Photo:
Imaxtree/Mowalola; PICTURE DESCRIPTION: Fall/Winter 2023 Collection
Mowalola Ogunlesi doesn’t want to be put in a box, or at least that’s what one can draw after diving into the designer’s career. The Nigerian innovator made his first foray into fashion by attending (and dropping out) Central Saint Martins. Although she open discussion how she didn’t like her experience there, she credits the school for having achieved one of her most influential internships with Grace Wales Bonner. Cutting teeth under the guidance of one of the most revolutionary female designers of our time inspired Ogunlesi to found her eponymous label, Mowalola, in 2017.
She launched her first collection at London Fashion Week 2018 with charity Eastern fashion. This nonprofit is dedicated to fostering new talent and has some of the show’s most respected veterans, including Maximilian, Jonathan Anderson, Nesi Dojka, and Mowalola. Although Ogunlesi stopped performing with Fashion East in 2020, that first collection (and the ones that followed) cemented her as a rising star in the industry.
That new star status was achieved in part because of the celebrity cast that quickly took over her job—fans including Kim Kardashian, Naomi Campbell, and Drake. In addition, Ogunlesi has quickly landed some of the most famous collaborations (with Nike and Gap). But don’t be fooled by the hype; At the end of the day, the fans around her work all return to her over-the-top fashion approach.
