The very first set of designs I came up with was funded by my friends - Adekunle Olopade (Founder/Creative Director Adirenation )
By Kemi Mobuse - Friday, February 23, 2018
The love we had for fine art in secondary school was second to none, because that was usually the best chance and opportunity to
showcase your artistic side. You can therefore
imagine the joy and thrill that coursed through our young bodies when we were
told, we will be learning how to make Adire fabrics (Adire in Yoruba
means tie and dye).
Meeen!!! Any chance for me, to get my hands dirty...I’ll
have gladly jump at…being a good girl don tire me jare. I barely ate on the
D-day and I was the first one to get to the class. The teacher took us through
the step by step process of how to turn a plain white cloth to the patterned
adire one we see daily, it was an awesome experience and there and then, I was
determined to become an Adire maker….YIMU! it was the same way, I wanted to become
a doctor, yet, I will faint at the MERE sight of blood, a Nurse…yet I can
barely stand still to take an Injection, infact, I still scream and dance
around like someone who just got bitten by a rabid dog (I will deny this
anywhere sha oh!)
Today, this beautiful work of art that comes in diverse
forms has found its way back into the market and promises to stay for a long
while. With the intricate details, artistic nature and cultural background of
the fabric, the love affair between art and fashion continues to burn.
Adirenation one of
the promising made in Nigeria brand is one of the main pioneers in this aspect,
the brand shows us how versatile the made in Nigeria fabric can be, from crop top, to jumpsuit, flare
gowns, pant suits…the uses are many and cut across all ages and countries.
KMB couldn’t resist poking their nose into this and we
scored a sweet goal, when we got the creative brain behind the brand to the
table…check out excerpts of his interview below and kindly drop a comment.
KMB: Hello, Can you kindly
state your Name/Occupation?
Adirenation: My
name is Adekunle Olopade, Founder/Creative Director of ADIRENATION, and I’m a
textile designer.
KMB: How did you become a
textile designer?
Adirenation: By accident. I wasn’t familiar with the art of
textile designing not until very recently when I stumbled on it and found out that
I have a hidden interest in it.
KMB: Did you undertake
formal training in college or within the Industry, or did you find your way
into crafts via a different route?
Adirenation: Well, formal training, no. I think the craft
found me. I’ve always been an artistic person. Right from my childhood, I was
that one kid that was always drawing. But growing up, the passion faded away
gradually. And at some point, I wanted to pick it up so desperately, and I
guess textile designing provided an answer. While I was in NYSC camp, I saw a
group of people dye some fabrics and I was immediately blown away because I was
curious about how adire was made. So, I just observed and asked
questions. On getting back home after camp, I got the materials and tried it
out and the rest is history.
KMB: How would you
describe your work?
Adirenation: I
would say it’s different. I try my best to work with designs that aren’t
conventional or obvious and also work my way around color mixes that you
wouldn’t normally come across.
KMB: What inspires you?
Adirenation: Everything.
I draw inspiration from practically everything I come across. This interview
has given me an idea for a unique design already.
KMB: Why ‘ Adire” in
particular?
Adirenation: Before adirenation, I was doing a research on
indigenous things that we produced from within Nigeria, because almost everything
we have or deal with in this country is imported. So, adire, came up as
the answer and I discovered that it wasn't gaining as much attention as it should,
so I made the decision to stick with it and try my best to make it known to as
many people as I can reach.
KMB: How has the Market
reception been?
Adirenation Amazing
actually. Adirenation has grown faster than I anticipated and I can only be
proud of my accomplishments thus far.
KMB: What Major challenges
have you had to deal with and what can you say they taught you?
Adirenation: So,
adirenation is a mix of textile designing and fashion. I had no formal training
about fashion and I was going into a female fashion world. It wasn’t easy to
adjust. Understanding various sizes and patterns, I would say was a major
challenge. But then, nothing good comes easy.
KMB: How did you start
out, capital wise?
Adirenation: I
started very very small. Very very. The very first set of designs I came up
with was funded by a few friends. 9 people actually. I told them I wanted to
make t-shirts for them at half the price and they were fine with it. I made the
t-shirts, I took pictures of it, some of them even modeled for me, I posted it,
and I started making sales. (Not immediately any ways). But that’s how I raised
my very first capital.
KMB: What would you most
like to make that you haven't so far?
Adirenation: I
don’t think there’s anything yet. I believe there’s still time to explore and
expand, so, I’m taking the steps one at a time. Maybe eventually I would find
out that one thing, but for now, nothing.
KMB: The one thing you
can't live without?
Adirenation: A
Biro and a paper. I’m always writing something. Always!!!
KMB: What's next?
Adirenation: I'm
working on a collection. I don't exactly have a release date yet, but
definitely sometime this year.
KMB: Lastly, how can you
be contacted?
Adirenation: ADIRE NATION has
a social media presence. Facebook, Instagram,Twitter, everywhere. ADIRENATION
is waiting for everyone to connect with us.
Instagram handle is: @adirenation
Facebook page is: www.facebook.com/adirenation
Twitter handle is: @adirenation
Email address: adirenation@gmail.com
And you can also visit the website, www.adirenation.com
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