The
surprising thing about Yemi Oshunkoya - role model, fashion icon and award winning
designer – is how very unlike an A-lister he seems in person. While working
towards greater success, the reputable designer tells a tale of his journey
from the early days, now and the ones to come.
The designer, Yemi Oshunkoya
I had a very happy and carefree childhood. Being the
third of four boys born to professional parents - medical Doctor and Nurse
respectively I was brought up within the University of Ibadan campus where we
had the freedom to play outside and on the streets with relative safety.
I’ve always had something real for fashion and design, from a very early age I
was familiar with the arts; very good at drawing human figures and always
dressed them quite fashionably. This was spotted by my parents and Art teachers
in school and I was encouraged and nurtured to continue to improve. As I
reached my teenage years, the age of fifteen specifically, I began to fully
understand exactly what a fashion designer did and realized this was a natural
progression for me. I became influenced and inspired by the 50’s New Look
pioneered by Christian Dior.
