Oroma Cookey-Gam Itegboje founded her first fashion brand, Alali, during her NYSC in 2010. She sourced deadstock fabrics from the markets to make contemporary fashion pieces, but as the brand grew, it became increasingly challenging to build a business based on that model. Eventually, she stepped away, returning to law at Shell before moving on to roles at Ermenegildo Zegna and Alara.
Osione Itegboje, a multidisciplinary artist, took a different path. Though he studied marketing and economics at Baylor University in Texas, it was his early interactions with GQ magazine that sparked an interest in style and fashion, leading to his first foray into fashion in 2009 when a friend asked him to help with the launch of Haute Fashion Africa, an African Fashion magazine.
Both naturally drawn to the arts, they met, pretended friendship was all it was (as one does), fell in love, and decided to build something together. That something became 鈥攏ot just a fashion brand, though their T-shirts have become staples among photographers, artists, and other people who don鈥檛 dress as boringly as most of us do. Instead, they envisioned a lifestyle brand dedicated to producing made-in-Nigeria goods, from clothing to furniture and even film.
To ensure consistency, they sourced a local fabric they could always access鈥擣untua, a Nigerian-grown cotton. Oroma took on the role of Creative Director, while Osi became Art Director.
In this week鈥檚 #MadeinNigeria, they reflect on the significance of fashion shows, the challenges of sustainable fashion, and why the world is suddenly paying attention to Nigerian designers.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Why are fashion shows important in the Nigerian context?
Oroma: A fashion show is always important because presentation in fashion is crucial. We don鈥檛 typically do fashion shows, mainly because, from the start, we鈥檝e never positioned ourselves as a fashion brand. Even today, I鈥檇 love to argue that we still aren鈥檛鈥攂ut at this point, I don鈥檛 know if I can make that argument anymore, so I won鈥檛 bother.
That said, we haven鈥檛 followed the typical route of a fashion brand. But in general, a fashion show allows you to fully present a collection and immerse the audience in the world it鈥檚 coming from.
In the Nigerian context鈥攁nd honestly, in any context鈥攁 fashion show is important because it鈥檚 the first opportunity to define who the clothes are for and the kind of people they鈥檒l attract. The makeup choices, the personalities on the runway鈥攖hese elements all play a role.
Abroad, there are so many other steps in the chain鈥攖rade fairs, markets, different industry events鈥攂ut in Nigeria, we don鈥檛 have as many of those. Fashion shows are one of the few ways a brand can present itself in a complete way. With the runway, the music, and the atmosphere, a brand gets to create its own little world for 15 minutes, and that helps define its identity.
Also, if you think about it, the people who attend these shows are the first influencers. Not everyone gets to see the show firsthand, but these early adopters are key鈥攊f you make an impact on them, they鈥檒l want your pieces. The magazines, the fashion insiders鈥攖hey all play a part.
So, at the end of the day, it鈥檚 just an important step.
I asked that question because, in Nigeria, it鈥檚 sometimes hard to see its utility. Sometimes, the clothes have been in the public domain for a while. But also, I鈥檓 not sure it translates to sales or even meaningful feedback from the local media.
Osi: I think fashion is usually a vision of the future. Designers are constantly defining what tomorrow will look like鈥攚hat we鈥檙e going to wear, how trends will evolve.
Even when certain pieces don鈥檛 end up in stores, the ideas are still planted in our minds. The imagery stays with us, shaping how people look and dress. That鈥檚 why runway shows are so important鈥攜ou see the models wearing the clothes, you see how they move, and sometimes, you get a coherent story.
If you tried to tell that same story in another format鈥攍ike a documentary or a film鈥攊t wouldn鈥檛 have the same effect.
Oroma: You can do a film but maybe only five pieces would make it into the entire movie. But a fashion show allows you to present the whole story of the collection.
When you look at how one piece transitions into the next, you can almost see how the designer鈥檚 mind was working鈥攈ow their ideas developed and took shape. You get to see the full vision all at once.
And in just 15 minutes, you鈥檝e lived in that world.
