Mowalola Ogunlesi facts for kids

Mowalola Ogunlesi is a talented fashion designer and singer. She was born in Lagos, Nigeria on March 25, 1994. Today, she lives and works in London. Mowalola is famous for using different materials like leather and PVC. She creates unique clothing styles. Her designs are inspired by the cool fashion of young people in Nigeria and London.

Growing Up and Learning

Mowalola's mother is Nigerian-Scottish, and her father is Nigerian. Both of her parents are also fashion designers. Her mother, Adenike Ogunlesi, creates children's clothing for her brand, Ruff 'n' Tumble. Mowalola's father designs traditional Nigerian clothes for men.

When Mowalola was 12, she moved from Nigeria. She went to a boarding school in the Surrey countryside in England. Later, she studied fashion at Central Saint Martins - University of the Arts London. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Fashion in 2017. She showed her first collection at the Graduation Press Show that year.

Mowalola started a Master of Arts program at Central Saint Martins. However, she decided to leave in 2018. She wanted more freedom to create her own designs.

Fashion Career Highlights

After leaving university, Mowalola joined the Fashion East program. This program helps new designers. In 2019, she showed her designs at London Fashion Week for the first time. This was a big step in her career.

In September 2019, famous model Naomi Campbell wore a special Mowalola dress. The dress had a unique bullet wound design. Some people thought it was about gun violence. But Mowalola explained on Instagram that the dress showed what it felt like to be a "walking target."

In October 2020, Elle magazine recognized Mowalola. They named her one of "10 Trailblazing Women Changing The Future You Need To Know." This list included other inspiring women like Ngozi Onwurah and Celeste.

Exciting Fashion Partnerships

Mowalola has worked with many famous names. In 2019, she designed outfits for Skepta's music video, "Pure Water." She was also one of six designers chosen by British Vogue. They asked her to style Barbie dolls for the brand's 60th birthday.

On June 26, 2020, a big partnership was announced. Mowalola was chosen by Ye (Kanye West) to be the Design Director for Yeezy GAP. This was a 10-year project.

In 2022, Mowalola teamed up with MGA Entertainment. She designed clothes for a new line of their Bratz dolls. This collection featured two popular Bratz characters: Jade and Felicia. The dolls were released on December 1, 2022.

In 2025, Mowalola worked with The Skateroom. She designed a special collection of skateboard decks.

Music and Videos

Besides fashion, Mowalola also makes music. She releases songs under her own name, Mowalola. In 2021, she released two singles called "Truck" and "Wawa." She also appeared on Namasenda's song "Banana Clip" in 2021.

In 2024, Mowalola directed the music video for JT's song "Okay." She also starred in FKA Twigs' music video for "Perfect Stranger."