Duro Olowu is a Nigerian-born British fashion designer. He is best known for his use of color, flattering silhouette, and innovative combinations of patterns and textiles.
Olowo launched his women’s wear brand in 2004 and became a big deal when a Vogue Editor, Sally Singer noticed one of his designs, and just after, American first lady Michelle Obama wore one of his dresses. Since then, he has become a hit and one of the major names in international fashion.
He has so many international awards to his name. In 2005, Olowu won the New Designer of the Year Award at the British Fashion Awards. In 2009, he was named the Best International Designer at the African Fashion Awards and was also one of six designers nominated for the Swiss Textile Federation’s coveted prize of €100,000. His designs are held in the collections of the Texas Fashion Collection and the Museum at FIT.
Yesterday, he announced his collaboration with London-based tailoring gurus, George Marsh and Bert Hamilton Stubber of Speciale to launch his debut men’s wear collection.
On his Instagram page, he wrote that “The collection is inspired by a shared passion for iconic and cult films such as Abderrahmane Sissako’s “Heremakono (Waiting For Happiness)” and Jacques Deray’s “La Piscine (The Swimming Pool)”.
The collection featured a range of hand-made men’s shirts. It is a limited edition of custom fabrics, prints, and vintage fabrics designed by Duru Olowo himself.
These shirts are exclusively available online at Speciale’s official website