Abiola Olusola the Lagos designer making linen feel like a second skin
Architectural cuts, hand-dyed fabric, aso oke woven by hand. This is what Nigerian womenswear looks like when it knows exactly what it is.
Discover | Latest Collection | SS’25
There is a particular restraint to Abiola Olusola's work that takes a moment to understand. The silhouettes are minimal. The palette is quiet. And then you look closer — the hand-dyed fabric, the aso oke woven and embroidered with silk, the architectural cut that only makes sense on a body in motion.
This is not fashion that announces itself. It asks you to pay attention instead.
The SS25 collection continues where Abiola Olusola's practice has always been — in the space between ease and intention. Linen worked slowly. Fabric dyed by hand. Silhouettes that give the wearer room to exist inside them.
Here are the pieces worth knowing about.
Founded in Lagos in 2017, Abiola Olusola has built a practice around the idea that African heritage doesn't need to shout. It can be woven into a linen maxi dress, carried in the drape of a one-shoulder neckline, embedded in a hand-dyed print that took days to make. Her background in architectural forms shows in every collection — in the precision of a cut, the considered placement of a tie, the way a silhouette moves without becoming decorative.
"She bridges the gap between traditional fabrics and contemporary living — not as a statement, but as a practice."
Every piece is made with local artisans in Lagos. Not as a marketing decision — as the only way the work makes sense. The hand-embroidered details, the hand-dyed prints, the handwoven textiles — these are not flourishes. They are the point.
Previous Collection CAP24
KIRENJI EJI | HAND DYED DRAPED MAXI DRESS
IKOKO BRALETTE
FLORAL PRINT HAND DYED SKIRT WITH POCKETS AND MIDDLE SLIT
What holds all of this together is not a theme or a concept — it is a consistent quality of attention. Abiola Olusola knows what she is making and why. Every season the collection gets quieter and more certain. That is a difficult thing to sustain. She sustains it.
LAKOBA II | MAXI LINEN DRESS FEATURING A ONE SHOULDER NECKLINE, LAYED SKIRT FOR GREAT MOVEMENT AND AN OPEN BACK
One shoulder neckline, layered skirt for movement, open back. The opposite of the Nami II in every way — and equally right. A linen maxi that travels well and earns its place in a wardrobe that doesn't turn over every season.
TUUSI DRESS | MAXI LINEN DRESS WITH SIDE TIES
Linen, side ties, maxi length. Adjustable in how it sits on the body. A working wardrobe piece that doesn't look like one.
KIRENI EJI | HAND DYED DRAPED MAXI DRESS
The dye process alone takes days. The colour shifts across the fabric — not a uniform wash but a document of the making. Draped and maxi. The kind of dress that improves with time.
DANDE DRESS | HAND DYED BUTTON-DOWN DRESS
The button-down silhouette is the most utilitarian shape in the collection — and the hand-dyed fabric is what makes it worth owning. Functional and specific at once.
NAMI II | MINI HAND WOVEN ASO OKE DRESS HAND EMBROIDERED WITH SILK YARNS FEATURING WHITE COTTON LINING
The piece that takes weeks to make and looks like nothing else in a room. This is the one.
"Each piece carries something: a place, a process, a particular human hand. That is what Hamalie looks for."
Her previous collection — CAP24 — is also worth your time. Pieces like the Ikoko Set (bralette and hand-dyed floral print skirt) and the Maili Dress (mini linen with lace detail and button-down back) show the same consistency of practice across seasons. When a designer's work reads the same way season after season, that is not repetition. That is a point of view.
DEMI BOU BOU DRESS | Midi check dress featuring dramatic balloon sleeves, a flattering deep V-neckline with a delicate tie-back detail, and a playful ruffled hem, this piece blends modern style with comfort.
Join the Conversation
Hamalie doesn't carry Abiola Olusola yet — but her work belongs in this conversation. Discover the full SS25 collection at abiolaolusola.com. Pre-orders and bespoke enquiries: info@abiolaolusola.com. All images remain the property of Abiola Olusola.
If you'd like Hamalie to source a specific piece, get in touch. And if you want to be the first to know when Abiola Olusola joins the edit — subscribe to the newsletter.
Found on Hamalie.
TUUSI DRESS | MAXI LINEN DRESS WITH SIDE TIES
IKOKO SET : BRALETTE & SKIRT | FLORAL PRINT HAND DYED SKIRT WITH POCKETS AND MIDDLE SLIT
NAMI II | MINI HAND WOVEN ASO OKE DRESS HAND EMBROIDERED WITH SILK YARNS FEATURING WHITE COTTON LINING
MAILI DRESS | MINI LINEN DRESS FEATURING V NECKLINE WITH LACE AND A BUTTON DOWN BACKLINE