Men’s fashion has never been complicated. They seem content with simple shirts, shorts, or trousers. Even their native attire is made up of Buba and Sokoto, a flamboyant top and trousers, nothing more. But when these attires start to show some innovations, people turn to have a second look.
And that innovation is where designers’ creativity distinguishes mere ‘top and trousers’ from a fashion piece.
Launched in 2012 under the leadership of Sadiq Adeola Adams, Rogue Clothing Company has proven itself to be a creative brand. With its progressive fashion, the brand reassures the public of its commitment to sustainability while preserving the planet. In Adams’ words, his pieces promote artisanal craftmanship.
But normally, everybody go say na their work beta pass. No be so?… Exactly.
That’s why, until a third eye, a professional at that, views these works, statements such as Adams’ remain only speculations, never a fact or an assertion.
And I am that third eye, looking to review and compare the brand’s newly released 2025 collection, Rogue RTW 2025 against the industry-wide acceptable standard. Having released various impressive collections in the past, the brand dedicates this collection to its existing customers, convinced that the pieces represent ease, confidence, and effortless cool that make every man look fly.
Well, I’m curious to find if this is true…
These first attires give the 80s baggy jeans vibe, one with the rare brown denim on denim and the other with a leather on denim vibe. My first look at both pieces, and I’m hit with a nostalgic feeling. You know, back in the 80s, big clothes trended. We called it baggy, and anyone who didn’t have baggy pants wasn’t a big boy.The
rappers and fly boys like Tupac Shakur and our beloved P-Square turned up in clothes like these. Soon enough, every young man on the streets mirrored their dressing. That’s how much hip hop and pop stars have influenced fashion in the past, and the same is still true in the 21st century.
And what I deduced is that Adams’ team is trying to take us back in time to how the first descendants of the ‘fly boys’ did it. As per the trend, reincarnating the fashion of old into something desirable for the contemporary age is the new way in the African fashion industry. We’ve seen the likes of Orange Culture, Laduma Ngxokolo, Thembe Magugu, and many others effectively reimagining old concepts into new ones. As we say in this part of the world, ‘follow who knows the road’… This brand has definitely caught that.
Tucked into these brown baggy trousers is a denim shirt of the same colour. It features long sleeves with brown plastic buttons. It has a moderate collar and is perfectly sized. The left chest area also has a small pocket that looks more for beautification than functionality.The
pants’ wide legs complement the fitted sleeves of the shirt, and the full attire was sewn with cream thread. Besides complementing the brown denim, it also cleanly maps the stitches on the piece and gives it a unique and attractive look. The fact that the front pockets of the trousers are square in shape also gives the attire a thoughtful and creative look.
The leather and denim combo makes the baggy style pop better. More and more designers are beginning to utilise leather in their designs. Rogue has also done the same here stylishly. The black leather shirt is a simple short-sleeved button-down design that also features white thread tracing for effect. Men aren’t known to value a lot of patterns on their clothes, but Rogue has boldly imprinted two huge rose flowers on both sides of the chest. I presume this presents the wearer as a fly but a perfect gentleman.
The idea of pairing this shirt with blue jeans doesn’t sit well. Perhaps a pair of black jeans would look better with the shirt. But that doesn’t mean the jeans aren’t themselves, fly.
Most men attribute looking fly with jeans and tops. They think native attire makes them look older than their actual age or doesn’t make them look cool.
But Adams’ team disagrees boldly with this stunning plain agbada. Made with the ever-brilliant shiny black Velvet fabric, this attire dates back to old times, too.
As a symbol of power and status, kings and dignitaries usually wore this attire. I remember Dr Sid and Don Jazzy’s song, ‘fimile ki n jijo kabiesi’… that’s the fly vibe Adams is selling with this attire. Evidently, Rogue proves you can look ‘fly’ in natives too, associating the fabric and style with its origin.
That’s indisputably smart from this brand. The oversized ‘buba’ has a round neck without any embroidery. It features a pin-down button at the neck area and a square pocket on the left chest area. The trousers it pairs with are also a little wide-legged, complementing the short, wide arm agbada.
