Duro Olowu: Nigerian who designs for Michelle Obama!

NIGERIA is blessed not only with natural resources but also with human resources, and that is the reason  there is no place you will get to in the world  today, that you will not find Nigerians  making their impact in their various fields of endeavour.

Be it academics, medicine, finance, information technology, sports, politics or fashion and designer of the year award 2010 Africa fashion award in Johannesburg, South Africa. Nigerians are everywhere rubbing shoulders with their foreign counterparts. One Nigerian who is currently in the news is Duro Olowu, a lawyer-turned-fashion designer who resides in the (UK)  and has carved a niche for himself in the fashion world, winning many awards in the process.

Well known for  his  vivid prints, bright colours, and expert cut, Duro has won himself so many awards one of which is the 'Designer of the Year' award in the 2005 British Fashion Awards.

It was the ingenuity of this designer that endeared him to celebrities like Uma Thurman, Linda Evangelista  and America's first lady, Michelle Obama,  who had donned Duro's outfit on more than one occasion.

Mrs Obama wore  Duro Olowu on a dinner date with her husband, President Barack Obama at Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, in August, last year.

The American first lady also appeared on     Oprah Winfrey show early in the year with her husband in one  of Duro Olowu's designs. Michelle Obama is said to have  had three notable Africa-related moments, two of which have brought her Duro Olowu's count to eight pieces, five of which she has worn in 2011 alone.

Perhaps, one of the highlights of Michelle Obama's trip to South Africa was the fact that she was dressed in our own garb, made by one of us–Nigeria's , Duro Olowu.

Duro  Olowu, who  is married to Thelma Golden, Chief Curator and Director of the Studio Museum in Harlem, has surely come a long way on the  London fashion scene since his arrival in  2004 with his vibrant mix of African prints, seventies tailoring, and unlikely colour combos. A high-waisted patchwork boho dress—known as the "Duro."

The fact that he is one of the African designers favoured by the American First Lady, who is a style icon will surely make Duro's label to continue to make waves abroad . It will also not be surprising to find influential women in Nigeria, too, sporting the label of this designer extraordinaire.