…Rides on ThisDAY Wings
* 150 high profile celebrities to attend show
* Tickets almost sold out
* Witness best collection of Nigeria/Scottish wears
* Owns the biggest fashion house in London
* His show stopper from New York, to South Africa & Nigeria
* Contracted by Buckingham Palace for Prince Harry royal wedding
* Designs for First Lady Michelle Obama, Nelson Mandela, Others
* Senator Ita Giwa chairs ceremony
* Voted amongst Britain’s 100 Most Influential Black People
IN Nigeria, the people are about to witness the making of history in the nation’s fashion sector come September 28 in Lagos, as Prince Nduka Obaigbena, The Duke, Publisher of ThisDAY newspapers and President, Nigerian Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) flings the doors of prestigious ThisDAY Dome open to host Francis Udom and Bunmi Olaye a.k.a., Bunmi Koko, Nigerian award-winning fashion experts who have become a household name in couture garments and evening wear with a feel of Nigeria/Scottish culture in Europe and America.
150 top celebrities ready for the show
In an exclusive interview with our correspondent, Bunmi Koko explained that as at today, his management has received assurance from 150 top celebrities in the political circles, business sector and entertainment industry that are ready to witness the ‘magic of his trends,’ at ThisDAY Dome. His words: “It is a world class fashion show for the elites in the Nigerian political, business, entertainment sectors who appreciates the power of style, elegance and panache.”
Show train moves from New York, to South Africa & Nigeria
Koko, acclaimed by Western press for his exotic designs and prestigious press coverage further New York is presently playing host to his exquisite designs, while the fashion train will berth in South Africa by September 23 and move to Nigeria just five days later in a show that will be a talk-of-the-town for a long time to come.
Background of Bunmi Koko
Bunmi Koko is an international award winning luxury fashion and lifestyle brand based in London with a Nigerian/Scottish heritage. They specialize in ready to wear and couture garments for bridal and eveningwear and special corporate gift designs.
Designs for Michelle Obama, Nelson Mandela, Others
Bunmi Koko has rocked the fashion world with highly acclaimed fashion shows and prestigious press coverage. His designs have also caught attention of numerous celebrities and fashion icons including First Lady Michelle Obama, Her Royal Highness, Duchess of Cornwall, The Duchess of Cambridge and Nelson Mandela.
Bunmi Koko was also invited by His Royal Highness, The Prince Of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall to represent Africa at a reception held to celebrate West African Culture at the St. James palace on 20th July, 2011.
Most recently Bunmi Olaye, Creative Director at Bunmi Koko, was requested to join the panel during the ITV Royal Wedding Coverage to discuss the fashion of the day and most importantly, to comment on the most anticipated dress of the decade, the wedding dress of the new Duchess of Cambridge.
Fashion History
Based in London, the brand designs stem from Bunmi’s and Francis’ Nigerian/Scottish heritage. Bunmi Koko also stresses “diversity and inclusion” as part of their mission statement. The joint work of Bunmi and Francis has resulted in the creation of Longitudinal Caissons: a new method of creating tubular silhouettes in fabric. In addition to that, print technology is a key strength and unique selling point for the brand. This is due to the fusion of Bunmi’s fashion skills and Francis’ engineering skills, resulting in innovative and structured designs which caught the attention of a growing number of celebrities including former Spice Girl Mel B, Michelle Obama, members of Destiny’s Child, top fashion writers like award-winning Fashion Director of The Telegraph, Hilary Alexander. In the second year, The Bunmi Koko brand became one of the most talked about emerging brands.
The profile
Bunmi Olaye was born in Nigeria and came to the United Kingdom (UK) to study at St Margaret’s School, Bushey in Hertfordshire. Her first fashion degree was an undergraduate foundation course at Wimbledon School of Art where she gained a National Diploma in Art & Design. She went straight on to study Fashion Promotion at the Kent Institute of Art & Design, which led to her working as a fashion stylist and illustrator in London. Bunmi then went on to work for luxury companies such as Anne Fontaine, Harrods and Prada before going back to study at the London College of Fashion, where she undertook the FdA Styling & Photography course.
She also ventured off to take a Fashion Design & Marketing Degree at the University of East London, where she was awarded a special prize for Female Entrepreneurship in 2010 and currently appointed by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Patrick McGhee, as their ambassador for Female Entrepreneurship. Whilst studying, she made clothes for individual clients, most notably former Spice Girl – Mel B and in her sandwich year, she worked with couture designer Allison Rodger and Alexander McQueen and the luxury fashion brand Louis Vuitton under the LVMH group. While in Aberdeen, Bunmi Olaye met Scottish based engineer, Francis Udom (CEO) and their union inspired them both to start Bunmi Koko. Bunmi is now the Creative Director of the luxury brand, Bunmi Koko.
Where to track the works of Bunmi Koko
Below are some of the websites you can visit to track the electrifying works of this great Nigerian nominated as finalists for The Scottish Fashion Awards for Retailer of the Year along with many other celebrated awards such as Winner of Emerging Designer at the African Fashion Awards 2010 and voted into the Power List 2011 – nominated as finalists for The Scottish Fashion Awards for Retailer of the Year along with many other celebrated awards such as Winner of Emerging Designer at the African Fashion Awards 2010. He was also voted into the Power List 2011 – Britain’s 100 Most Influential
Black People sponsored by J.P. Morgan. The links are: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCek8tnSrbo, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gKF6Of09II&feature=related, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fepELnRpTA0
Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week contract
As a result of these huge achievements, Koko has been given a show slot in Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week to showcase the new marine inspired collection which will be unveiled on September 15, 2011. According to Koko, “We will be showcasing this collection in both London and Paris too, which is an extremely exciting opportunity for us to be invited to such prestigious events.”
For the records, just last year, his fashion house showcased ‘Matriarchy collection’, after the huge support his firm received. They were honoured to receive a personal invite to meet with Nelson Mandela at his private home in Johannesburg, which led them to collaborate with the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP). The UNWFP was introduced to them by Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of WFP with the initiative to ‘Fill the Cup’, which his firm championed.