It’s a brilliant and simple idea that could be better. These days, men adorn their natives with shiny stones, especially when the designs are simple and plain like this particular one. However, that’s lacking here. The brand could have added black stones that speak a subtle language of luxury, thereby elevating the look and worth of the piece. Also, the length of the agbada is a little longer than it should be. Contemporary men wear their agbadas just two to three inches below the knee. This one appears longer, and that affects its view.
From old-school to native, and now to modern day simple round-neck tops, Adams and his design team offer men options for their own definition of fly. Round-neck tops have never fallen out of fashion. In fact, in Nigeria, every trendy slang or controversial statement gets printed on a T-shirt like this. We’ve worn the likes of ‘My Money Grows Like Grass’, and ‘AMA Kip Kip’, and brands, even individuals, are still printing on shirts to rally a community.
Or, have you never seen an ‘Adieu Papa’ shirt before?
That’s the community gathering strategy that Rogue is trying to rally with this custom T-shirt. It’s a marketing strategy that helps announce the brand and make it into a trend. Besides, round neck tops are easy throw-ons for many people. But Rogue’s design team creatively offers a variety of options for stylish wear, including pairing the tops with baggy denim trousers or baggy shorts and an option of a waist-level jacket.
Meanwhile, the cotton fabrics employed in crafting the round necks are durable, stretchy, and thick enough to stand the test of time. This brand has proven not to compromise on quality, and that’s professional of them.
For a casual stroll, a simple date, or a boys’ night out, these attires scream ‘fly’. Just pair any with a durag, and you’ll be taken fully back into the 80s big boy’s look.
Natives and casuals have done the rounds, but Rogue says, ‘we’ve only just begun; you can be even more fly in corporate dressing’. And boy is the brand right.
This brilliantly woven black wool fabric is mixed neatly with shiny silver threads. This brand uniquely and meticulously crafted this fabric into a long-sleeved jacket and bootcut pants. This attire might just be the highlight of this collection. It features a collar nicely laid with black buttons. Its chest area holds large square pockets on each side, with a flap held down by a shiny black button. The jacket sits pretty on the waistline, slightly covering the belt hole of the trousers.
Those pants widen down from the thighs of the wearer to floor length, creating a sense of style and uniqueness from the usual pencil suit pants. The most unique thing about this design is its fabric and style. It pairs smartly also with a baby pick shirt and a tie, proving that you can be corporate and still be ‘fly’. Honestly, I must acknowledge the level of creativity brought into this design. However, something might need a slight adjustment to make it even better.
The collar style, as it currently is, allows customers to wear the jacket without an inner shirt or tie, and that makes it versatile. But the collar should have been made more open or mirror a blazer, rather than an actual shirt. That way, the collar can lie better, allowing the inner shirt to pop better.
Rogue clothing company is gifted and fearless in exploring its craft. These final attires in this 2025 collection feature the Japanese wrap trousers, paired on one hand with a black glittery flower-patterned shirt that gives a Michael Jackson vibe, and on the other hand, a grey short-sleeve jacket-like shirt.
I like to believe that the wrap trousers were an idea from the women’s wrap skirt, and the grey jacket was inspired by the wrap dress. The black cotton-made trousers feature adjustable buckles with elastics on both sides rather than the usual belt hole. This makes the trousers more tailored and fit at the waist without distortion. There’s a hook and zipper at the front that allows for easy removal. The pockets also sit neatly under each buckle. Just below the knees, the brand creatively introduces two enormous belt holes, tightening the fabric to give the trousers a bootcut shape throughout their full length.
The level of creativity that this brand has shown arguably rivals great designers like Mai Atafo, the great, who is known for crafting impeccable men’s corporate wear. However, there’s more work to be done in the finishing area. For instance, the shirt is a tad bit long. That alone conflicts with the design of the trousers and makes them look unnecessarily big.
But for all I’ve seen in this Rogue’s 2025 collection, the styles are mostly impeccably sewn. The ideas behind each craft are inspiring and reflect deep artisanal skill ingrained within the heart of the brand. I do not doubt that, with this same energy and the ability to improve in all spheres, the sky is only the starting point for Adams and his brand.
By Dimeji Alara