Koélé
My name is Leilani Ayikoele Lawani. Creative Director and founder of Koélé.
In the summer of 2015, I designed some bags and sandals using African prints and combined them with leather. I took the products to the States just to see what the reaction would be…. people loved them! What they kept saying was “I can’t believe these are made in Nigeria, the quality is great!’ While in the States, I began to put a plan together. I was going to start my own bag and sandal business! I ordered tools, labels, metal stamps to start the business. When I went back to Nigeria I employed some people to work for me and on the 13th December, 2015 we launched Koélé.
For a brand that took off last year, we are very happy with the direction in which it is going. Our goal is for people to think of the Koélé brand when they are looking to purchase good quality leather and Ankara (a type of African print fabric) bags and sandals. The brand is about bold colors, unique African prints mixed with leather and the creation of fun designs.
We see Koélé in the future as being a household name not only within Africa but globally as well. We would like for Africans in particular to embrace African brands, to be proud of where we are from and support the small businesses throughout the continent.
My mother is from Keta, Ghana and my father is from Aneho, Togo. I spent many years in Cameroon before going off to boarding school at St Leonards Mayfield (as it was called then).
The Old Cornelian SUMMER 2016
” “
I CAN’T BELIEVE THESE ARE MADE IN NIGERIA, THE QUALITY IS GREAT!
Mayfield had such a beautiful campus, a centre of excellence
which provided an environment that brought out the best in the students, be it academic, sports or the arts. They had a myriad of extracurricular activities to keep the girls
engaged. The teachers were all extremely passionate about the subjects they taught and pushed us to excel in anything we showed interest in.
My upbringing was very different from the girls I went to school with and I realised for the first time that I was a minority…there were only about 10 black girls in a school of 500 and it was there that I understood that it was okay to be different, to have a distinct style and more importantly to be proud of where I was from. I had some wonderful guardians who took me in as their own and I will always be grateful to them. The Carrs were very welcoming and opened their home and hearts to me during my 5 years at Mayfield. It was also at Mayfield that I learned to become very independent. I only saw my parents three times a year, while my classmates would see theirs on weekends or during exeats. I was mature for my age and knew quite early on that my situation was very different from that of my friends, I always kept that in the back of my mind. I have fond memories of Mayfield and more importantly I have met some amazing ladies whose friendships I cherish.
After my GCSEs, I went back to
Cameroon to complete 11th and 12th grade and then was accepted to the University of Maryland. Once again I was
exposed to a very different environment from what I was used to but partly due to the personal development Mayfield provided me with I was able to adapt with ease. I received a
bachelor’s degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management, was a member of the tennis team and a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated.
Koélé is an amalgamation of these experiences that make me who I am today. Koélé has set out to change the perception that anything made in Africa (Nigeria in particular) cannot be of good quality. Koele's eccentric bags and sandals are proudly made in Nigeria. We sell online and we currently stock at one of Lagos’ most renowned retail establishments, Quintessence. Koélé sandals are also stocked in London, at a boutique called Sapelle, which is at 281 Portabello Road.
www.koeleonline.com Instagram:@Koeleonline
OC LeilaniAyikoeleLawani(née Atayi, Class of 1995) 17
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