Woman Crush Wednesday: Discover Oyinda and her story!

Hey peeps,

I hope you’re doing well. If not, you’ll be fine, don’t worry 😉

A few months ago, I was scrolling on Twitter when I came across the profile of a young Nigerian fashion designer. So far, nothing crazy, right? But this designer caught my attention because her designs can be styled in different ways. At a time when the debate is about minimalism and the goal is to lower our level of fashion consumption, I thought it was a brilliant idea. I contacted her, and she agreed to do this interview. Without further words, let me introduce to you, Oyinda Akinfenwa. Enjoy 😉

• Hello Oyinda, how are you?

 I’m great, and I hope you are doing amazing yourself.

• Could you introduce yourself to those who don’t know you yet?

 I’m Oyinda, owner and creative director of Janore brand. Janore is a fashion brand that makes dresses that can be styled in multiple ways. These designs can be styled based on occasion or mood, and we make sure that each style option is perfect. Janore caters to

women at the moment, but we are looking forward to a male line as well and maybe other areas of fashion.

• How did your love for fashion started?

I’ve always been interested in fashion. I used to enjoy modeling, dressing up, taking pictures, and all that. So it was easy to transition to fashion designing, even though I had no idea I was going to end up having a fashion brand.

• Why this idea to style an outfit in multiple ways, and how did it cross your mind?

 Well, at first I didn’t intend to make a dress that can be styled in multiple ways. After the dress was made, I decided to check out other styles for it and pick one, but I ended up loving all four, and I decided to keep all, and people liked the idea. Then I kept going and I kept making more, and it really helped with my creativity level and also carving a niche for myself. So most times, I try to picture a dress in the different ways it can be worn and I go ahead with it.

You are also a lawyer, would you consider doing both careers in the future?

Yes, definitely. I think they are both amazing career choices.

• What advice would you give to someone who has one or several passions and wants to pursue them while having a corporate job?

Honestly, I think you need to pick a choice, or else you will be drained most of the time. You will always be busy and may not even have time to be an expert in any of these fields, so I think you should pick one and give it your all. Or maybe two, but anything more than that, you need to take several steps back. Along the line, as you grow in each area, you may try out more. Speaking from experience, having a corporate job and my own brand was a lot of work, and I barely had time for the brand and was always tired. So I think choosing is always the better idea, so you can give it a 100.

• Any last words to finish?

 It is very important to stay dedicated to whatever path that you choose, especially when it’s a creative path. It may not always be easy, but it will pay off if you keep believing and putting your best self out.

• Thank you so much for accepting this interview. I wish you all the best.

Thank you.

For the French translation, it’s here 😉

Xoxo

Leny💋