Nigerian Androgynous Fashion Brand ORANGE CULTURE Is Breaking Down Gender Walls

By Vincent Desmond Published September 13, 2018

As time goes by, the Nigerian fashion industry grows even stronger and considering a career in fashion is no longer viewed as a taboo topic neither is it thought of as a ticket to poverty like it previously was in many Nigerian homes. With people now looking at the fashion industry with new eyes – mostly that of wonderment and awe – we now have a good amount of young and passionate creative Nigerians streaming into the industry with the intention and hope of changing the narrative of the fashion industry while telling their unique stories. Amongst all these fashion brands one stands out like a sore thumb, for it’s unique approach and how it’s creative director seems to favor the road less traveled when it comes to his designs and the story it tells. That brand is Orange Culture.

The androgynous fashion brand is directed and owned by the ever stylish Adebayo Oke-Lawal who obviously infuses elements of his personal style into the brand’s aesthetics but doesn’t let it take away from the brand’s unique aesthetic. With every piece they create, with every fashion editorial or look book they release Orange Culture further destroys stereotypical gender walls and expectations with their use of colours, fabrics and their designs. This isn’t something that one finds every other day in a country like Nigeria where rigid gender roles and overtly gendered fashion is the norm which is still very much pushed by even the fashion elites however Orange Culture is almost singlehandedly destroying those roles by focusing less on what gender will wear what or creating clothes with a particular gender in mind, Orange Culture is simply creating beautiful clothes.