The Founder

DEJI ENIOLA was founded in 2014 by Nigerian-born, self-taught designer and Creative Director, Ayodeji Osinulu; a man whose journey into fashion began long before the first garment ever carried his label.

After graduating with a degree in Geology in 2009, Ayodeji’s dream was to build a fashion house. But with limited resources and no formal fashion education, the path ahead was steep. Knowing the odds of being hired as a designer were slim, he sought another way in, one that would keep him close to his passion.

He turned to fashion writing and editing, joining some of Nigeria’s biggest fashion publications at the time. It was a strategic move: if he couldn’t yet create the clothes, he would immerse himself in the industry’s heartbeat, learning from the inside. Guided by what he describes as a God-given instinct for form, silhouette, and colour - the elements that bring beauty and life to design- Ayodeji quickly found his work attracting attention.

Soon, he was styling cover shoots for some of Africa’s most celebrated cultural icons: Tu Face Idibia, Basket Mouth, Burna Boy, MI Abaga, and The Chocolate City Crew, alongside Ghanaian stars Jackie Appiah, Yvonne Nelson, Christopher Attoh, and Van Vicker. These experiences became his training ground, sharpening his creative eye and deepening his understanding of image, narrative, and style.

Travels to England introduced Ayodeji to the precision and heritage of British tailoring. It fascinated him as much as his own African roots- a connection perhaps unsurprising, given Nigeria’s post-colonial history. But what inspired him most was the idea of a bridge: a marriage of the structure and restraint of British tailoring with the vibrancy, symbolism, and soul of African culture.

This vision crystallised into a design philosophy he calls “suppressed elegance” - beauty that doesn’t scream for attention but “seeps from underneath,” revealing more the closer you look. Every DEJI ENIOLA piece is designed from the inside out, ensuring substance matches surface.

In 2015, just a year after its founding, DEJI ENIOLA made its public debut at the Lagos Fashion and Design Week’s Fashion Focus Program, presenting a 15-look collection that cemented its place as a brand to watch.

Over the years, the brand has evolved, but its essence remains: a tasteful blend of timeless African artistic elegance and British tailoring. Today, DEJI ENIOLA stands proudly as Africa’s Foremost Designer Brand, dedicated to celebrating an opulent modern African identity.

More than fashion, it is a pre-reform instrument ; a reminder and a call to reclaim values that have shaped African excellence: opulence, culture, ambition, respect, and belief in God. Every piece is an invitation to wear not just clothing, but heritage, purpose, and pride.