Deola Sagoe

"“We don't need aid, we need partnerships. We cannot continue to be a beggar nation. I have always believed yo shouldn't give the man the fish,but teach the mangiw to fish and he will be able to take care of himself and others“."

"“West has taken and borrowed a lot from Africa…now it’s a renaissance: we’re claiming back what is ours and we’re adding value to what is ours, making it globally acceptable and globally appealing”."

"“We know that Africa has potential, all we need is investors – either local or foreign – to come on board with money and partner with us and take it all the way up there. If Burberry, Armani, or Prada, instead of coming to look for inspiration, actually partnered with the craftsman or designers to do a line, it would be a world-class hit”."

"“Being a Nigerian was no limitation for me because I just thought, well you haven’t seen me and there’s loads more like me”."

"The West has taken and borrowed a lot from Africa… now its a renaissance. We’re claiming back with is ours and we’re adding value to what is ours, making it globally acceptable and globally appealing"

"African designers need to celebrate their cultural roots and fashion history in order to become globally competitive"

"I try to fuse African cultural style with a modern approach to design. I love the dynamism of creating modernity out of something that is steeped in history. I think it’s what gives my collection such a cultural mix"

"I didn’t choose fashion, it chose me, ... I think the only way I’ve managed is because I know fashion was my destiny. African designers face so many challenges, producing collections and working hard to rise above the manufacturing infrastructure problems. For me, it’s about rising to the challenge and I think it’s made me a better designer. I feel I produce more intelligent clothing as a result"

"African bespoke is different from European bespoke, in that Africans are very much more endowed in very specific areas. My challenge is that I work with a lot of lumps and bumps, which almost turns me into a type of cosmetic surgeon. Except that I’m not cutting you up or anything, it's just that I do a lot of things with fabrics and accentuating, to create that perfect hourglass shape"

"When I started out, it was with a certain philosophy, because at that time it wasn’t cool to look African. Africa wasn’t on the map as it is now. … There was nothing really happening in terms of African fashion going global, or Africans being able to make a business of African fashion outside of the shore of Africa. So I went into it, sort of, to prove a point and to say ‘Listen. We can do this. We can add value.’ And to also bring the attention of the world to our own native abilities"

"I just had this can-do spirit. I was just so convinced that my product was so genuine and would no doubt conquer the world"

"Developing my own fabrics is essential for me. Every time you do it, it’s fresh; the drawings, the process of making Adire, starting with indigo and then just making music with colour and patterns, 'fabric jazz'. I wanted to play with floaty fabrics this time. It was just my mood. Of course I’m still in the throws of my love affair with Aso Oke which is still a huge feature in this collection."

"Fashion chose me, and I believe that it did because I had been sent to impact African fashion as it relates to the world. It’s not just me; it’s my family"

"Family plays a huge part in our business because it’s the cornerstone. We do everything together, whether it’s deciding the theme for the season or what each feature of every look that will form the collection we are working on might be"

"Everything is done in-house. From the conceptualisation to filming campaigns, everything is always completely done by the it-girls.” Their orientation of family extends to their clients, “We get so involved with clients, we want [our clients] to be a part of our family as much as possible"

"The real core of our business is God. So, if we have different opinions or a strong opinion about one thing, the final opinion we seek is His. It’s what holds us together as one and what has made us stand so strong in the face of every challenge that we’ve faced"