitan" phrase), Chimamanda Adichie (The Modern literary voice), Nike Davies-Okundaye (The woman with the artist brush), and Adelaide Casely-Hayford (The African Victorian Feminist). Each item takes on influences from each woman's style, culture, era and ideology. On a personal note, the QAO dress, which is in fact my mother’s initials, was something very special to me that had to be included into “her story.” It was designed by myself and hand-painted by my mother, a tale of triumph, which was in representation of female celebrations, glory and the act of dancing.
What message are you trying to convey through this beautiful collection? I really was just trying to present and show ways in which young African millennia’s like myself integrate tradition and culture with contemporary influences to recreate our re-imagined heritage. The Art of Manipulation was exemplified through the repetition of manipulated patterns, a play of scale and recursion that echo many disparate African designs and knowledge system. Whilst the Melanin, represented through muted tones and bronze hues acted as a metaphor, which was purposefully used to celebrate my skin. Furthermore, the Her Story, underlying theme was to denote the strength of each woman that inspired each garment, and celebrate the modern Onalaja woman’s strength and femininity.
Let's discuss production. When you first set up your label, you focused mainly on made to measure. What were your reasons for doing this and how difficult is it to handle when you start getting a load of orders flooding through? The focus on made to measure was to avoid keeping stock especially for a young brand like Onalaja. Producing in numbers was not a viable course especially with the technique and processes it takes to make each individual piece. It will be difficult to handle made to measure for large numbers, so when it becomes a viable business that switch will be automatic.
Where are your collections made? Are they still made to measure or have you had to go ‘off the racks’ to be able to meet the demands of stockists? My collections are currently being produced in London and are still made to measure at the moment. It is more of a business decision so far but looking to change that within the next coming seasons.
What are some of the challenges involved in finding production and distribution channels when you decide to move from made to measure to off the rack? Moving from made to measure to off the rack has to be a business decision, when the Onalaja brand is financially able to carry out the process involved without taking away any of our unique skill sets that make the brand what it is today. Being from Nigeria I have always wanted to make out production local, so that the fashion community around the world find it beneficial to produce in Nigeria like they do in India and China while highlighting the uniqueness and craftsmanship of the Nigerian populace. So, finance is really important and is a challenge. Once as a brand we become financially stable it will make it easier to overcome such challenges. In regards to distribution, the distribution networks in the west are more defined and I hope to work with other brands, individuals and companies alike to create distribution channels within Nigeria and Africa as a whole. Nothing will make me prouder than to see Onalaja pieces being worn across the continent.
Your label is now being stocked in some of the top stockists in the world, Moda Operandi being one of them. What was the feeling like achieving that? Amen! I am and was very ecstatic, happy and truly grateful to have the opportunity and praying to continue to grow and create a brand, that will be able to be stocked at an international level. It was very motivating and inspiring.
What would you say ‘Vision’ means to you and how important is it for your plans for the Onalaja brand? Vision, or in other terms my inner voice, to me with anything is essential to clarity and achieving one's goals. It is something I often take as a metaphor within itself. They can mean two things, vision or idea where you want to go or need to get to or artistic vision. Artistic vision is an artist's way of seeing, their perspective, their talk in the type of work they do, the colours they use, the images and story they wish to convey.
By examining and exploring the implications and ramifications of our personal vision of existence, the story can vary from season to season but often have an underlying continuous theme. This can often be on the cerebral side of things rather than the instinctual side. Having a strong vision for each collection has really helped identify both my capabilities and limitation as well as adds a certain depth to the work that I create. Before starting a new process or thing I often pray and reflect to centre my thoughts and organise my possible ideas for the vision before executing. This is often followed by re-reading one of my favourite quotes.
“Imagine an eye unruled by man-made laws of perspective, an eye unprejudiced by compositional logic, an eye which does not respond to the name of everything but which must know each object encountered in life through an adventure of perception. How many colours are there in a field of grass to the crawling baby unaware of 'Green'? How many rainbows can light create for the untutored eye? How aware of variations in heat waves can that eye be? Imagine a world alive with incomprehensible objects and shimmering with an endless variety of movement and innumerable gradations of colour. Imagine a world before the 'beginning was the word.”
All in all have a strong vision is crucial to my plans for Onalaja as a brand.
