Deola Sagoe is a renowned Nigerian fashion designer, entrepreneur and founder of The House of Deola Sagoe. Her unique approach of designing lively and colorful prints has earned her a global following including notable personalities such as Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith, who have recognized her for her celebration of African prints.
Having launched her career in 1989, Sagoe has a Masters Degree in Finance and Management and has studied at both University of Lagos and University of Miami. She is a woman with many layers and this is reflected in her multilayered designs. Her signature designs, Attitude and Elegance, draw their inspiration from fabrics with a traditional Nigerian touch and western aesthetics.
She designed the label, Odua, for her mom, who played a major role in popularizing her in the industry. Her recent works include hand-dyed Adire fabric, which is made by Yoruba women. Her reputation spans beyond the African continent, earning her fame and respect.
Aside from showcasing her couture collection at Cape Town and New York Fashion Weeks, Deola won the MNET/Anglo Gold African Designs 2000 Award. United Nations World Food Program appointed her Nigeria’s ambassador to the program, “Catwalk the World: Fashion for Food.” This was aimed at raising funds to reduce, by half, the number of starving people in the world, especially children by 2015.
Her three daughters, Teni, Tiwa, and Aba Sagoe, have taken after their mother and are owners of the popular CLAN fashion label. Sagoe believes the African fashion industry has come a long way and there’s still plenty of room for growth “Just in Africa, there is a huge market, without even going to Europe… and the US, there is a huge market there,” Sagoe states.
