From music artist/producer to lawyer to now designer, Walé Oyéjidé has gone on quite the journey to get to this very point in his career. Despite the constantly changing landscape around him, the thing that has remained constant with the self-described cultural ambassador is his relentlessness for storytelling. Take his clothing line, Ikiré Jones, for example—it features an array of afro-centric menswear pieces integrated with narratives ranging from the Renaissance to classical African culture. In collaboration with co-founder and tailor Sam Hubler, Oyéjidé has built a brand that, as he puts it, creates “beautiful things that sit to the left of what has been resignedly accepted as the status quo.” Together, the duo have used Ikiré Jones as a vehicle to convey authentic stories of people that are affected by social and economic issues across the world, particularly in Africa. Oyéjidé makes it clear that they’re not trying to save the world. Rather, they “see the world.” Because, at the end, it’s all about visibility and staying out of the shadows in whatever it is that you pursue.
Bevel recently had the opportunity to sit down with Oyéjidé to find out the story behind Ikiré Jones, the process of making and tailoring garments, grooming habits, and what it means to be a stylish man, among other topics. Find the full interview here.
