By Rita Okoye

For this month’s edition of Fashion Spotlight, we caught up with Titilope Adeniyi of HVL Clothing to discuss her fashion ideologies, brand identity, and thoughts about the emergence of generational designs in the industry.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your fashion brand? What inspired you to become a fashion designer?

My name is Titilope Adeniyi. I am the founder and creative director of HVL Clothing. I have always been an artistic person. Growing up, I was into writing, painting, and drawing. Those skills allowed me to internalize many ideas and birth unique works of art. Hence, fashion started for me from drawing. I began sketching designs to recreate certain styles to fit my imagination or create new ones to satisfy my thirst for style. It became a thing when friends and family began to look up to me for design ideas or style inspirations for what to wear. I decided to get more intentional about it. I gathered the theoretical and practical knowledge needed. After a series of internships and collaborative opportunities with other fashion designers, I founded HVL Clothing to bridge the gap between the nostalgic elegance of classic African fashion and modern fashion sensibilities. Art inspired me – the need to create something that speaks to the soul and adorns the body.

How would you describe your design aesthetic and style? What is your brand’s philosophy?

A good design comes alive when rooted in an original idea. Hence, the base of every style and design from HVL Clothing stems from the essence of Nigerian fashion and the need to create products that exude timeless elegance and modern simplicity. Beyond culture, we are equally inspired by other art forms, nature, and other countries’ cultures. All of these are reflected in how we focus on using quality materials to project a combination of finely patterned designs, colour palettes, and other details in the creation phase of each project. We intentionally create attires that appeal to the wearer and reflect her personality.

What are your favourite materials to work with, and why?

Other fashion designers have referred to me as the needle queen. This is because of my affinity for including details on garments with handcraft skills like crocheting, manual embroidery, appliqueing, kneading, etc. Other than this, my background as a sketch artist also means that I cannot do away with my pencil and sketchbook. I go everywhere with them. I wouldn’t say I like gambling: I could be in a restaurant and get an idea; I like to be ready. Creating design ideas is the most technical aspect of fashion designing; if it is not properly laid out, the entire project becomes prone to error. Yeah, I think it’s my sketching and handcrafting tools.

How do you balance creativity with the practical aspects of running a fashion business?

Well, that is easy. I focus on creating the designs, as this is primary to the sustainability of the business over time, but I have silent partners whose roles are to make sure HVL Clothing has proper funding, good administration, good PR, the right brand identity, and secure deals that build and boost the brand’s reputation across the board.

Can you tell us about your latest collection and the inspiration behind it?

There is something in the works, and it will be big. It is a collaborative effort with another fashion designer, focusing on fashion as a form of art rather than a piece of clothing. We are working with specific models and artists on this one. The artists create abstract or visual paintings on plain canvas canvas in different colours. Each painting will be tailored to reflect each model’s body shape and personality. We also plan to launch it at the University of Ibadan theatre in partnership with the institution’s theatre department. You will be amazed!

How will the Nigerian fashion industry evolve in the next five years?

Presently, the industry is enjoying a good progression under the anchor of the Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria. In addition to the waves of talented fashion designers seeking to change the narrative and create futuristic designs, FADAN is making policies to encourage sustainable fashion practices and collaborations among fashion designers and other artists. This will improve the standards of the products we churn out and lead to healthy competition across the board.