In 2015, Toju Foyeh opened a flag ship store and launched a diffusion line, a power move that separated her from many of her peers and proved that she is equal parts business savvy and creative flair.
Toju Foyeh started her self named label in 2008 after years of casual flirtation with designing focusing primarily on private commissions. Since then Foyeh has proven herself a true player in Nigeria’s niche evening wear market, designing bespoke pieces for the likes of Tiwa Savage, Toke Makinwa, Mo’Cheddah and Eku Edewor among many others. She might have started as a self taught designer but she quickly changed that, taking time between her academic degrees to study fashion design in Milan and arming herself with professional experience and a better understanding of the craft.
Toju Foyeh’s work has veered from easy wear to couture work, focusing on detail and construction. Toju Foyeh has shown in all the major fashion weeks in Nigeria, debuting at the now discontinued Arise Fashion Week in 2011. The brand’s pieces have been featured in editorials for WOW! Magazine, Genevieve, Today’s Woman and StyleMania magazine. In 2012 her work was recognized when she received The Future Awards Africa trophy for Best Designer.
While Foyeh continues to create collections that are accessible, the bulk of her work lies in creating bespoke masterpieces for celebrities and private clientele, a field she has all but dominated.
There have been whispers of Foyeh being unable to deliver a truly transcendental collection but she shook those beliefs with with her SS16 collection. She spread her niche further, electing to show an exclusively bridal collection centred around elaborate headpieces and expertly constructed dresses in lace, chiffon and damask. Relying heavily on ruffled skirts to provide volume for corseted bodices, the Toju Foyeh brand changed tack without losing the elements that made it great in the first place.
She was most recently nominated for the Best Red Carpet Designer by the Jaguar Lagos Fashion Awards.