I Spoke to: Eredi Fashion
Timi Olaitan
So, I had a chat with Deborah Okuyemi, Owner and Head Designer of the exclusive luxury women’s and men’s wear brand Eredi Fashion which launched 21st January 2021.
Here’s how it went:
Fashion has the power to inspire and transform.
First, I asked Deborah what Eredi means and the inspiration for the name. Eredi means purpose in Yoruba, the language of 20% of Nigerians in Nigeria. Deborah says the word for purpose in Yoruba isn’t well known, so when people challenged it, she asked what they think purpose means in Yoruba, and many went blank. She loves the word, how straight to the point it is its uniqueness and homage to her heritage as a Yoruba women – aspects which translate perfectly throughout her brand messaging. Deborah’s ultimate intention for Eredi is to combine purpose with fashion and share it with the world.
Fashion brings me joy – a sense of fulfillment.
I asked Deborah why fashion and her inspirations for Eredi. She spoke about her love for sketching as a child, ‘even though they were ugly’, each idea acted as building blocks in her journey. She’d tell her mum as a child that fashion design was her dream, but it fell to the back-burner as she grew up. Life did its thing and she questioned whether it could be a reality or just a pipe-dream and that was that and instead went down the traditional route of going to university. It was at the end of her first year that she realised it wasn’t working for her, and reminisced on her first love for fashion and decided it was time to do more than just dream about it and worked on her designs while powering through her undergrad.
My first prototype was my Light-bulb Moment.
She started sketching again and did so throughout Covid. Her skills had developed, and she was confident in pursuing her dream. She set out looking for manufactures, and her first sample was created that same year. As soon as she received it, she tried it on and showed her sister, who gave her the confirmation to go ahead and push for what we now know as Eredi Fashion. She’s never studied fashion but the talent was there, ready to be culminated and assist in bringing her beautiful vision to life.
When I see Eredi Fashion, I know it’s Eredi Fashion.
I asked Deborah what her proudest moment has been thus far; her second fashion show she hosted earlier this year. Seeing so many people come out for her, looking their best and supporting Eredi Fashion is a moment she’ll never forget. Deborah had saved up for a car but instead put it towards Eredi, and it’s fair to say that sacrifice paid off!
After the fashion show, a platform called Black Young Professionals named her the Fashion Designer to Look Out For 2023, a huge acknowledgement that was brought to her attention while solo travelling in Greece. At the time, she didn’t know about BYP, so having them see her and how hard she has worked was amazing, and definitely inspired her to keep pushing. She recounted her experience during her first fashion show, where she was nervous to hear the opinions of family and friends; they knew she was into fashion but were amazed by what she had created and are so proud.
I congratulate Deborah for creating designs with inclusive sizing, and for her positive contributions to modern fashion.
Check out Eredi on Instagram and their website! I’d like to thank Deborah for speaking with me. I pray for continued success for you <3.
https://www.instagram.com/eredifashion/
