Nigerian designer, Toju Foyeh will surely never be forgotten for her dexterity in handling fabrics and for the grand feat of styling Adesua Etomi in four equally ravishing outfits for her traditional wedding.
Adesua Etomi and Banky W had exclusive rule of the past two weekends as their one-of-a-kind wedding took the internet by storm but another aspect of the grand occasion that had our jaw-dropping in awe was the bride’s look at her traditional wedding.
Now that we are calming down from the high of #BAAD2017, let’s get to know the celebrity designer of the moment.
Early Life
She was born Toluwaloju Olowofoyeku on July 13, 1989 into what she calls a family of designers. Being the first child and only daughter, she developed a keen interest in the fashion business from a very tender age. Her parents owned a fashion house at one time and her grand mother was a designer as well.
Education
Unknown to many, Toju Foyeh has a degree in Law. She bagged her First degree in Law from the University of Reading in 2008 before bagging her LLM from the University of Manchester in 2009.
According to her, though she knew she wanted to do fashion, she wanted a background in a field that would be useful for her fashion career. Soon after her Law degree, she went to the Istituto Maragoni where she studied Fashion design.
Upon completion, she moved back to Nigeria to start her fashion brand, Toju Foyeh in 2010.
The Toju Foyeh Brand
As we can easily tell, she got her brand name coined from her own real name. Despite the challenge of trying to make a name for herself in an industry that is already saturated, Toju was able to carve a niche for herself with her dedication to excellence and impeccable attention to detail. In 2011, Toju participated in the Arise Magazine Fashion Week Lagos. In 2012, she participated in both, Arise Magazine Fashion Week and the New York Fashion Week.
She however shot into the limelight in 2015 when her brand’s collection was showcased at the Lagos Fashion and Design Week and the recognition has been pouring in since then.
She has also styled several A-list celebrities such as Tiwa Savage, Toke Makinwa, Osas Ajibade, and a host of others. The Toju Foyeh brand has also received recognition from various international brands in the form of partnerships some of which include the 2017 Google Fashion Show and the 2018 Vlisco Mothers’ Day Campaign.
Awards and Recognition
Toju is a recipient of numerous awards for her stellar contribution to the fashion industry.
Some of her awards include:
- Future Awards Designer of the Year Plaque (2012)
- Glam and Essence Award for the fastest-growing fashion brand (2015)
- Eloy Awards for the Fashion Designer of the Year (2015)
- Rhoda Michaels Fashion Academy for Above and Beyond Award (2016)
- Peace Achievers Awards (2016)
- La Mode Magazine Green October Event for the Fashion Designer of the Year (2016)
- TLWE Recognition Award for the Fashion Designer of the Year (2017)
- Wimbiz x EbonylifeTv Sisterhood Awards for the Fashion Designer of the Year (2017)
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