I think the timing of fashion shows is crucial to how the industry works. The schedule dictates when trends are introduced, how they trickle down, and when they reach consumers.
The timing of fashion shows is crucial to how the industry works because they bring everyone together. You have London Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week鈥攁ll these events where buyers, influencers, media, and magazines gather, usually twice a year.
Everything is organized in a way that allows the entire industry to be part of the moment. And right after the shows, the buying process begins. Once buyers have seen the collections on the runway and feel gingered, they head to the showrooms in the following days to purchase what they liked for their stores. It鈥檚 all interconnected.
After that, the pieces go into production, followed by the sales cycle. Once that cycle winds down, the next collection is presented, keeping everything moving in an organized and structured way.
Another reason you sometimes see things on the runway but not in stores is that the runway allows for the creation of strong, image-driven pieces. These are often exaggerated, extreme versions of a designer’s vision鈥攏ot necessarily meant for everyday wear, but designed to make a statement and solidify the brand’s aesthetic.
These pieces exist primarily to convey the mood and identity of the collection. They might not make it to stores, but they serve a purpose in defining the designer鈥檚 vision. You might see them again at major events like the Grammys, but they鈥檙e not the kind of pieces you can just walk in and buy. Still, they鈥檙e crucial for shaping the overall image of the brand.
Why did you decide to use Funtua cotton to make the pieces from THIS IS US?
Oroma: We didn鈥檛 start THIS IS US with the intention of creating just another fashion brand. Like I mentioned before, I鈥檝e always seen the brand differently. Before this, I had Alali, but after a while, I stopped because I wanted to learn more about both fashion and its business. That led me to Milan, where I spent a couple of years immersed in a culture that values craft and heritage. Naturally, I absorbed a lot while I was there.
Even before Milan, I had already started feeling disconnected from the way I was working with textiles. With Alali, I was sourcing deadstock fabric from the market鈥攅ssentially leftover sample fabrics that couldn鈥檛 be reordered once they ran out. While that approach had its advantages, I didn鈥檛 feel connected to the fabrics themselves. It felt like I was piecing together my designs using textiles that weren鈥檛 truly mine, borrowing from someone else鈥檚 creative process rather than shaping my own.
So, I paused. When I came back, I was working in oil and gas, and at some point, I had the idea of making a white shirt collection. I love shirts, and I started to toy with the idea of Alali again.
But I wanted to source my cotton locally. I assumed it would be easy鈥攋ust walk into the market and ask for plain white cotton, right? But that was far from the reality.
I didn鈥檛 want the usual sample fabrics; I wanted something I could use consistently and reorder when I needed more. But every time I asked for local cotton, the vendors would pull out Italian, Moroccan, or Turkish options. When I pressed further, it became clear that local cotton simply wasn鈥檛 part of the equation. They kept insisting, 鈥淭his is the best we have.鈥� It was like the idea of Nigerian cotton didn鈥檛 even exist in that space.
So, when I kept asking for local cotton in the market, the vendors would just direct me elsewhere鈥攕ending me on a wild goose chase. I’d go where they suggested and still find nothing. At that point, I thought, “Okay, maybe local cotton exists, but I just haven鈥檛 found it yet.”
At the time, Osi and I were friends鈥攐r were we? Yeah, we were friends. “Wait… were we?” No, actually, we were dating. For sure, we were already dating. I remember sharing my frustration with him, and he was just as shocked鈥攈e couldn鈥檛 believe there was no local cotton available. So we started brainstorming, trying to figure out what was really going on.
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At some point, I started considering taking a trip to Turkey or Morocco to source cotton directly. I didn鈥檛 want to deal with the stress of using something I couldn鈥檛 consistently find. If I was going to build something, I needed to know I could always access the materials. So we started planning that trip鈥� and then I got pregnant.
So yeah, we were definitely not just friends.
Around that same time, though, we had already started researching local cotton. Osi spoke to a designer friend of ours, Niyi Okuboyejo of Post Imperial, and he told us that the cotton his dyers use is called Funua cotton. He thought it came from somewhere around Osogbo and suggested we visit his dyer there to learn more. It seemed like a long shot, but since we hadn鈥檛 found anything in Lagos, we figured, “Why not?”
