Tout Nouveau Blog

Bunmi Olaye, Creative Director at rising luxury fashion label Bunmi Koko, is confirmed as a guest speaker at Tout Nouveau’s pop-up exhibition.

In keeping with the nurturing of young creative talent, Tout Nouveau has invited fashion designer Bunmi Olaye to be a guest speaker on the opening evening of our launch exhibition on November 26 2010. Here, Bunmi will discuss the set-up and successes of her new fashion label, Bunmi Koko, with aspiring fashion students from leading art universities, including Central Saint Martins, London College of Fashion and the University of Creative Arts Epsom.

Following her graduation from the University of East London in the summer, Bunmi Olaye and her entrepreneurial Partner, Francis Udom, have taken their fledging fashion and art illustrations business to admirable heights. Having showed at Africa Fashion Week during the 2010 World Cup, where they met Nelson Mandela and gained the support of America’s first lady and style icon, Michelle Obama (for whom Bunmi is rumoured to be creating a made-to-measure coat), the duo then gained the company an award for ‘Emerging Designer of the Year International’ at the African Fashion Awards. Bunmi has also since won the Precious Award for ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year’ and been nominated for the ‘Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year’ at the Grampian Awards.

Bunmi showed her Spring/Summer 2011 collection [above] to critical acclaim at the Vauxhall Fashion Scout stage during London Fashion Week, and with a celebrity following ranging from her latest muse Melanie Brown, to Mischa Barton, Kelly Rowland and Mica Paris; the brand has definitely caught the attention of the fashion elite.

Bunmi Koko aims to be a leading luxury lifestyle brand with plans to develop a menswear collection and beauty products among other items in the near future. Currently, the label specialises in womens ready-to-wear and accessories, as well as offering a couture line, including bridal and eveningwear.

An enviable portfolio for a graduate designer, although Bumni has worked for other prestigious fashion labels including Prada, Louis Vuitton and Harrods, her experience and knowledge of the industry, as well as the development of her fashion business will no doubt be invaluable information for the aspiring designers who have been invited to this intimate event.

Bunmi says: “The fashion industry can sometimes seem like an elite club, in that it is very difficult to get into, and I have been lucky to have some very influential people supporting me through my career so far. Therefore, I am more than happy to share my experiences with new designers who are looking to do the same and hopefully I can point them in the right direction.”

She continued; “I think what Tout Nouveau are doing for young creatives is, not only very admirable, but also important to upholding Britain’s reputation as a leader in new and avant-garde design.”

The Tout Nouveau exhibition will be open to public viewing on November 27 and November 28 2010, where graduate designers’ collections will be showcased prior to their sale in the online store. The Tout Nouveau e-store will open on November 29 2010.