What is your vision for your label and brand? What would you like to achieve through the Onalaja label? The vision for Onalaja I would say foremost is to create fashion as a form of communication and interaction, not just a commodity. It's about communicating and fusing together Onalaja Nigerian heritage and flair for the artisanal craftsmanship, Italian design aesthetics with the formality of British fashion. These being through craftsmanship and a very essential blend of culture and luxury. Pushing boundaries through its artisanal crafts, plays on proportions, explorations of colour and fabric manipulation with hints of androgyny versus whimsical elements are critical factors, which build the DNA of the brand. People can be drawn into its world of luxury through its experimental and often technical collections that explore texture clashes of fabrics, from knits to silks and fur and the inclusion of strong silhouettes versus the detailed fabric manipulations and enhancement. Something that is synonymous with wearable art and complimentary to the delicateness of the female form.
What legacy would you love to leave behind where your label is concerned? For starters, I would love for the Onalaja legacy to be that of gratitude. It would be great for Onalaja to stand as brand true to its heritage. One of cultural celebration and women, custom of the society it is fortunate to be within, a pride of home, as well as a brand that continues to practice and preserve hand-craftsmanship, a brand that truly enforced the luxury and harnessed the language of tradition and an appreciation of beauty but in a contemporary manner to create various possibilities of not just clothing but as Dr Martin Seligman says, “our signature strengths”
Beautifully said. What advice do you have for other aspiring fashion designers? I am still pretty new within the industry, however the quote that literally gets me through is by a lady called Anatole France in 1986, which goes as follows:
“To accomplish great things we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.”
It is so important to do something towards your goals and dreams everyday, having a goal and moving closer and closer towards it.
No matter the size of any accomplishment whether it be that you developed a new sewing skill or designed your first collection, it should be marked as an accomplishment. Being an emerging designer, I am still learning a lot and trying to completely define my aesthetic, a signature so to speak and brand identity that people can relate to, so the earlier an aspiring designer can recognise the better and easier the process should be. I would also advise that a 360 panoramic view of the industry should be acquired and learn to do everything yourself so when delegating or creating a team you can see and understand better and also advice as you have a better understanding of what needs to be done. As another coined phrase goes, if you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way. Everyone has to start from somewhere and knowledge is most definitely power. Start off doing small things as best as you can and build from there. Learn more about the business of fashion because that will definitely guide you, from knowing your target market to who your possible competitors are. Research, research, research. Most of the best skills I have gained have been from internships and past employment. So if you are able to, definitely try to do an internship. The crazy truth is that as a designer we spend most of our lives working tirelessly in the studio with crazy hours, sometimes 22 hours of a 24 hour day, so as an aspiring designer you really need to be committed to putting your all. During the hustle and bustle it is the passion you have for what you are doing that will get you through. Perseverance is very crucial and I have been advised many times that longevity is key. Most of all be realistic and stay true to yourself at all costs.
What do you consider the most important facets of the fashion industry? It is a little difficult to fully pinpoint what the most important facets of this whirlwind industry are. There is so many. For one, I believe longevity is key. Responding and understanding to what your client wants and delivering something that meets their needs, is an example of “good design” and stays true to you as a designer or brand. Achieving clothes and pieces that are contemporary yet sustainable. The story of the product and brand is also very important.
What are your views on sustainable fashion and would you say your label is sustainable? The word sustainable in itself means two things, something which has the ability to be maintained at a certain standard or level. The second avoiding the depletion of natural resources. In that sense, both versions of sustainable are very important and key to fashion. For instance, Onalaja aims to get materials from suppliers who meet high quality high standards. As a growing brand. Onalaja can definitely continue to do more to fully accomplish that and become even more sustainable.
What are some of your ethics that your label and brand are built on? Our Ethics can be summarised as so: Heritage, Quality, Luxury, and Artisanal Craftsmanship.
How has your work evolved since you began your own label? I would like to say it's changed drastically, however I do think it's still too early to tell exactly. Despite the fact, the concepts and ideologies behind each collection and the depth of research taken to achieve the final outcome has definitely evolved.
How important is culture & heritage to you personally and then to your label? Culture and Heritage is very important to both my brand and I personally. An underlying concept within my collections always remains “Our Heritage Re-Imagined -The Africa We Don’t See” Re-imagining heritage interpretation is something I have always looked to and explored even through my education. What I continue to realise is that people respond to stories, especially ones about their own history and own experiences. Ever heard the statement People create stories create people; or rather stories create people create stories. Culture and heritage visually curated can celebrate and highlight the qualities that connect, complement and contrast, but ultimately celebrate creative perceptiveness. For example. The Onalaja prints are often very detailed and visually bold and strong, in reminiscent of the distinctive African stroke. Despite being influenced by African art, textiles, heritage, I also try to express my individualism.
