Why Tolu Coker is London's Fastest Rising Star

Yahoo

26-02-2025

On the Sunday night of London Fashion Week, the vast concrete space at 180 Strand was transformed into an intimate corner of artistry. Warm lighting bathed the venue, red carpets were rolled out, smooth jazz playing in the background; the room was abuzz with chatter as Tolu Coker's team members stood at every corner with a smile (each wearing a crisp white shirt and tie – now a signature of the Tolu Coker uniform), ushering the steady flow of people inside. In the centre of the space, a makeshift recreation of the brand's studio was set up, complete with cutting tables, sewing machines, research mood boards and hung toiles in situ, inviting everyone behind the scenes.
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'So many people across the world were talking about the last show,' the West London-born, British-Nigerian designer tells me when we sit down after the performance. 'They started deconstructing the meaning behind it on social media. They were interested in the why, so this time I wanted to show them the why.' Her AW25 collection, titled 'Ori – Upon Reflection' (Ori means 'head' in Yoruba), celebrates spirituality, craftsmanship and what she calls 'the sacred act of making'.
These are the elements that have been a driving force for Coker since she launched her brand back in 2021, after stints working at JW Anderson, Celine and Maison Margiela. Her collections are an intimate exploration of heritage and memory, but also celebrate ideas of shared narrative, togetherness and belonging — a point of view that resonates even more during a time when societies everywhere feel so fractured. Coker, through rich lacquered burgundies, pops of cherry red and vibrant Eighties-inspired prints, sparks joy and intimacy with the clothes she makes. It's a trope that's garnered her an A-list fanbase (Rihanna and Ariana Grande are among those who love wearing the brand) and secured her an LVMH Prize semi-finalist spot this year.
For Coker, storytelling is very much at the heart of what she does. 'I want people to be able to feel it, to see up close. We're not trying to sell a story. We're telling stories,' she says. By using fashion as a tool to advocate for social change, she hopes to widen inclusivity and participation in an industry that is still largely run by white men. This season, Coker was one of the few Black women on schedule during London Fashion Week. 'I want to see faces that look like my mother's, brother's, friends' and neighbours' represented and preserved,' she says.
Much of Coker's approach to design is about exploring how dress codes evolve across generations and geographies, speaking to the broader Black diaspora but from the perspective of a Londoner. The AW25 collection, for example, pays homage to the flowing white garments of Aladura churches from Lagos to London, the ceremonial dress worn across Brazil and Cuba, and the ritual attire of Black spiritual traditions in Louisiana and Haiti. And yet, classic European tailoring is woven throughout, in a merging of the ceremonial and the everyday, the sacred and the structured. This duality is further expressed in fabric choices – deadstock wools and gabardines, tartans, poplins and crisp collars nod to quintessentially British sartorial codes, drawing upon the designer's London roots.
In a time when the luxury fashion industry is experiencing a slowdown, Coker is unphased. 'It's all very analytical and about numbers and data; it's quantitative. What I'm trying to do is qualitative.' Her ethos has always prioritised emotion over metrics, storytelling over trends and longevity over hype. 'I want to create clothes that hold a feeling and tangiblity, that is beyond the clothes themselves. I want people to remember a moment in space and time,' says Coker.
Her close-knit community extends beyond the team that brings her ideas to life. In December, rapper Doechii took to the stage wearing a pinafore dress, puff-sleeved shirt and rainbow-stripe tie from Tolu's AW24 collection at Grammy Museum L.A. Live. She also counts Thandiwe Newton and India Amarteifio among her patrons.
For Coker, fashion is about stressing the value of emotional connection, aiming to create a heritage brand that she hopes will outlive her. 'I feel like I'm only just warming,' she says, 'I've only scratched the surface of what I hope to achieve.' As she steps onto the global stage, preparing for the LVMH Prize semi-finals, her vision is clear: to build something meaningful and something that will endure.
As this season's London Fashion Week event ended, the lights flickered on and the pack down began, Coker's team were electric, exchanging warm embraces and wide grins. She introduced me to her production manager, set designer, pattern cutter, the jazz band and her close collaborator, Grammy award-winning music producer Gaetan Judd. The sense of togetherness was palpable. This was a community in the truest sense of the word. 'I wanted to go deeper. Not just wide, not just big and not just loud,' says Coker, 'I want people to really understand why we do what we do.'
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