- According to the designer, clothing goes beyond aesthetics and social media appeal
- He said his early days involved working from a small room, relying on the confidence of clients
- He concluded that preserving cultural identity is not optional but essential
Lagos fashion entrepreneur, Omotayo Paramole, has urged African designers to place cultural identity at the centre of their creative process, insisting that fashion brands built purely on fleeting trends cannot earn enduring global relevance.
Eko Hot Blog reports that Paramole made the call in Lagos ahead of the unveiling of a fresh collection by his label, TESMI, where he stressed that African fashion must remain rooted in heritage rather than chasing international approval at the expense of originality.
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According to the designer, clothing goes beyond aesthetics and social media appeal, describing fashion as a powerful expression of history, memory and self-definition.
He maintained that Africa’s creative industry would only command genuine respect when designers boldly project their stories through their work.
Paramole, who has spent over a decade in the fashion space and more than seven years building TESMI Design, recalled starting the brand from modest beginnings.
He said his early days involved working from a small room, relying on the confidence of clients who trusted rough sketches and ideas still in development.
A major breakthrough came in 2018 when he emerged winner of the Vlisco Fashion Fund Nigeria, topping hundreds of competitors.
The achievement, he noted, opened doors to funding opportunities, advanced training in the Netherlands and collaborations with creatives across Africa.
The experience, he explained, further convinced him that African designers do not need to imitate Western styles to succeed internationally. Instead, he said originality remains the continent’s strongest currency in the global fashion market.
Paramole argued that true value lies in authenticity, noting that local fabrics, indigenous patterns and regional narratives give African fashion its distinct edge.
He added that elements drawn from places like Abeokuta, Osogbo or Kano can be transformed into garments that carry stories no other culture can genuinely replicate.
He concluded that preserving cultural identity is not optional but essential, warning that abandoning it would reduce African fashion to mere imitations rather than powerful statements of heritage and creativity.
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