She is not only the daughter of Nike Ogunlesi, founder of foremost Children’s clothing brand, Ruff and Tumble and Adegbola Ogunlesi, a co-owner of Sophisticat Fashion House, she is also the design director of Kanye West’s fashion label, Yeezy. The talented young designer was tapped in 2020 by Kanye West to work on a collaboration between Yeezy and Gap, an American clothing and accessory retailer. The deal was for 10 years, with a choice to renew after five years. But two years after its announcement, in September 2022, after a series of disagreements between Kanye and Gap executives, the collaboration fell apart.
Kanye however retained Mowalola and she has gone on to design most of the pieces from his Yeezy collection including his most recent collection which reflects her unique, bold and daring style. Outrageous would be a more appropriate word to use to describe the collection which barely covers the body.
Mowalola is also known for the gender-fluid nature of her designs which believes gender constructs don’t need to have certain wardrobe restrictions. Born in the United Kingdom, she previously attended Central Saint Martins, a world-renowned arts and design college in London with a Bachelor of Art degree in fashion. She had attempted to get a Master of Arts degree from the same school but dropped out midway.
Mowalola had her London Fashion Week debut in 2019, where her aesthetic was typified by leather, cutout tops, and vibrant patterns. She has in the past worked with Steve Lacy, and Solange, and collaborated with Skepta on his ‘Pure Water’ music video and also designed the uniform for Nigeria’s world Cup team for Nike. The 28 year old also has a flair for singing.
Ivory Ukonu is a versatile journalist with many years of experience, with entertainment and society reporting as her area of core competence.
