Orange culture was launched 2010/2011, after having worked for several Nigerian designers, to turn his unique vision and passion for fashion into a reality.
Orange culture is more than just a brand, it is an emotional string of socially aware stories and expressions cut into clothing; we believe fashion can and should save lives. It is a “movement” that covers universal silhouettes with an African touch to a creative class of people, translating into a heady mixture of Nigerian inspired print fabrics, color, and contemporary androgynous clothing. We believe clothing should be fluid and have the ability to be worn by any and every one.
The brand is known to explore unusual fabrications and experiment with them on every and any gender; from its organza on men in 2011 to even pleated chiffons in later years, the brand is not and will never be limited by societal stereotypes of masculinity.
Adebayo grew up with a passion for confronting societal norms and has used fashion as his chosen platform to combat hyper masculinity, injustice and suppressed expressions of Africanism.
The garments answer to just about anyone interested in telling a story with the way they present themselves. All pieces are manufactured in Lagos, from ethically-sourced fabrics from local Nigerian fabric makers. Orange Culture takes our staff through rigorous training processes and offers them the opportunity to attend skill acquisition initiatives.
Adebayo Oke-Lawal is also very concerned with the youth as he launched a CSR project called "Painting your Dreams", where he inspires young people through the art to believe in themselves; and Orange mentorship which provides knowledge exchange sessions from industry practitioners to help aspiring designers within the continent and beyond.
Adebayo believes in reducing waste and has introduced that into the fashion brands practices, with his zero to little waste manufacturing procedures, fabric sourcing methods and revamp programs that allow customers bring a garment back for updates.
Adebayo believes the highest form of sustainability is community development and heavily focuses on using Orange culture as a conduit to do just that. He teaches, mentors and creates spaces for just that and localizes his manufacturing to create employment opportunities within his community.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Orange Culture is known for its strong belief in collaboration and has collaborated with brands locally and internationally. The label collaborated with numerous brands such as Budweiser, Remy Martin, Huawei, Homecoming, Eloghosa Osunde, Nosakhari London, Dennis Osadebe, Rokus London, and many more. Adebayo Oke-Lawal’s most notable partnership happened recently with globally recognized Nigerian artist Davido, where he designed a limited-edition collection sold exclusively at major store Selfridges.
Orange Culture has created a new niche for menswear in Nigeria and has undeniably opened doors for brave and more creative menswear brands. The brand has achieved international recognition and has been featured in prestigious publications such as Vogue worldwide, WWD, BoF, Fucking Young, L’Uomo Vogue, Huffington Post, New York Times, CNN, BET, MTV, Vanity Fair, ELLE, Marie Claire, L’Officiel, Style.com, The Guardian, FT, The New York Times and many more.
Orange Culture is a regular participant of Lagos Fashion & Design Week (LFDW) and has been shortlisted for huge design platforms like the LVMH Prize 2014 for Young Fashion Designers, where he was picked alongside 29 of the hugest emerging designers from all over the world out of 1221. Adebayo Oke-Lawal was invited to come to Paris to present his work to the jury made up of eminent people from the fashion industry, such as Karl Lagerfeld, Nicolas Ghesquière, Marc Jacobs, Riccardo Tisci, and Delphine Arnault.
The label was selected in 2015 by Louis Vuitton and Moet Hennessey for their first-ever LVMH prize as one of the 20 finalists selected from over 1221 brands all over the world in Paris. Then it went on to be selected by L’Uomo Vogue and GQ Italia to present at The Latest Fashion Buzz in Florence and then by The International Trade Centre’s Ethical Fashion Initiative, as part of the Pitti Fondazione Discovery’s Guest Nation Project, to participate in the Pitti Uomo “Constellation Africa” show in Florence. After that Orange culture also went on to be a nominee for the Woolmark Prize amongst numerous brands from all over the globe to great reviews.
2015 was a very prolific year for Orange Culture, as Adebayo Oke-Lawal welcomed the opportunity to display his work at the International Fashion Showcase organized by The British Council and the British Fashion Council during London Fashion Week. Still in London,Orange Culture showcased at London Fashion Week Men’s Designer Showrooms June 2016 and has showcased. The brand did not stop there as in 2017, it showed for the first time on the runway at London Fashion Week under fashion Scout and since then has gone on to show in New York and its first stand-alone show in Lagos in 2021 which was a huge success and pulled crowds far and wide.
The brand increased its media presence being worn by some of the best dressed celebrities like Ncuti Gatwa, Kelly Rowland, Lupita Nyongo, Dua Lipa, Akon, Chimamanda Adichie and more.
Orange culture has also been a feature in two major showings at the Victoria and Albert Museum for its in impact in androgynous and Nigerian/African fashion as well as numerous museums worldwide and was most recently inducted into the BOF500 impact players in the global fashion industry.
The brand is currently stocked in Lagos, London, New York and more.