When it comes to contemporary womenswear fashion outfit that focuses on expressing style through neatly tailored clothing, the first brand that comes to mind is Style Faculty, originally called FinerbyCrown but was recently changed to Style Faculty for ease of adaptation, especially since the mission statement is majorly focused on style.
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But the brain-box of the company is a young and creative Olajumoke Atoyebi, whose passion for sewing, started burning at a very tender age. She was quoted saying “ I started learning to sew since I was about 11. My dad had a fashion business but he did not like to have me around the business because he feared that I wouldn’t want to get an education and that was very important to him since he wanted me to be “more”.

She added: “I would read fashion books and magazines and hide them between my school books because I did not want him to see. Whenever he wasn’t around, I would ask his stylists to show me certain things and I taught myself how to use a sewing machine. I started by amending my school uniforms to suit what I wanted, made some miniature dresses and had a basket I kept all of them in my room. When I got into the University at 17, I started making clothes for myself because I have always had a very strong sense of style.”

Speaking about what has kept her going as a young entrepreneur, she said the joy she derives from what she does. “It gives me immense joy seeing people wear what I created so proudly. Being able to make a decent living and also an employer of labour from what I do, against the societal expectations of making an income from white collar jobs only.”

With the pace at which her brand is being patronised, she believed her brand would be mostly rated in five years. Her words: “I see Style Faculty designs being stocked in malls locally and internationally. I see a lot of young people being inspired by how far I have come with the brand and what I have been able to achieve. I also see other parts of the brand that are currently being groomed, standing on their own as businesses, because my designs are very inclusive of diversity, five years from now, I see one in every 5 household wearing a piece of Style Faculty.”
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