Creativerse: Ololade
Hello to all readers of Notesphere only. In this April issue of Creativerse, I, Peniel, editor at your favorite magazine brand, had the privilege of speaking with Ololade, a Jill-of-all-trades with a touch of mastery in each, from Lagos, Nigeria. Our conversation covered her experiences, inspirations, and aspirations.
“Hello Ololade,” I began, expressing our excitement to feature her in our next Creativerse issue. While our initial plan was for a voice or video interview, this didn’t work out due to scheduling issues, so we had no choice but to do this interview via text.
NTS: Firstly, where did you grow up?
Ololade: I grew up in Bariga, Lagos state.
Ololade is known all around social media for her near-perfect taste in style and fashion. As a stylist/model/designer, she does it all, and her IG page literally serves as inspiration for people looking for how to dress.
When asked more about her upbringing and how or if that influenced her to go into art and clothes. She says, ‘My mom’s stylish and was always dressing my sister and I in some nice pieces… My dad also has a thing for dope footwear. He has more shoes than the whole family combined lol, so I guess from my parents. They’re cool asf.’
Ololade shares that she spent her formative years in the Bariga, Lagos neighborhood, which laid the foundation for her love for clothes and fashion.
Although formal education in fashion is common globally, Ololade, like many other talented young artists from Africa, excels despite lacking that privilege, thanks to informal learning. In her words, ‘I’ve had no professional training. Still learning informally.’
While Ololade’s journey began as a model, it was this period I became acquainted with her. The transition to designing and styling was a natural progression fueled by a desire for self-expression. She found herself yearning for more than just being a canvas for others’ visions.
When asked more, she says, ‘I started off as a model because that was where I could show off my creativity. Along the line, I noticed there wasn’t so much respect for models, when in fact we’re the face of most brands, we literally sell the products, do you get me? But my transition wasn’t because of the lack of respect but it was because I felt I was just a mannequin doing people’s ideas, I wanted my ideas out there too. So I switched to being behind the scene. I started styling first. Then moved to creative direction, then designing, then photography. I still model though. I still do everything. They’re all in me.’
Like I said at the beginning, she DOES-IT-ALL
NTS: It’s fair to say those worlds intersect, how do you navigate this intersection?
Ololade: Tbh it’s not as easy as I say it. I get distracted, I also get creative blocks, I have school lol, it’s a lot but I like doing these things, I chose to do them, so I don’t really care how slow I might get. Whatever field I turn to do right now. It’s gonna be done perfectly.
NTS: What’s the first gig as a stylist / creative director you’ve got?
Ololade: umm, my first Styling/CD gig was a collaboration. Shout out proudmonkey. He’s a super dope creative. He told me to pick out some pieces I’ve got back at home and told me to come to school (Unilag). This was probably 2020. I pulled up with the pieces, called two of my friends to model (Khalifa and Zara), Called planetsbb to take the pictures. Then boom, we made magic!! The project blew up. It really pushed me to actually start styling more.
Ololade’s expertise as a designer shines through in her role as one of the designers on the THIRSTYLABORATORY Team, a high-end denim and graphic t-shirt brand based in Nigeria. She excels in this position, showcasing her talent brightly. I briefly met Ololade at a THIRSTYLABS camp earlier this year and I got to see how dedicated she was to everything from styling models on one end to making sure the stitches on some pants were all okay at the other end. When asked about her role at Thirsty, she has this to say, “Thirsty is family. It’s my safe space, I’m surrounded by top-notch creatives, friends, and leaders. My experience on the team is one of the best things that has happened in my creative work life. It’s always fun when we’re all together making plans for a new drop or show or just linking up to catch up. It’s just fun and educatin.’
NTS: Last month, in an interview, Straffitti spoke highly of you as an amazing designer, although he is your creative director. How does that make you feel?
Ololade: Straffitti is my mentor. He teaches and advises me a lot, not just about designing. He’s like a dictionary; this man knows a lot and different ways to make money (legally). He amazes me.
For the sake of this interview, those who may not be familiar with Straffitti, he is the owner and creative director behind Thirsty Laboratory.
As a Nigerian creative, Ololade believes the Nigerian creative ecosystem is ever-evolving but she thinks emerging designers have major issues like ‘limited resources’. In her words ‘it’s always been evolving, I met the fashion industry evolved, we’re going round a gigantic circle. The only thing I see evolving is the new opportunity we as Nigerians are gaining now globally. It’s bound to happen; we as Nigerians think differently but have limited resources. Now imagine what we can do if we have all we need. But we’re getting there.’
NTS: Are there any particular designers, stylists, or models who have influenced or inspired your own work?
Ololade: For designers: I’ll say Straffitti and Mowalola
For Stylist: Instagram/Pinterest influenced me. Just scrolling through the app and I see different pieces from brands and I imagine how I would style with the ones I have at home.
For Models: Adut Akech and Alton Mason
NTS: Can you share some highlights or memorable moments from your career so far?
Ololade: My all-time fav was when I designed 2 looks for Thirsty Laboratory and walked my designs with my model. It was iconic.
Looking ahead, Ololade harbors ambitions of establishing her own fashion studio, aptly named “11-11 Studios,” where she envisions bringing her creative visions to life in their entirety, undeterred by the challenges that may lie ahead.
