Tia Adeola Celebrates 10 Years at NYFW With Her Signature Ruffles
Aiyana Ishmael
Tia Adeola always prioritizes her culture in her work, and this Fall/Winter 2025 collection is no different. As the designer enters ten years of her eponymous fashion brand, she’s looking to the future, exploring new worlds while keeping her design ethos at the center.
Teen Vogue met up with Adeola at her Lower East Side workspace just a few days ahead of her February 9th show in New York City. She has just a handful of pieces on a rack for her upcoming collection, and as we speak, they’re being hauled off to her show’s location in Brooklyn. She’s prepared over 70 pieces, and at this part of the week, four days away from her show, she isn’t quite sure which ones will make it down the runway – ultimately, about half do. This specific show was a massive moment in her career – it marks ten years of Tia Adeola, the brand and it's a true homage to her Nigerian heritage and upbringing – the flag’s colors even make their way into mini skirts and dresses.
Ahead, Adeola opens up a collection, how her brand has evolved since 2020, and what she sees it becoming.
Teen Vogue: I know you mentioned your inspiration is Nigeria - when did you start thinking about this specific collection and what you wanted it to be?
Tia Adeola: April 2024. I had just spent three months in Nigeria - not by choice. I fell ill there, and I was kind of stuck, so I had time to really think and dream this whole thing out. And so, when I returned to New York in April, I made a smaller capsule collection, which I released in the summer. And it was really cute, fun, and frills. It was like all the girls were loving that look for the summer. And then I was gearing up to take part in September fashion week. But then, while working through my ten-year collection, I felt that I needed to take a step back and channel all that energy into this collection that's so important to me.
So I did that, pulled out of the calendar, which was a really tough decision because it's a big deal to be on the calendar. And once I made that decision, I just went full force into this process with the collection and sort of mapping that out and going into sampling and also just building out my teams because when I made that return to New York, I started fresh in every aspect.
I felt like a new artist going into this process. Taking that time off to plan it out has made a huge difference. I found myself caught in this cycle of just trying to keep up with the fashion calendar, which has led me to produce collections in two weeks, four weeks, which reflected on the craftsmanship. And so this season, because I've been able to really take my time, I feel confident in the collection, I feel confident in my teams and I feel confident in the overall production that's to come.
TV: What has been the most difficult part of creating this collection? What has the past couple of weeks been like?
TA: The most difficult part is just the cost of everything. In the same way, inflation is affecting the grocery store and stuff. The prices of everything are astronomical in the garment district and just beyond. So I think the most difficult thing has been using the best sort of fabrics and resources out there without breaking the bank.
TV: What are you excited for people to see once this collection walks down the runway on Sunday?
TA: I'm excited for people to see my heritage and culture and sort of step into this world. I've been telling everyone that we're bringing a taste of Lagos to New York, but aside from that, I'm excited for them to see the craftsmanship and the brand's growth. I always like to look back and review previous collections to see where I can improve, where there's room for growth, and the pieces that people really loved.
Even just the silhouettes that I'm most recognized by – my ruffles, et cetera, I didn't lose those within this collection. So they're still very much in the collection. I would say they're elevated. I think it's going to be an excellent experience for my community and my audience to really enter into my brain and my world and just see my appreciation for my heritage and just my experiences along the way, especially in the making of the collection.
TV: I love that you mentioned the ruffles are still there, but it's elevated. How do you feel like you've grown as a designer?
TA: I started this in my dorm room at the New School, just messing around. I had no clue what I was really doing. I also switched my major from fashion design at Parsons to culture and media at Lang almost immediately. So, I didn't have the fashion design background that many of my peers do. So, with experience, I'm just learning. As I've gotten older, I've recognized the importance of quality and craftsmanship and also just being more innovative and expanding. Right here, there's this little spiral earring that says Tia Adeola.
I'm just more confident in my design and just being an innovator and I'm enjoying the process and just focusing on being creative, which is how this all started.
TV: 2020 was a huge year for a lot of Black designers. I feel like everyone was putting more effort into uplifting and supporting young designers. And so for you, how did that moment shift in time in the last couple of years?
TA: Yeah, I mean, to be transparent with you, it's all performative in the sense that I probably got the most partnerships and funding and all that good stuff after sort of Black Lives Matter, after George Floyd was murdered and Black Lives Matter was this huge thing and people were supporting black brands and you sort of see and feel it sort of decline. But I don't let that stop me. I still keep pushing, leaning into my community, and making it work.
TV: What are you looking forward to in the future? Not just with this collection but beyond, and what your brand represents and what it'll mean to your shoppers and people that support it.
TA: I have long-term and short-term goals. I see a Tia Adeola store and Atelier in the near future and just expanding in all categories because I genuinely just love things. And I don't say clothing because I also love leather goods. I also love jewelry. I also love fragrances. I'm a consumer and just sort of designing and producing beautiful things that I know that my Tia Adeola girl and beyond would be interested in and would want to see. And continuing to make strides within the fashion industry, especially during this process. There have been so many African and Nigerian women being like, "You make me feel like I can do this." I don't think I'm anyone's role model, but if following my dreams and doing what I love to do inspires other people, then I'm definitely going to keep at it and just keep growing and keep showing the girls that it's possible.
TV: If you had to describe what a Tia girl's day looks like, what would that be?
TA: I have a wide range of clothing, but not to sound cliché, but the Tia Adeola girl is every girl. In the sense that I have my girl who's wearing her black Jesus mini dress to her every day, she runs around errands in the daytime. And I have my more sort of girl that wants to walk into the room and be the best dressed there, and she's going to get a feather dress or a dress with sequins or ruffle cutouts all over it. And then I even have my Tia Adeola professional.
During the pandemic, I started making these face masks, we did a KN-95 version, and for some reason, they just took off within the medical field. Some incredible surgeons and women in New York City order my masks. I don't even sell them anymore on the website, but they place orders, and it's part of their daily apparel, and they give me feedback, and they're like, "Our patients love it. It just makes the scrubs trendier." So it just spreads across all categories, which is why I say the Tia Adeola girl is every girl.
TV: Do you have any dream projects you'd love to work on in the future?
TA: I have three things. Short term and long term. I definitely want to do a Met Gala moment. I want to make my own sneakers with Nike or Jumpman. I just think people feel that my aesthetic is this ethereal sort of vibe, but I don't like to be boxed in. Lastly, I would love to experiment with some type of furniture and collaborate with a cool furniture company or one of my favorite furniture designers because I do love interior design and architecture as well.
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
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