Deola Sagoe

"I didn’t choose fashion, it chose me, ... I think the only way I’ve managed is because I know fashion was my destiny. African designers face so many challenges, producing collections and working hard to rise above the manufacturing infrastructure problems. For me, it’s about rising to the challenge and I think it’s made me a better designer. I feel I produce more intelligent clothing as a result"

"African bespoke is different from European bespoke, in that Africans are very much more endowed in very specific areas. My challenge is that I work with a lot of lumps and bumps, which almost turns me into a type of cosmetic surgeon. Except that I’m not cutting you up or anything, its just that I do a lot of things with fabrics and accentuating, to create that perfect hourglass shape"

"Fashion chose me, and I believe that it did because I had been sent to impact African fashion as it relates to the world. It’s not just me; it’s my family"

"The West has taken and borrowed a lot from Africa… now its a renaissance. We’re claiming back with is ours and we’re adding value to what is ours, making it globally acceptable and globally appealing"

"When I started out, it was with a certain philosophy, because at that time it wasn’t cool to look African. Africa wasn’t on the map as it is now. … There was nothing really happening in terms of African fashion going global, or Africans being able to make a business of African fashion outside of the shore of Africa. So I went into it, sort of, to prove a point and to say ‘Listen. We can do this. We can add value.’ And to also bring the attention of the world to our own native abilities"

"“We know that Africa has potential, all we need is investors – either local or foreign – to come on board with money and partner with us and take it all the way up there. If Burberry, Armani, or Prada, instead of coming to look for inspiration, actually partnered with the craftsman or designers to do a line, it would be a world-class hit”.https://www.lionessesofafrica.com/blog/2014/9/1/quote-of-the-day-1"

"I try to fuse African cultural style with a modern approach to design. I love the dynamism of creating modernity out of something that is steeped in history. I think it’s what gives my collection such a cultural mix"

"Developing my own fabrics is essential for me. Every time you do it, it’s fresh; the drawings, the process of making Adire, starting with indigo and then just making music with colour and patterns, fabric jazz. I wanted to play with floaty fabrics this time. It was just my mood. Of course I’m still in the throws of my love affair with Aso Oke which is still a huge feature in this collection."

"“Being a Nigerian was no limitation for me because I just thought, well you haven’t seen me and there’s loads more like me”."

"I just had this can-do spirit. I was just so convinced that my product was so genuine and would no doubt conquer the world"

"Everything is done in-house. From the conceptualisation to filming campaigns, everything is always completely done by the it-girls.” Their orientation of family extends to their clients, “We get so involved with clients, we want [our clients] to be a part of our family as much as possible"

"African designers need to celebrate their cultural roots and fashion history in order to become globally competitive"