Menswear label, Orange Culture hardly needs any introduction among fashion consumers in Nigeria. Described by designer, Adebayo Oke-Lawal as not just another clothing line but a movement, Orange Culture is for the modern man who is not afraid to take risks, especially with colours.

At the Heineken Lagos Fashion and Design Week, Orange Culture showcased its new collection, School of Rejects, on the final night. Before then, the man whose creativity provides soul for each of the pieces that we’ve come to love spoke to Vogue’s senior fashion writer, Marjon Carlos and here are 3 important things he said:

Fashion has evolved in Lagos

Adebayo Oke-Lawal says the ridiculousness that characterised seeing men in coloured suits is now a thing of the past. “I know five years ago i made a suit that was red and i received a lot of backlash. But now, I see men with a pink suit, a green suit, a yellow suit and i’m like whoa! I think one of the strongest advances is that men are now open to colour. It’s exciting“.

Nigerian men have progressed in every sense

“This generation of men has changed so much – even our physical culture has changed so much. If you go on this bridge, on Lekki-Ikoyi bridge, men are just jogging everyday.” Not only do these Nigerian men now pay extra attention to their physical fitness, they go all out to invest in fashion, and now they are limitless. Adebayo says, “Nigerian men are very impulsive. If they like it, they buy it. They’ll come with a bag of fabrics to a designer, give them money and have them make things for them. They are very much like, ‘I want it! I like it! Make it for me!’ It’s more about investments.”

On Androgyny, a major inspiration for the brand

Adebayo admits that a lot of people are yet to accept the adoption of women’s fashion trends by men, though it’s pretty easy for women to incorporate men’s styling in their own fashion. “It’s a very thin line between menswear and womenswear right now, and the androgyny factor is very much becoming mainstream. If a man wore a buba, that would be considered ridiculous! It’s a tough progression”.

See photos from his collection:

Tolu

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