You already know Dumebi Iyamah. Popularly known as Dumsy, Iyamah is already at the age of 23, an international fashion juggernaut thanks to her swimwear brand Andreah Iyamah Swim.
A.I. swimwear has been worn by everyone from Angela Simmons to Zainab Balogun to Bonang Matheba and her designs have been lauded for their originality and sex appeal. But believe it or not, Dumebi isn’t the only fashionable or famous Iyamah. There is also Somkele Idhlama.
Of course you may know Somkele from the Ndani TV sponsored tv show Gidi Up where she played fashion designer Yvonne, a role that couldn’t have been too much of a stretch to research considering her sibling is an actual designer. This isn’t Somkele’s first shot at acting either, she was a part of the ensemble cast of Tola Odunsi’s short lived The Island and has been in films like Flower Girl and Special Situations.
But Somkele isn’t just an actress, she has been active as a model since her university days at McMaster’s in Canada. She is also the brand manager for Dumebi’s swim, couture and ready to wear lines, a serious commitment that she manages with ease.
Both women aren’t always so business. At the 2015 Lagos Fashion and Design Week showcase, Somkele surprised everyone when she walked for Andreah Iyamah Swim, holding her own with all the younger models though she’d only had a baby just a year before.
When you add Oby Iyamah, another sibling who is a terrific makeup artist and head honcho at Switch Cosmetics, you get the charmed threesome of Nigerian fashion.
They’re amazing, don’t you agree?