So we took a trip to Osogbo. That鈥檚 really where the journey started. I had already come into this process with a mindset of wanting to use something sustainable鈥攕omething I could always access. So we were ready to go deeper into the search for a textile that made sense for us.
Looking back, it鈥檚 funny because this wasn鈥檛 even a serious business venture yet. It wasn鈥檛 like someone told me, “Oh, if you make this white shirt collection, you鈥檒l make $500,000.” It was just a project I wanted to do because I felt drawn to it. But, of course, this wonderful man humoured me, and off we went to Osogbo in search of cotton.
That trip set everything in motion. We eventually found some cotton in the market and started asking, “Where does this come from?” We kept following that trail鈥攓uestioning, searching鈥攗ntil it led us all the way to northern Nigeria, still trying to track down the source.
When we finally found the source of the cotton, the next question became: “How do we process this in a way that鈥檚 beautiful and true to us?” Yes, I initially wanted it for white shirts, but when I saw the fabric in its raw form, I knew people wouldn鈥檛 just wear it as it was. It was undyed, untreated鈥攏ot like the polished Italian cotton you鈥檇 find in high-end stores. It needed something more.
The cotton was gorgeous, but it still had specks in it鈥攊t wasn鈥檛 perfect. It had a raw, natural look, which I personally loved and would wear as a shirt, but we had to think: “How do we process this if we want to use it at scale?”
That question led us to Kano. I remember Googling and coming across the ancient dye pits, and I thought, “This looks really interesting鈥攊f this exists, it鈥檚 definitely worth seeing in person.”
So, we took a trip to Kano. That鈥檚 where we discovered natural indigo dye鈥攎ade from plants, crafted through a centuries-old process that has been passed down for over 500 years.
It was such a beautiful and perfect story. We couldn鈥檛 believe something this rich in history and tradition still existed.
What is the process of refining the cotton?
Oroma: That鈥檚 a good question, but honestly, it鈥檚 quite sad. Right now, Nigeria鈥檚 textile industry is at an all-time low. Farmers are still growing cotton, but there aren鈥檛 many places left to refine it.
We found one mill鈥攐ne of the only ones still operating today. There may be others producing things like Ankara prints, but the full process of refining cotton is rare now. Traditionally, you take raw cotton from the plant, gin it, spin it into soft cotton wool, turn that into thread, and then weave it into fabric.
This process has been part of Nigeria鈥檚 heritage for centuries. Nigeria was known for cotton production and exports for years, which is why so many of our indigenous textiles鈥攍ike adire鈥攁re made from woven cotton. It鈥檚 deeply woven (literally) into our history and culture.
Unfortunately, this tradition is fading. But it鈥檚 still there, and that鈥檚 why local dyers continue using cotton鈥攊t鈥檚 the foundation of what we wear.
Now, about indigo鈥攊ndigo is a plant. When fermented in a vat with ash and other natural materials, it produces that deep blue colour. The way dyers work with it is incredibly sustainable: they create an indigo vat, and it can last anywhere from six months to five years.
It鈥檚 cost-effective because once you invest in making a vat, you don鈥檛 have to keep remaking it. The dye is reused over and over, and when it鈥檚 no longer effective, they burn the remnants and start fresh with new plants.
This method has existed for over 500 years. The indigo dye pits in Nigeria date back as far as 1498. It鈥檚 a tradition that has stood the test of time.
You said earlier that THIS IS US didn鈥檛 start out as a fashion brand. What was the plan?
Oroma: When we started, we really wanted to explore different materials. Our process has always been research-driven because, in Nigeria, we have so much, but we don鈥檛 always realize what we have. The information isn鈥檛 easily accessible. There are countless artisans and crafts, yet people rarely stop to ask where things come from. For example, growing up, many of us had those leather poofs in our homes, but no one really questioned who made them or how they were made.
