Yahoo Lifestyle Tolu Coker Fall 2025: Yoruba Spirituality Meets British Sartorial Codes
With a fresh LVMH Prize nomination in the bag, British Nigerian designer Tolu Coker staged a studio presentation for fall 2025, themed around Ori, which loosely stands for the philosophical concept of self in the Niger-Congo language of Yoruba.
The designer said she drew inspiration from Yoruba spirituality and how dress codes have evolved among the African diaspora during migration. She also pose the question: How do garments serve as vessels for legacy, memory and identity across generations?
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For that, she blended tradition with modernity, updating flowing white garments of Aladura churches from Lagos, South American ceremonial dress, and ritual attire of Black traditions in Louisiana and Haiti with British sartorial codes, with standouts including a pleated skater skirt, a corset shirt, a blazer dress and a yellow check coat.
“Clothes are not simply garments. They are archives of memory, carriers of culture, and markers of identity. To wear is to honor the past, embrace the present and shape the future,” said Coker, whose label has been championing sustainability from Day One.
Some of the pieces were made from deadstock wools and gaberdines. She also used hand-dyed upcycled fabric, reclaimed satins, reworked denim and eco-leathers in the collection.
Together with shoes supplied by Manolo Blahnik and hats by Virna Pasquinelli, the Tolu Coker women felt empowered, polished and worldly.
Launch Gallery: Tolu Coker Fall 2025 Ready-to-Wear Collection
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