We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Abisola Oladeinde. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Abisola below.

Abisola, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

When it comes to African fashion, the most popular fabric is usually Ankara but there is so much more to explore! I decided to create authentic fabrics actually made in Nigeria with symbols meaningful to my country , my craft, and Africans at large. I contacted a friend who was a textile designer, and gave colors and symbols I wanted, and had it crafted out and sent to me. Bear in mind, that these symbols were all hand drawn. I got the fabrics and made them into beautiful garments to create a collection, while still merging western fashion fabrics with it. What really made this project meaningful was what the symbols on the fabrics mean, and what it means for the person wearing it. The fabrics, made are called “Adire”, and what theses fabrics represent from my project are BEAUTY, UNITY, FESTIVITY, and my most recent design represents ROYALTY.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Fashion design started as an hobby for me, and evolved into the business of a creative. It started as a hobby because I always had issues finding dresses that fit my sense of taste. Hence, I leaned a lot towards making custom dresses form tailors and after a while, my tailor who was a friend’s mum invited me to be her apprentice. She probably saw something in me I did not see, probably because of the different “special” styles I was always asking her to create. I learnt a little about tailoring from her and learnt most of the rest from YouTube and personal practice which involved messing up a LOT of fabrics! I am proud of the mistakes I have made as it has helped me better my creative senses, and served others in my creative business YELE LLC. If you have not noticed, I find it so hard to call myself a business owner because on most days, I am an artist or creative; that is what I love the most, creating! I established YELE LLC in 2021, a fashion design firm that produces high-end Afrofuturistic clothing. Yele LLC addresses the issue of black people’s diminished interest in African fashion by offering genuine Yoruba Adire textiles with culturally significant symbols and meanings. The stunning and distinctive clothing made from these materials makes every black lady stand out wherever she wears them. Yele LLC also finds a solution for the issue of tailoring clothing to the precise measurements and body types of our clients. Even our ready-to-wear lines are tailored to each individual. We aim to make sure that when they wear our clothes, our customers feel stunning and confident. Yele LLC has also made a significant investment in training prospective fashion designers, particularly those drawn to African art.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I was so very focused on creating and collaborations, that I paid very little attention to the business side of what I do. I wish I knew about all the resources available to business owners earlier than I do,. The grants, workshops, and other similar resources where you don’t have to carry the burden of being a business owner all by yourself.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Society can appreciate artists more. It takes a lot of courage and hard work to do what we do, and most days we are not even doing these things for ourselves, we are doing it for the SOCIETY. We want them to see themselves through beautiful lenses! The society can in return be open minded to gain more knowledge, learn from art, expand their creative tentacles, and help the culture grow. I also believe society can help in promotions as little as sharing on social media, telling others about creatives, In few words, be open minded, buy from small businesses, and if you can’t, help spread the word! pleassseee lol

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.yelestitches.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/yelestitches
• Facebook: facebook.com/yelestitchescollection
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yele-oladeinde-80877a241/
• Twitter: twitter.com/yelestitches
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/yelestitches
• Other: tiktok.com/yelestitches

Image Credits
Pictures 1, 5-8- Jeffrey Butler of IG @Jazzystudios Picture 2- Aderinsola Poppola of IG @Aderinsolavisuals Picture 3- Adeoye-Obe Olugbenga of IG @Adeoyeobegbenga Picture 4- Tavon Shaw of IG @Taytayjiggy