In the late 1970s and early ’80s, women began power dressing, not just for fashion but to 'fit in' with the boys. They believed that in order to be taken seriously, they needed to dress like they were a part of the exclusive boys club. Women began hitting the streets in loose pant suits, below-the knee skirt suits in sombre colours like black and grey.
These days, the idea of power dressing has evolved significantly and Clan's stylish interpretation of workwear is a perfect example.
Who better to model the collection than a group of powerful trailblazers and girl bosses!
According to the brand:
This is some insight into a project we hold very closely to our hearts. It has taken a great deal of dedication and tenacity to bring this to you but like the women we have chosen, it is a demonstration of the kind of effort that brings to bear the most noteworthy ventures in life
Industry: TECHNOLOGY
Wearing: CHRISSY X THALIA
Tosin Durotoye is a town planner turned technology strategist and is the Principal/CEO of The Red Kite Group and the Founder of the Bloom Africa – an initiative that curates engagements and safe spaces for ambitious African women to connect, learn and grow.
One of Tosin’s most recent projects included establishing GreenHouse Lab - the first female-focused tech accelerator program in Nigeria and the only "Powered by Google" accelerator program in Africa. Prior to this, Tosin worked as the Director of Strategic Partnerships at an edutech company based in Boston, USA.
Tosin has more than 14 years of experience in both the public and private sectors. She served for 8 years as a Manager at NeighborWorks America - an NGO founded by the United States Congress. In this role, she managed training programs and special projects for 250 NeighborWorks’ network organizations and managed grants totaling over $10M.
Tosin is an Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leader and a Women in Africa Initiative Ambassador. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Wake Forest University and a Masters of Urban Planning degree from New York University’s (NYU) Wagner School of Public Service
Industry: Finance, The Arts
Wearing: KIMORA DUO
Rewa Udoji recently established the first African, female-owned Hedge Fund, Cranstoun, with a view to provide African investors with access to global capital markets, with a nexus encompassing Botswana, Namibia and South Africa.
Rewa is also a celebrated artist who is becoming increasingly well known for her strong spirited portraits of women. In 2017, she was invited to participate in a joint exhibition, Her Story: Sisterhood that Transcends, alongside an acclaimed Dutch photographer Dagmar van Weeghel at the prestigious Gallery of African Art (GAFRA) in Mayfair, London.
Her collection, Onicha Ado N’Idu delved into the significance of naming rites and traditions within the Igbo culture in Nigeria - how the names shape the identity of the individuals they are bestowed upon.
Her most recent exhibition, INU NWUNYE, Bride Price, is currently showing at the Jonathan Ferrara Gallery in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Industry: Creative, Retail, Lifestyle
Wearing: YAN
Reni Folawiyo (Mrs F), a VETERAN in the field of fashion, arts and design. She has successfully redefined fashion luxury for Nigerians with her concept store ALARA out of which she also sells custom-made authentic African furniture - a long-time passion of hers. ALARA taking on it’s true meaning of “wondrous performer” is also home to NOK, her quaint ethno fusion restaurant which gives a nostalgic feel of vintage West Africa.
ALARA is West Africa’s first fashion luxury and lifestyle concept store, and has been likened to global concept stores including London’s Dover Street Market and Paris’ Colette.
Mrs F’s continuous commitment to promoting African luxury and lifestyle through the empowerment of local artisans provokes new ideas and narratives of what Africa is and who Africans truly are. She is currently listed on The BoF500.
Industry: Human Capital Development
Wearing: SAKIYA X THALIA
Detoun Ogwo is a Development and Human Resources practitioner who is passionate about making a difference in the youth employment sector. With a career spanning over nearly two decades, her experience cuts across the human capital, strategic recruitment and customer care divisions of global multinationals such as Stanbic IBTC, Diageo, British Airways, British American Tobacco, T-Mobile and Halifax Bank Plc.
