FASHION
The designer’s clothes are a love letter to Black matriarchs, the diaspora and her late father
THE OLD MAXIM ‘IT TAKES A VILLAGE’ HAS ALWAYS HAD A SPECIAL resonance in the fashion world where ateliers full of pattern cutters, sewers and embroiderers bring collections to life. But for the west London-born, British-Nigerian designer Tolu Coker, community is not just a matter of logistics, but ethos. Her SS23 collection, a line-up of upcycled denim, earth-hued leather and sustainably sourced linen, was inspired by a range of different collectives – from the women of the Bible to Black churches in Chicago – and assembled with the help of her close network.
‘Some of the artisans I work with are in their sixties and seventies – they’re so important in my process of design and understanding,’ Coker says. ‘My neighbours are the most incredible people ever. My mum will ask them to cut lace and suddenly there’s a room full of people helping, even when they have no clue what they’re making.’ She describes enlisting a group of friends to take turns as fit models, allowing her to craft a breathtaking braided gown, ornament and headpiece made of kanekalon (usually used in synthetic hair extensions) on their bodies – a six-month labour of love. It’s this authenticity that has earned her a growing list of famous fans, including Rihanna and Thandiwe Newton.
Coker’s work has a vintage sensibility, an influence rooted in her childhood years rummaging for treasures every weekend at the St Augustine’s car-boot sale on Kilburn Park Road, north London – her Yoruba parents’ favourite pastime. Later, at the age of 14, she met Central Saint Martins fashion and textiles lecturer Berni Yates (‘my guardian angel’) through an outreach programme at her local youth club, before going on to study fashion design and textile print at Saint Martins. Stints in the design studios of JW Anderson, Celine and Maison