From the beginning, our approach to design was rooted in deep research and collaboration with local craftspeople and materials. That was our starting point鈥攚e weren鈥檛 necessarily aiming to create multiple fashion collections. But as we explored textiles, we realized how vast and rich the field was. Nigeria has so many different fabrics, each tied to a specific culture or region. Even within the North alone, there are woven textiles, hand-dyed fabrics, and more.
So, we stayed in textiles, continuously researching and discovering new things. And naturally, as we experimented with these materials, we started using them in clothing. One thing led to another, and we found ourselves making more and more fashion pieces. That鈥檚 how we became a fashion brand.
But the reason I often say we鈥檙e not just a fashion brand is because our real goal was never strictly about fashion. What we truly wanted was to create a model for sustainable production in Nigeria. We wanted to craft things that Nigerians could see and instantly recognize鈥攑ieces that would make them proud because they were deeply connected to our heritage.
And we wanted to do this with Nigerians, for Nigerians, and for the rest of the world. That vision wasn鈥檛 tied to fashion alone. It could have been expressed through film, furniture, ceramics鈥攁nything, really. Fashion just happened to be the medium that took shape for us.
Osi: We just wanted to create in a certain way鈥攗sing local materials, local craftsmanship, and local talent. And from there, take that and share it with the world.
Would you call THIS IS US a luxury brand?
Oroma: I won鈥檛 say it is, because there are many traditional codes of luxury that we don鈥檛 follow. I think the art of indigo dyeing itself carries a sense of luxury鈥攊t checks some of the boxes for what luxury should be. But I wouldn鈥檛 call this a luxury brand, no.
I think people might look at the pricing and say this is a bit too high.
Oroma: From the start, we knew we couldn鈥檛 afford to price ourselves too low because of what goes into making the clothes. We鈥檝e always followed a consistent pricing model鈥攖he only thing that has changed over the years is the cost of materials.
For example, a shirt that cost 鈧�25,000 or 鈧�30,000 in 2017 is now around 鈧�50,000 or 鈧�60,000. It鈥檚 a really big shame because salaries aren鈥檛 increasing at the same rate, which makes it even more challenging.
But for us, paying people fairly has always been non-negotiable. There are so many different hands involved in the process, and everyone deserves to be compensated properly. It can be tempting to look at what other brands are doing, but not everyone follows our methods.
Indigo dyeing, for instance, is an incredibly slow craft. You can鈥檛 mass-produce it. One batch can take up to eight hours to dye properly, so there鈥檚 no reality where we鈥檙e churning out products like a factory in China. That naturally means we can鈥檛 sell at a low price, nor should we, because the work itself is premium.
So, while I wouldn鈥檛 call this a luxury brand, I would say the art of natural indigo dyeing is a luxury in itself. It requires patience, skill, and time. What we create is definitely premium鈥攑remium materials, premium craftsmanship, premium design.
At the heart of it all, we鈥檝e always wanted Nigerians to feel proud wearing our pieces, to truly enjoy them. And that hasn鈥檛 changed. Nigeria is still our biggest market because this clothing is made for Nigerians. When you wear one of our dresses, you feel it鈥攊t breathes with you, keeps you cool in the heat. Honestly, it makes you wonder why anyone wears anything else.
And beyond that, it lasts. There鈥檚 real value in that.
Made-in-Nigeria fashion is becoming trendy globally. What would you say is behind this?
Osi: There are many factors at play鈥攊t鈥檚 hard to attribute this growth to just one thing. But I think Nigeria, as a country, is increasingly on the international stage. There鈥檚 a growing demand for Nigerian culture, and you can see it across different industries, especially music.
Over the years, Nigerian artists have made huge strides, not just locally but globally. And beyond music, Nigerians are incredibly influential wherever they go. We鈥檙e great representatives of our culture, whether it鈥檚 through film, food, or fashion.
You also have different players who鈥檝e taken the time to build and evolve these industries. And importantly, we have a market in Nigeria鈥攑eople who actively consume and sustain this culture. That domestic demand keeps things alive, while the diaspora also plays a big role. Nigerians are good at making noise and drawing attention to what we do, and that visibility drives even more global interest.
