CNN Style meets Tia Adeola: The young designer subverting the ruffle to empower women

Recently , CNN Style spoke to fashion designer Teniola “Tia” Adeola about her clothing, her signature ruffles, and what inspires her designs.

Earlier this year, Adeola debuted her newly established eponymous brand at New York Fashion Week. She speaks about this experience, “It was incredible. I probably didn’t sleep for like three days after my show. It was just an incredible moment of like, ok you’ve shown at New York Fashion Week and now it’s time to really just take that full stride into being a luxury fashion designer.”

Her show took place right before coronavirus restrictions impacted the fashion world. Adeola spent the height of the pandemic in Nigeria, a place close to her heart, “Lagos for me is home. That’s where my family lives, that’s where I feel the most comfortable, that’s where everyone looks like me.”

Back in New York, Adeola dove straight in to designing again, looking at paintings for hours and reconnecting with her original art history references, which inspired a series of face masks featuring her signature ruffles.

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Adeola says her ruffles do something to reclaim that part of history. In working them into her own designs, she’s placed the power of the statement ruff in the hands of a young and diverse community of women. And the community has some noteworthy members: Gigi Hadid, Dua Lipa and Lizzo have all worn her pieces.

Celebrities aside, Adeola has made a point of surrounding herself with women, “There would be no Tia without the women in my community who support me and who make things possible.” She continues, “People go on the brand’s Instagram page and see these amazing pictures that they love, but they don’t realise there was a female makeup artist, there was a female hairstylist, there was a female photographer, there was a female set assistant. So all these women in my community come to mind when I’m making these clothes.”

Reflecting on what drives her, Adeola points to the important role she believes young people play in society, “I represent a generation that is going to change the world, that’s Generation Z. When it comes to taking responsibility as far as community and politics, health, race, I feel like we really do step up to it and it’s such a beautiful thing to see.”

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