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Meet Yemi Shoyemi, a Nigerian designer combining her rich heritage and artistic vision to create breathtaking couture for prestigious events like the AMVCA and the Met Gala
Yemi Shoyemi is a Nigerian fashion designer with an impressive resume. She is known for her emotionally driven couture, intricate tailoring, and a steadily expanding fashion house that spans bridalwear, occasion pieces, and emerging ready-to-wear collections. With 15 years of artistry, she has become a go-to designer for prestigious events like the African Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards (AMVCA) and last year, she designed her first-ever look for the Met Gala.
This year’s AMVCA was no different. She was tasked with designing a custom piece for the nine-time AMVCA nominee, Bolaji Ogunmola. In a ruby red body-hugging silhouette, Ogunmola stole the show and embodied the AMVCA’s theme of “Honouring Craft, Celebrating Culture ”. Her choice to go with Yemi Shoyemi was a divine one because, beyond the eponymous label’s exquisite tailoring, its practice is rooted in something more intimate. It is a lifelong relationship with fabric, inherited from generations of seamstresses in her family.
In this exclusive interview, Shoyemi reflects on her journey from childhood curiosity in a tailoring room to dressing some of the continent’s most recognisable figures. She also discusses ambition, emotional design, and the evolving identity of African fashion on global stages.
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Building a unique, creative identity with a legacy of fashion
Yemi Shoyemi via Yemi Shoyemi When asked to introduce herself, Shoyemi leans into simplicity. She states, “I’m just a girl who loves fashion.” After a pause, she expands: “I think for me what I really do love is the fact that you can… I love architecture. So building something from scratch and then just being able to hold things together.” But as the conversation unfolds, it becomes clear that her work carries far more complexity.
When prompted further about identity, she deflects complexity again. She explains, “Yemi is just a simple girl who loves what she does,” she adds, “So just having to hold things up together, putting different things together and just creating something. So I think that’s what I like.” The repetition of “simple” contrasts sharply with the intricacy of her work. But for someone who has been in fashion as long as she has, perhaps it has become second nature that even the complex can be seen as a part of her.
Born into a fashion lineage
Angel Anosike for the 2025 AMVCA wearing Yemi Shoyemi via @yemishoyemi on Instagram Shoyemi’s relationship with fashion is self-invented and inherited. She recalls her earliest memories in fashion, which are stitched into family history. “I started making things from the age of four,” she reveals. Her grandmother was a tailor who worked internationally, travelling between Nigeria and London. “She used to work with fashion houses in London, where she would tailor.”
Her mother followed in the same craft, making clothes for children. The continuity of sewing machines, fabric scraps and pattern cutting formed the backdrop of her childhood. Yet Yemi is clear that this was a chosen life path. “My mom didn’t even want me there. She was always sending me away, but I just always loved to work with my hands.”
She describes dismantling fabric pieces and reassembling them instinctively. Jokingly, she says, “I like to dismantle things… try to dismantle it and then put it back together.” This instinct has become a part of her and her design process, as she loves discovering more about her muses so she can reconstruct their essence in garments. When she reflects on her childhood and on her relationship with fashion, she says, “Fashion found me, not the other way around.”
Even as she later pursued formal education in London, she recalls being told she already possessed advanced knowledge. “Most of the time, the reference I get is that you already know this thing.” But she insisted on continuous learning, and she is proud of that choice, saying, “Even right now I still feel you always have to learn.”
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Making a dress for the AMVCA with Yemi Shoyemi
Bolaji Ogunmola for the 2026 AMVCA wearing Yemi Shoyemi via @yemishoyemi on Instagram For many, Yemi Shoyemi’s name is instantly tied to several standout AMVCA moments. This includes the black dress worn by Toni Tones in 2025 that sparked conversation across social media, and the ethereal golden two-piece worn by Angel Anosike in the same year.
This year, for the 12th edition, her muse was the renowned Nigerian actress, Bolaji Ogunmola, who was nominated for co-producing and starring in the film “Gingerrr”. As a star of the night, Shoyemi knew the outfit had to be fit for a well-decorated actress, and got to work.
Designing for Bolaji Ogunmola
Everyone saw the final moments: Bolaji Ogunmola in a striking red gown worn with embellished hips walking down the red carpet at Eko Hotel and Suites. Even if you missed the live broadcasts, the internet was swift to praise the craftsmanship. But Shoyemi was at home, relieved that this piece she had meticulously created was being recognised and celebrated. It was a piece that embodied Yemi’s signature approach to femininity, structure and design.
But the true difference for her was the first steps. Some red carpet looks that begin with a brief or theme, this one began with intention. “I already had an idea of what I wanted to do,” she explains. “I wanted the dress to be very feminine and to do a bit of sculpting.”
A close-up of Bolaji Ogunmola wearing Yemi Shoyemi via @yemishoyemi on Instagram That vision existed even before the muse was confirmed. But once Ogunmola entered the picture, the design evolved into something more specific and personal. “When you’re working for a woman, I like to see what part of the body we need to centralise,” she says. “It’s not just putting a garment on someone. It has to be a good blend.”