It鈥檚 only natural that fashion is experiencing the same boom. But if you examine each cultural sector closely, you鈥檒l see that there are unique forces at play. Take fashion, for example鈥擫agos Fashion Week has been a major force in shaping the industry. And from that, we鈥檝e seen the rise of other platforms like GT Fashion Weekend and Arise Fashion Week, which have also made their mark internationally.
At the same time, individual brands have done exceptionally well. We鈥檝e gained some international attention, but we鈥檙e part of a bigger movement. There are brands like Dye Labs and Obida pushing boundaries, and those that came before us鈥攍ike MaKi Oh and Kenneth Ize鈥攚ho have had great international moments.
Then there鈥檚 media influence: features in Vogue, key industry moments, and influential Nigerians making their mark in global fashion conversations. All of these factors come together to shape the industry into what it is today.
Oroma: Nigerian fashion isn鈥檛 just about the fabric; it鈥檚 about style, attitude, and how we put things together. But when it comes to exporting culture, it makes people reflect on what鈥檚 truly theirs. What is uniquely Nigerian? What do we have that others don鈥檛? That shift in perspective is why so many designers are now looking inward.
At the same time, Nigerians have always had a way of taking things, making them their own, and elevating them. We don鈥檛 limit ourselves to just local materials because Nigerians, by nature, are global fashionistas. They have access to the best fabrics, the most premium materials, and they want variety. If you鈥檙e designing for that kind of person, you have to offer them what they鈥檙e used to while still infusing something uniquely Nigerian.
That鈥檚 why a lot of Nigerian fashion brands still use imported materials. But again, it鈥檚 not just about fabric鈥攊t鈥檚 about how we dress, how we style, how we innovate. Nigerian fashion is bigger than textiles.
As for why more brands are embracing local materials now, a few factors are at play. First, we all grew up surrounded by these traditional fabrics. When it comes time to create something authentic, it鈥檚 natural to look inward and use what we have. That鈥檚 what鈥檚 happening in fashion, just like in film and music. We鈥檙e still influenced by global trends, but we鈥檙e finding ways to reinterpret them using our own indigenous elements.
Another major reason is cost. The price of importing materials, especially in dollars, is extremely high right now. That financial pressure has actually worked in our favour because it encourages us to source locally, invest in our own artisans, and keep the money within our economy. If we鈥檙e paying local craftspeople to make textiles instead of importing them from China or elsewhere, it鈥檚 not just cheaper鈥攊t鈥檚 also more original.
Do you see a future where the demands for these local fabrics are met and Nigerian designers can now export large quantities?
Oroma: The future is even closer than you think. For instance, we’re already selling indigo fabric to international brands鈥攖hat鈥檚 local Nigerian indigo, Nigerian textile鈥攕o this future is not just approaching; it鈥檚 already happening.
When you start seeing Nigeria on the global fashion stage that Osi is talking about, it normalizes these elements, and the demand for them increases. I believe we can meet that demand, but it鈥檚 crucial to put the right structures in place now.
Nigeria has a massive population, and fashion exists on many different levels. There are pieces that go for 鈧�20,000 and under, 鈧�40,000 and under, 鈧�60,000 and under鈥攅veryone has their segment. There鈥檚 enough room for everybody.
That said, I do believe there鈥檚 still a lot of foundational infrastructure that needs to be put in place. We need to reinvest in craft systems instead of just taking from them. Proper structures must be set up to support actual craft communities鈥攐nes that can stand the test of time, maintain quality, and scale up production.
It’s possible. Countries like India and Mexico have already figured out how to modernize and sustain their textile industries while staying true to their craft. Nigeria can do the same, establishing a fashion ecosystem that is both globally competitive and locally rooted.
In the West, there are many debates around the commercialisation of these local methods of textile making. Do you worry that in a bid to meet the demand, we might lose these local techniques?
