For all designers, debuting their collections at New York Fashion Week is a dream, but for one young African designer, that dream became a reality this weekend.
Teniola “Tia” Adeola, 24, who began her career in 2016 designing sexy and sheer, ruffled styles for her brand, Slashed by Tia, made her solo debut at Spring Studios on Friday, Feb. 7, 2020.
Adeola, who is of Nigerian descent, was born in New York and raised in London. A 2019 graduate of Parsons School of Design, she garnered attention early in her career for her designs worn by “it” girls like SZA and Gigi Hadid.
Inspired by her background in art history and a deep interest in the Renaissance period, she eventually changed the name of her brand from Slashed by Tia to Tia Adeola. “Black women — and men — are often missing from retellings of Western history, very much including art history,” Adeola explained. “I’ve spent a lot of time exploring the untold stories of the Renaissance period from the point of view of people of color and historically what women have worn to obtain and protect their wealth as a means of protecting their families and their own selves.
“That’s really the core of the Autumn/Winter 2020 collection — powerful women throughout history and how that translates into what a warrior queen or head of the family wears today to feel powerful.”
In her New York Fashion Week debut, Adeola captured the attention of the audience with her collection, as models ripped the runway in her signature ruffle designs featured on dresses, jackets, tops and skirts.
View some of our favorite looks from Adeola’s collection below.