The process became collaborative, involving stylist input, multiple meetings, and a clear alignment of direction. “We had about two or three meetings before we decided on what we’re going to do,” she recalls. Eventually, one design stood above the rest. “This is it. This is what I’m going to do.”
How long does it take to make an AMVCA dress?
Toni Tones for the 2025 AMVCA wearing Yemi Shoyemi via @yemishoyemi on Instagram Despite the polish of the final look, the timeline behind it was far from luxurious. “We had about six, seven weeks,” Shoyemi says. She considers this a reasonable timeframe, but still demanding given the level of detail required. More broadly, she notes that AMVCA timelines are usually even tighter. “You will probably start working in a month. It is often four or five weeks.”
When compared to global couture timelines — where garments can take up to a year — the pressure becomes even more apparent. “So when you want to create something like what you see on the Met, a month is short timing.”
This is true as guests are often sent the Met Gala dress code months before the event in May. But while this timing is not her favourite, and the expectation remains the same, she will always deliver with impact and precision.
Into the production process for the 2026 AMVCA dress
Process shots for the 2026 AMVCA dress via Yemi Shoyemi Once the direction was locked, the process moved into execution with a month-long hourglass running. “I stock my fabrics,” Shoyemi explains. “I don’t always wait till when an opportunity presents itself.” She advises that instead of sourcing under pressure, she turned to her existing archive, selecting fabrics and colour options that aligned with her vision. From there, the team refined the final choice collaboratively.
The design was then translated into a toile — a mock version of the garment used to test structure and fit. “We usually start with a toile draft, just to be sure that whatever ideas you’ve had look exactly like what you were thinking.”
The toile for the 2026 AMVCA dress via Yemi Shoyemi For Ogunmola’s AMVCA dress, the response was swift. “She absolutely fell in love with it.” From that point forward, the process remained unusually smooth. “Not one challenge at all,” Shoyemi says. “A very smooth and generous process.”
While the structure of the dress was carefully engineered, its emotional impact came largely from colour. For Shoyemi, selecting red was instinctive: “I saw her skin tone, and I put the red beside it, and it was just pure magic.” The result was a look that amplified her presence. The dress became a message, “Hello, everyone, this is Bolaji Ogunmola. I know you know her, and even if you didn’t, now you do.”
The final fitting
Process shots for the 2026 AMVCA dress via Yemi Shoyemi The last fitting for the dress came on May 8, a day before the AMVCA, and Shoyemi got emotional. She admits that it is not the first time it has happened. “The design process is my favourite part,” she says. “And then seeing the final result is like a cherry on the cake.”
That emotional connection extends beyond the red carpet. From bridal to celebrity, her goal remains consistent. “When you create, it evokes some sort of emotion.” She recalls one of her earliest clients — a bride who continues to reach out years later, expressing how the dress made her feel. “That gives me so much joy.”
Designing for the Met Gala
Seyitan Atigarin for the 2025 Met Gala wearing Yemi Shoyemi via @yemishoyemi on Instagram The AMVCA is often called the “African Met Gala”, and Shoyemi really hates that term. “I disagree entirely with that,” she says. “They’re completely two different things. Two different narratives.” She continues with conviction: “I don’t know why people keep saying that. It’s an award event that should be celebrated as it is to recognise our film.” Her frustration is with the misrepresentation. “It’s not a fashion event,” she stresses. “Let’s remember we are celebrating our actors, producers, and writers.”
She unveils a deep admiration for the work that goes into filmmaking. Furthermore, no one can challenge her support for fashion, which is why, in 2025, she was contacted to make a look for the Met Gala. The theme was Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, and her muse was Seyitan Atigarin.
“I saw the theme, and said I would like to design an outfit for this, and then it came to me,” she admits. “It was like ticking a bucket list.” What drew her in most was the intellectual design. “This one was about tailoring,” she explains. “I wanted to show my skills differently.”
The black and white suit ensemble, accessorised with a bowler hat and a cane, that she created for Atigarin showed her tactful understanding of the theme. When describing the look she created, she explains that it required her to adapt due to the fabric. “Velvet flows and slips, so we had to get that fluidity to be more structured.” It was a technical challenge, but one that reinforced her versatility as a designer.
What’s next for Yemi Shoyemi?
When asked about future ambitions, Shoyemi does not hesitate. “Oscars,” she says simply. The declaration is framed as an intention. Her PR manager responds playfully, “I guess I have my work cut out for me next year,” but Shoyemi remains grounded in possibility.
She is already thinking beyond borders, beyond African red carpets, toward global cinematic fashion stages. When asked who she would like to dress, she pauses: “There are so many people to be honest, maybe your name will come to my mind.”
She never comes to a conclusive answer but ends with gratitude, and perhaps that is the essence of her practice. She understands fashion as a memory and a feeling. One that is carefully stitched together across generations and ambitions yet to come.
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React to this post!The post The making of an AMVCA and Met Gala red carpet look with Yemi Shoyemi appeared first on Marie Claire Nigeria.
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