Oroma: Scaling is something I think about, but it鈥檚 definitely not something I worry about. People always ask about scaling, but I don鈥檛 see it as a race to keep growing endlessly. You scale to the point that makes sense, and after that, you optimize. You refine. You don鈥檛 just keep scaling from 10 to 100, to 1,000, to 100K, to 1 million鈥攚here are you going? Who are you selling to? What鈥檚 the purpose of it all? Who are you creating for?
I think the West created its own problems and is now trying to solve them. But in Africa鈥攅specially in our fashion and textile industry鈥攚e still have a chance to do things differently. This is where we need to put our thinking caps on and build our own systems. We don鈥檛 have to industrialize production to the point where we鈥檙e obsessed with making a million of everything. That鈥檚 not how our setup works.
We have a tailor culture. How many pieces can a tailor realistically make? Our fashion industry isn鈥檛 built for mass production, and we shouldn鈥檛 distract ourselves by forcing it in that direction. Yes, mass production is good for business, but there should always be a cap. If we start putting excessive pressure on artisans to produce faster than they naturally can, everything will break down. Before you know it, chemical dyes will start replacing traditional dyes, and we鈥檒l lose the authenticity of our craft.
I don鈥檛 think this is our problem鈥攜et. The reason people are screaming about sustainability is because everything is already falling apart in the West and parts of Asia. But our challenges are different. When people ask us about sustainability, we always say that Nigeria is already a very sustainable country. That鈥檚 what we tap into鈥攖he fact that we already have systems of making things in a way that is mindful and long-lasting. Instead of chasing unsustainable growth, we work with the sustainable methods that are already embedded in our culture.
Where do you see the brand in five years?
Oroma: I don鈥檛 know, it鈥檚 interesting. I see THIS IS US everywhere. I see it being a brand that isn鈥檛 in a rush鈥攊t鈥檚 one that will simmer, stew, and gradually embed itself into the culture. So in five years, I see THIS IS US being everywhere.
Right now, we鈥檙e about to launch our first-ever Rewear Drive. We鈥檝e reached a point where we鈥檝e sold so many pieces, and from the very beginning, we鈥檝e been conscious of what happens to our clothes after they leave us. When we launched, we had this philosophy: Wear it with love, get rid of it with love.
We have always wanted to understand how people interact with our pieces in the long term. We make the kind of clothes that people love to wear over and over again鈥攃omfortable, everyday pieces, which is why we call them uniform wear. But beyond selling, we also want to see where these clothes go, how they鈥檝e been worn, and how we can be part of their full life cycle.
So for the first time, we鈥檙e asking people to bring back their old garments鈥攑ieces they鈥檝e loved, or maybe haven鈥檛 even worn that much but no longer connect with. And in return, people will now have the chance to shop pre-loved THIS IS US pieces.
I鈥檓 really excited about this for a couple of reasons. First, it makes THIS IS US accessible at a price point that makes sense for more people. I know some people love the brand but find it expensive, so this is an opportunity for them to own our pieces in a way that feels doable. Second, I鈥檓 excited to see the old pieces鈥攈ow they鈥檝e aged, how they鈥檝e been worn, and how they鈥檝e served people. I want to see if they鈥檝e held up, where they鈥檝e failed, and how they鈥檝e become part of people鈥檚 lives.
There鈥檚 something really special about seeing a piece of clothing go through different hands and stories. I can鈥檛 wait to experience that.
Osi: Yeah, I鈥檝e always imagined that our message would translate into other areas.
One of the things that makes the brand strong is that we create our own way of doing things鈥攐ur own approach. And as we move into the future, I see some of those approaches evolving into systems that others can adopt and follow.
Beyond that, I see us using these approaches to strengthen different parts of the fashion industry鈥檚 value chain, but also the broader productive ecosystem of Nigeria.
Oroma: I definitely agree with that. I see us becoming even more embedded in the ecosystem while also being more front-facing鈥攅ngaging with customers in new ways, through collaborations and the different projects we’re putting out.
THIS IS US is home, but it鈥檚 also so much more. Beyond the customer experience, I see us making a bigger impact on the value chain as well.
