Deola Sagoe: Top Drawer
An iron will and a good eye have helped designer Deola Sagoe lead the Nigerian fashion industry on to the global stage.
Nigerian fashion has broken out, gracing the catwalks of New York, Johannesburg and Monaco.
My Nigeria is filled with beautiful things as well as things that may be perceived as ugly. It is a land with potential.
Deola Sagoe was one of the designers who led this Nigerian fashion expansion.
The House Of Deola Sagoe is on Lagos’ Victoria Island and caters for Nigeria’s who’s who.
Deola’s father, prominent Nigerian businessman Chief Ade Ojo, never wanted his daughter to go into fashion.
He actively discouraged her, wanting her to take over his lucrative business, but Deola had other ideas.
“Even I’m surprised that what I’ve ended up doing because it was not even in my plan, it wasn’t even on the cards for me at all…. Being a Nigerian was no limitation for me because I just thought, well you haven’t seen me and there’s loads more like me.”
‘Deola Sagoe: Top Drawer’ can be seen on Al Jazeera English from September 14 at the following times GMT: Monday: 2230; Tuesday: 0930; Wednesday: 0330; Thursday: 1630; Friday: 0530.