Oluwabunmi Olayinka and the design discipline behind COLL 1 2022

Presented in Lagos in October 2021 at Art Twenty One, the collection formed part of the Spring/Summer 2022 season and reflected Folawiyo’s established approach to transforming African textiles through contemporary design. Contemporary coverage highlighted the collection’s amplified use of colour, beads and sequins across blazers, trouser sets, maxi dresses and mini dresses.

The importance of Olayinka’s role lies in understanding how such a collection is constructed creatively. As an Assistant in Collection Design, she was positioned within the development process rather than simply at the final presentation stage. The work demanded an awareness of how individual garments contribute to a larger collection and how colour, textile, embellishment and proportion can be balanced across multiple looks.

Folawiyo’s design language makes this particularly demanding. Her practice is recognised for transforming Ankara through ornate embellishment, custom prints, texture and contemporary tailoring. Handcrafted beadwork is also central to the brand, with individual pieces requiring extensive attention to surface and detail.

COLL 1 2022 demonstrated that philosophy through garments that combined vivid colour with intricate surface treatment. Tailored jackets and trouser sets appeared alongside flowing dresses, while sequins, beads, dramatic fringes and contrasting colours created visual depth. The result was decorative without abandoning the clean structure of contemporary fashion.

For Olayinka, working within this environment offered an important lesson in collection coherence. A garment has to function independently, but it must also belong to a larger story. Repeated colours can connect separate looks. Similar textures can create continuity. Changes in silhouette can introduce rhythm. Embellishment can establish emphasis without overwhelming the construction beneath it.

The collection also demonstrated Folawiyo’s ability to modernise culturally established textiles. Rather than allowing Ankara or Adire to dictate the final shape of a garment, the design process placed those materials within modern proportions and silhouettes. This relationship between heritage textile and contemporary construction is central to the brand’s identity.

The conceptual thinking behind the collection extended beyond appearance. Folawiyo described COLL 1 2022 as a response to the conflicting experiences of the previous year, bringing together contrasting ideas. Its visual language also referenced indigenous forms of communication and Nigerian cultural expression.

That context makes collection design a process of interpretation as much as construction. References have to be translated into something wearable and contemporary. The challenge is to retain cultural meaning without allowing the garments to become literal representations of the source material.

Olayinka’s contribution should not be overstated. Public coverage identifies Folawiyo as the collection’s creative director and does not specify which individual garments or design decisions Olayinka personally handled. It would therefore be inaccurate to assign particular looks to her without further documentation. Her professional significance is instead found in her participation within the collection-development process.

That distinction is important for an emerging fashion professional. Assisting an established designer does not require claiming authorship. It demonstrates the ability to work within a defined creative direction, respond to design requirements and understand how separate decisions ultimately produce a unified collection.

The experience also contributes to Olayinka’s wider professional development. Working within collection design provides exposure to the relationship between concept and execution, from the initial visual idea through to textile selection, silhouette and final presentation. It encourages an understanding of fashion as a system rather than a series of isolated garments.

The presentation itself reinforced the relationship between fashion and visual culture. Staged at Art Twenty One, a contemporary art and design space in Lagos, the collection was presented in an environment that allowed its colour, texture and sculptural silhouettes to operate as part of a broader visual experience.

For Olayinka, this environment offered valuable exposure to the standards of a recognised Nigerian fashion practice. It required attention not only to whether a garment worked technically, but also to whether it contributed to the identity of the collection as a whole.

Her October 2021 experience with Lisa Folawiyo therefore represents an important stage in the development of her design practice. It placed her within a collection known for combining African textile traditions with modern tailoring, elaborate craftsmanship and a strong contemporary point of view.

What emerges is not a claim of independent authorship, but evidence of professional design exposure and developing creative judgement. By assisting with COLL 1 2022, Olayinka gained experience within a design process where colour, textile, embellishment and silhouette had to remain in conversation. That ability to understand the individual garment while keeping sight of the larger collection is an important foundation for an emerging designer, and it gives this experience lasting value within her professional portfolio.