FASHION: Toyin Lawani Tells Stories Behind Her Most Famous Creations

Top Nigerian fashion designer Toyin Lawani has been responsible for making some of the most talked about outfits in the Nigerian entertainment space. Toyin Lawani of Tiannah Empire has made so many outfits, and during a new interview with Channels Television, took us through her thought process behind some of her most popular outfits. Here is what Toyin Lawani had to say about her now iconic dresses, and outstanding work.

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Speaking about her designs, Toyin Lawani said:

TOYIN LAWANI: One of the outfits I did that I know got a lot of people talking was a cup outfit. When I did it, the first day I did that cup outfit, the thing trended. I had little girls imitating.

TOYIN LAWANI: There was this paper dress, a gold paper dress. I used cardboard but the other side was reflecting gold and I had it in pleats for one of my birthday dress, it was so beautiful. It was a short dress. Years after I did a long version of it with gold paper for my Christmas dress. It had a long tail, oh my god, it was hell to create but it came out so so beautiful as well.

TOYIN LAWANI: And the fork and spoons dress. It was so colorful, it looked like it was unbelivable to create, but yet it looked so sexy on. I didn't even know it was going to look that sexy in pictures. Even in real life, it looked amazing.

TOYIN LAWANI: The bullhead that I wore to AMVCA, it got the world talking. When I entered there, everybody was like "Jesus!". When I got on the stage, I saw people's mouths like ha! Like, it was outstanding. And the fact that it was a transformer. When we went to the afterparty, I took it off, then there was a sexy dress under. And everybody was like oh my god, Tiannah. And the ones that didn't understand it as well will troll you for it.

TOYIN LAWANI: Then I think COVID-19 era, Omashola design that he had the face mask. He was the first person in Nigeria that actually went out designed [like that]. That design got CNN, Washington Post, New York Post, BBC, TMZ, all of them interviewed me, posted it, like it was overwhelming.

TOYIN LAWANI: Years after when we all came back from COVID, I was still trying to pass the same message that we had so many people that died in that 2 years that we can't see again. We have faces we'll never see again which was why I came up with the black face dress for Ifu Ennada that had a lot of faces. People misunderstand my designs because they don't understand the strength and it's hard at times to sink in. Then maybe later when they start digesting the message behind it, then they're like okay, she has a point. That one too went viral and everybody went ballistic. And when she took the whole face thing off, there was a beautiful short dress under too. So I go hard and I still go soft. My designs are something you cannot look, and then turn again and look.

TOYIN LAWANI: Then the snails: there was this beautiful dress. Most of these designs, I think hard. I just said I want to create something that is different, and I just sat down and I just said can you get me snails? I want snails, and I created this beautiful dress with snails. I had a hat on it, the snail on top of it. Every blog picked it up and it was the talk of the town.

TOYIN LAWANI: So most of these my arts and crafts have been able to open doors for me, even internationally. Broda Shaggi, I dressed him like half horse/half man, he had hooves on. Like how does Tiannah come up with this? It's not easy to create. It's hard to create. So in that field, in that space, I've been able to dominate that area. So now people are beginning to know my touch.

Wow, what do you think about what Toyin Lawani said? Also, what has been your best Tiannah creation of all time? Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment either below or on my Jide Okonjo Facebook post.

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