BEVERLY HILLS, March 01, (THEWILL) – There is no denying the fact that her royal background as the great grand-daughter of the late Ooni Ajagun Ademiluyi, the King of Ife Kingdom is largely responsible for her passion for promoting the cultural legacies of Ile Ife in particular and Osun State in general. However, it is her love for fashion and its promotion in the last 10 years via her Africa Fashion Week London, AFWL and Africa Fashion Week Nigeria, AFWN, that has earned Ronke Ademiluyi global recognition. Via the two platforms, organizations like KwaZulu Natal Fashion Council, Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Seychelles Creative Enterprise and The Trade & Investment South Africa have all showcased creative talents from their various countries to the world. Recently, in collaboration with the Ooni of Ife, she launched an Adire production hub in Ile Ife, which sits on 30,000 square meters of land. Ms Ademiluyi speaks to TheWill’s Ivory Ukonu on what the hub is all about and what it means for Nigeria.
Abeokuta is generally known as the home of Adire. Why the need to build a production hub for it in Osun State? Isn’t this taking away business from the people who have been associated with it for decades?
The Hub is a collaboration between His Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II and my organization, Africa Fashion Week London and Nigeria for development and capacity building. The hub, meant to empower women and youths and to also increase the production capacity of artisans in Ife and Osun State as a whole. If you listen to Osun, its say Osun ilu Aro that means Osun is the home of dye. The art of indigo dye on clothing using the Elu leaf actually started in Ife by Orunmila who was inspired by Olodumare and this you can find in the book of Ifa. The Adire has since become a global fashion statement and celebrities from all over the world wear it. So we see this hub as adding to the global awareness of the Adire textile, that His Excellency the governor of Ogun State, Gboyega Oyetola is at the forefront of doing. Like the Ooni said at its commissioning, the hub will operate in tandem with the textile department of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and other tertiary institutions across the country as well as Yoruba speaking countries like Cuba, Brazil, Venezuela among others.
Besides the making of the Adire fabric itself, what other job opportunities will the Hub provide for the people of Osun State?
The Hub is the phase one of a cultural center that His Majesty and myself are building on 30,000 square meters of Land. It will benefit the local artisans who will be working with us as well as with the young people who want to train in the craft of Adire making as we start our 1st training program on March 8 in celebration of international women’s day where we will be offering training to 100 young women. The hub will also benefit students studying textiles and design to use for their industrial trainning program.
Is there provision for churning out already made dresses and possibly exporting them?
At Africa Fashion Week, we work with over 5000 designers and already orders for export have stated to come in. The Hub has an in house tailoring department for those interested in making outfits with their fabrics.
How did you source funding for this huge project?
Even though it is a collaboration between His Imperial Majesty the Ooni of Ife and my organization, it is being funded by His Majesty.
What are the facilities on ground to aid production?
The production hub is only 10 per cent of the cultural center which we aim to build and the centre will include facilities like an African fashion museum, a digital library, Ife art world, an aso oke pavilion to mention a few. In terms of mass productions of the textiles, we are going to be working with over 300 artisans to increase their capacity to produce.
Why adire, why not something else like leather?
Adire is the most popular Nigerian fabric, it is recognized as a timeless piece and it allows the designer to communicate and tell their stories through the fabric they use. Back in the 1960s during the civil war in Nigeria, adire became an iconic symbol for the peace conference settlement and was seen as a symbol of peace and freedom.
What are your plans to make the fabric appealing to the younger generation who find Western wears more appealing?
Already adire is being used by the new generation of African and western designers to make contemporary pieces and our plan is to keep working with them to create designs they can use for their collections.
Some fabrics such as silk, taffeta, satin and the likes have been produced with adire patterns. Will the hub go in this direction or is it going to be strictly adire on cotton?
Our contemporary designers use the new Adire which is the Adire on silk, chiffon, satin,organza to make beautiful pieces. So, yes we will be working with other fabrics aside from the normal cotton and brocade.
Last year, another one of your initiative, the Queen Moremi beauty pageant didn’t hold. Perhaps due to the pandemic. Are there plans to ensure it holds this year in line with the new reality?
Before any large social gathering event can hold it must be in line with the government regulations so until we know what the dos and don’ts are regarding this we can’t engage in hosting large event as we must ensure that we don’t go ahead with all the planning just for us to cancel.
How well have the past winners fared in terms of representing the exemplary and heroic attributes of the legendary Queen Moremi?
So far, we have produced four cultural queens who represent the legendary Queen Moremi and among them is a dental surgeon, an auto mobile engineer and an English graduate.
And then there is the Queen Moremi Ajasaro musical which the pageant birthed. For those who don’t know, could you explain what this is all about as well as its significance?
It was actually the pageant that birthed the Queen Moremi musical and so many other initiatives of the Queen Moremi brand. The pageant started in 2016 while I decided to do the Musical in 2018 and the reason behind the Musical was that after I finished publishing a book on Moremi I wanted more for her as I felt that the younger generation don’t know much about her story and the important role she played as a woman in saving her people. The Queen Moremi brand advocates for the rights of girls and women and promotes women empowerment in Nigeria and globally.
You and the Ooni both have a strong cultural and business chemistry. What is the secret behind your bond?
My journey with His Majesty actually started back in 2014 when he sponsored the 1st edition of my Africa Fashion week in Nigeria and ever since then we have both been hellbent on promoting our amazing culture.
In 2019, the Ooni broke protocol when he walked the runway at your Africa Fashion Show, AFWN. How did you get him to do that?
He actually did break protocol again during the launch of the Adire hub where he engaged in working with the students to Tie and Dye fabrics. He is the most humble king I have ever met and he is always willing to go the extra mile when it involves the youth.
As with most fashion shows around the world, your Africa Fashion Week London couldn’t hold last year. However, with the gradual return of things to normal, are there plans to hold this year’s edition?
Again we have to wait to see what the UK government allows in terms of hosting large gatherings and also quarantine laws as almost half of my designers are not based in the UK. Last year we engaged in webinars and online courses in partnership with Henleys Business School UK and Parsons Design School New York. This year we plan to have a virtual show with fashion films and an exhibition.
As a UK trained lawyer, what prompted your interest in fashion and cultural preservation?
When I studied law, fashion was not seen as a lucrative profession while I was growing up. However immediately after graduating as a lawyer I went straight into the fashion industry by opening a chain of retail stores in Ikeja and Surulere called Rukkies.
