Fashion in Nigeria has come a long way: today, there are dedicated fashion designers that cater exclusively for the (various) fashion tastes of their Nigerian clientele in a manner that no one imagined 20 years ago.
The good thing is that, these fashion designers are world class – and can compete with the best anywhere on earth today.
If you’re interested in the top 10 Nigerian men’s fashion designers thus (who has perfected the art of both traditional/native and foreign/English designs in Nigeria), you’ve landed on the right page.
Without much ado – and in no particular order, here:
Yomi Casual
Usually, youth and great achievements are quite uncommon when it comes to the Nigerian reality. However, Yomi Makun, a younger brother to the popular comedian, AY has proved otherwise with his clothing line, Yomi Casual.
Serving professionals and celebrities such as Zach Orji and Desmond Elliot, Yomi Casual is also the official clothing partner of many shows and celebrities in Nigeria – the most important being his brother’s comedy outfit.
Yomi Casual’s clothing line aims at distinguishing the celebrity from a crowd and making a celebrity out of anyone who wears them and is not at the moment, a celebrity him/herself.
To achieve this, the label exclusively focuses on only cut to fit African designs that are distinguished from other designs by their bold and contemporary cuts. So bold and distinguished are the designs that the chief designer of the company has held on many an occasion that the label’s definition of casual is (on purpose), the clear opposite of the conventional idea of ‘casual’.
Take a cue!
Soares Anthony
Here, another young and energetic Nigerian men fashion designer, Soares Anthony.
Like Yomi Casual above, the Soares Anthony Clothing Line focuses its attention on celebrities and politicians, working magic with African pieces which are delivered with the precision and excellence of the Japanese or Italian tailors.
In a true global approach, pieces that are made by Anthony Soares are sold and are commercially available outside the shores of Nigeria in such places as the United States and the UK.
Aside being one of the top 10 Nigerian men fashion designers, Anthony Soares also produces a fashion magazine that aside being dedicated to local fashion is also one of the best sources of new fashion for other tailors and individuals who would appreciate to try his styles on their own or those who cannot expressly afford his clothing label.
Deco
Deco is also one of the popular and top 10 men’s fashion designers of Nigeria.
Deco, though young and relatively new in the industry (like the first two options mentioned above) is already making waves – especially with his brand of Agbada – one that has been received with much acclaim and is the joy and excitement of many a politician on official duty or male celebrity who is attending to a traditional function like marriage or child dedication.
A unique feature of the Deco Clothing Label is the fact that it appeals to the younger generation of fashion freaks – thanks to the innovations and designs that makes it stand out in a clearly distinguished manner.
Ohimai Atafo
Ohimai Atafo is the first men’s fashion designer on our list here who also specializes in creating awesome fashion for women with the same dexterity he does for men.
Atafo who ventured in fashion designing full time about 7 years ago focuses on the creation and perfection of red carpet fashion pieces for women and outstanding suit designs for men who are either celebrities or captains of industries.
Aside this dedication, Atafo also runs a wedding apparel line where the clothing of everyone in a traditional wedding is catered for in the most brilliant and impressive of manners.
The Okunoren Twins
Providing fashion pieces for well-known personalities such as Don Jazzy and JJ Okocha, the Okunoren Twins, Taiwo and Kehinde have come a long way in the Nigerian men’s fashion designers league to be ignored.
The twins (the first fashion designing duo in Nigeria) capitalize on the craze for English clothing in Nigeria and make a killing of designs that literally take English fashion to the very next level.
However, where these twins truly excel and have distinguished themselves is the art of making awesome suits and suit related fashion accessories.
Ade Bakare
Ade Bakare truly understands what fashion means: not only does he cater for men, he also caters for the myriad fashion needs of women and also runs a perfume line called Breeze to compliment his outfits.
With operational bases in both Nigeria and London and experience in the industry that spans well over 20 good years, Ade Bakare is certainly one of the oldest and most reliable hands in Nigeria when it comes to the reality of men’s fashion in Nigeria.
Aside all these successes, Bakare also has an impressive line of jerseys. When he is less busy with his designs and fashion pieces, he writes a fashion column for Le Vogue – a widely and critically acclaimed fashion magazine.
Yemi Osunkoya
When you’re interested in experience in the fashion industry, it is exceedingly difficult to beat Yemi Osunkoya – one of the oldest fashion designers to emerge from Nigeria, having put up an impressive number of years to his credit: just under 30.
Because of these awesome – and good years, Osunkoya has been able to serve clientele well beyond Africa and is the official clothing partner of many a Hollywood celebrity.
Aside this, he has also won numerous awards that have gone a long way to prove both his skill and extreme mastery.
Frank Oshodi
In the business of Nigerian men’s fashion designers, Frank Oshodi needs no introduction.
Frank started his career way back in 1989 and has been at it ever since – having been the official make-up artist and fashion designer of the 2001 Miss World winner, Agbani Darego – a stint which brought him international fame and local validation.
Though Frank is a men’s fashion designer, he also makes awesome fashion for women, especially wedding gowns and bridal brain accessories.
Kola Kuddus
Kola Kuddus is a household name when it comes to the business of fashion for men. After spending time as a stylist, personal shopper for friends and importantly, studying fashion at the London College of Fashion, Kola certainly has all it takes to storm the world of fashion for men and has been doing so ever since he came on the scene.
Kola is primarily interested in men’s fashion and African styles in particular. These, he creates in a manner that depicts styles, extreme creativity and absolute boldness/confidence.
His product line, Kola Kuddus Couture has top clientele including Olusegun Obasanjo, a past president of Nigeria.
If you’re interested in his product line, they can be found in Lagos (primarily) and other major cities of the country.
Mudiaga Enajemo (Mudi Africa)
The last option on our list today of the top 10 Nigerian men’s fashion designers is none other than Mudiaga Enajemo, the brain behind the fashion label, Mudi Africa.
Having operational basis and serving almost the whole of the African continent, the Mudi Africa brand has been able to rise from obscurity and attract very high profile clientele such as politicians, footballers and various captains of industry.
Wrap-up
These are the top 10 best male fashion designers in Nigeria at the moment. Please, note however that, other awesome designers have been excluded because the maximum this article permits is 10.
However, if you have any other designers that you think is awesome enough to deserve a mention in this article, kindly indicate him or his business in the comment section and we’re sure other readers will be very thankful.
Further, if you have had any personal experience with any of the mentioned designers, we’ll love to hear it via the comment box.
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