She holds a degree in Biochemistry from the University of Lagos and a Masters in Development from the ILO Training Centre of the United Nations System. Presently a doctoral researcher at the prestigious University College London’s Institute of Education, she has also earned a certificate in Organisation and Strategic Management (with Distinction) from the London School of Economics and Political Science as well as a Senior Leader’s Certificate in Social Enterprise from the Columbia Business School and also a World Bank Institute Scholarship on global strategies for Education Reform.
She sits on the board of several organisations including The Skill Development Practice and until 2014 was the pioneer and co-founder of a federal ministry accredited national career centre, AGDC.
She remains a staunch proponent of the ideology that the skills and potential of young people are untapped national assets.
Industry: Finance
Wearing: YAN (mini)
Temi Marcella Awogboro has more than a decade of experience in finance across developed and growth markets. As an investment professional, Temi has committed and deployed nearly US$500 million in private partnership capital across strategic sectors on the African continent in a bid to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
Temi graduated with an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. She has an MA degree with First Class Honors in Economics from Christ’s College, the University of Cambridge, where she was a matriculation scholar.
Temi started her career at Goldman Sachs International, initially as a Derivatives Trader. She was promoted to managing a portfolio of structured equity derivatives, then as an Investment Analyst. She was named as Goldman Sachs Global Leaders Scholar and was a recipient of the Goldman Sachs and Institute of International Education’s Global Leaders Award.
She is an African Leadership Institute Tutu Fellow of the Archbishop Tutu Leadership Programme, which welcomes an elite group of Africa’s highest potential young leaders, representing a wide range of sectors. Temi is also a World Economic Forum Global Shaper with the Lagos Hub and Alumni Ambassador of the London Hub. Born out of the World Economic Forum, The Global Shapers Community is a network of inspiring young people under the age of 30 working together to address local, regional and global challenges.
Temi has received recognition for her contributions as an investment professional. She has been the recipient of the M&A Advisors European Emerging Leaders Award. She has also been recognised as the Female Lead’s Top 20 Women under 20 and Management Today/The Telegraph’s 35 Women under 35 in the United Kingdom.
Industry: Homemaking
Wearing: BRIA X THALIA
Fran Asemota, ‘The Domestic Mumpreneur.' A woman navigating the intricacies of motherhood, using her experience in home-making and her natural flair for creating vibrant and functional homes to commercialise and curate lasting homely pleasures.
She studied Business and IT and ran a family owned Telecoms business before she packed it all in to pursue her true passion. With Fran Asemota Living, her homeware and lifestyle brand, she has turned her first passion, which is homemaking into her full-time ambition which is pretty daring in today’s world
Fran blends her personal and professional worlds, breaking down the traditional norms of what it means to be a successful woman, and proving that success does not always originate from the board room, quite ironically it can come straight out of your kitchen! Her dedication to her home provokes a deeper insight into the role of today’s woman and her versatility in the dual capacity of mother and entrepreneur.
Industry: Finance
Wearing: YARA (jacket)X PENELOPE
Alero Adollo is the Head of Private Banking at FCMB PLC. She is a driven professional with experience in Consumer, Commercial, Retail and Electronic banking. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Masters in International Law and Diplomacy.
Industry: Creative
Wearing: MALI
Tokini Peterside is the Founder of ART X. Born and raised between Nigeria and the United Kingdom, Tokini obtained a first-class degree in law from the London School of Economics & Political Science and an MBA from INSEAD.
After working in luxury brand management for the Moët-Hennessy Group, she moved into the worlds of art, culture and design with TP-Collective, a strategy consultancy she founded in 2012 that supported entrepreneurs developing new businesses such as ALARA (the David Adjaye-designed luxury concept store that also houses NOK Restaurant) and ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ (the film based on Chimamanda Adichie’s novel, starring Thandie Newton and Chiwetel Ejiofor).
In 2016, Tokini created ART X, and has since served as the director of the organisation which stages annually ART X Lagos, the premier international contemporary art fair in West Africa; awards the ART X Prize, an annual prize providing funding, mentoring and residency support to emerging artists; as well as hosts ART X Live! - an art and music festival. In 2018 she was named one of the Quartz Africa Innovators, a list of the continent’s Top 30 pioneers.
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