You never know when inspiration might hit. For Michelle Adepoju, lightning struck during a post-college trip in Western Africa. As a teen Adepoju, who was raised in the UK. in a Nigerian immigrant family, liked to craft new clothes from thrift store finds. During her African trek, Adepoju realized she could turn her hobby into a business. She merged contemporary designs with traditional African techniques like weaving to create her brand Kílẹ̀ńtàr in 2019. Kílẹ̀ńtàr sells luxury statement pieces from gowns to swimwear to jewelry. “When we think of luxury, it's usually Chanel or Hermès,” says Adepoju. We are putting African craftsmanship on the map for luxury fashion.” The brand has dressed celebrities including Tracee Ellis Ross, Naomi Osaka, and Victoria Monét. Adepoju debuted her designs at New York Fashion Week in 2024.
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Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00I do believe that, for me, coming into the scene, I never really look at age.
00:06I honestly feel like at any stage in life, you can build anything remarkable.
00:14We are here with Michelle Adepoju, the founder and designer behind Kaelantar.
00:18Thank you so much for joining me today.
00:20Thank you for having me, Alex.
00:22I'm so excited to talk about your entire clothing line, which you are wearing today.
00:26It looks beautiful.
00:27Before we get into all the details behind building the brand, I want to know a little bit about you.
00:32Can you let me in on who you are and kind of what you're building today?
00:36Yes.
00:37My name is Michelle Adepoju.
00:39I was born in London, raised in Essex by traditional Nigerian parents.
00:44I would describe myself as someone that is very much led by curiosity.
00:49And that led me to start the women's wear brand, Kaelantar, which is a brand that blends traditional craftsmanship with modern innovations.
00:58Very cool.
00:59And a lot of what you do is kind of, like you said, a combination of more contemporary pieces, but also that traditional aspect.
01:08What about your Nigerian heritage and your Nigerian roots really inspired you to build a brand around it?
01:13Yeah, my, so I was born in London, raised in Essex.
01:17And one thing that really led me to my journey in fashion was, I would say it really started from my childhood.
01:25I always used to sneak into the charity shops in Essex and find pieces that really spoke to me.
01:31And then I would go home, fray the edges, cut the sleeves, dye the top.
01:37What was really cool about that was people would always ask me, where did you get that from?
01:42And I would, I would make up a designer's name because I really loved the idea of having something that no one else had.
01:50One.
01:50Two, shopping in the charity shops wasn't really a thing back then.
01:53So I didn't see it as fashion design.
01:55I just saw it as true self-expression.
01:57And it wasn't until 2018, when I went on the most transformative journey across West Africa.
02:04And upon my travels, I met with amazing fabrics, amazing interior, amazing styles.
02:11And I really wanted to know, where was the source of this?
02:14How was these materials made?
02:16Where did this artwork come from?
02:18And I eventually found a weaving workshop.
02:21And honestly, when I walked into that space, I was so amazed by, to my right, I felt like I could hear music, which is the rhythm of weaving.
02:32To my left, I'd see a woman weaving on looms with natural bone cotton.
02:37And for me, I feel like that really reconnected me to that younger child of me, like in my teen in Essex, shopping, creating, recreating traditional styles, and then blending it and making it, changing it.
02:51And for me, that's when I would say Kielenta was truly born.
02:54Yeah, when you were in those early stages of your life, creating your own pieces that you had bought, you know, secondhand, did you ever envision yourself building a brand one day?
03:06Or was this truly just something you did for fun to express yourself?
03:09Yes, no, I had no idea.
03:10I didn't think I would ever be working in fashion.
03:13Yeah.
03:13I literally just saw it as something that was fun.
03:15It was interesting to me.
03:16I was always curious.
03:17So doing this was just true self-expression, literally.
03:22And I loved it.
03:23So I guess when I look back now, I feel like it makes sense now.
03:30In hindsight, it's like it was all there.
03:32Yeah, exactly.
03:32Before starting the brand, though, what were you doing professionally?
03:35I was working in marketing.
03:36And what kind of experiences or skills or tasks that you had to do in that industry do you think you've brought into building this brand today?
03:44I'm sure a lot, considering you're always having to market it.
03:47Yeah, definitely communication.
03:48And I think that for me, it's so important to communicate with the customer, with the consumer.
03:54And that way is always changing.
03:56So how do we reach our consumers in a way that's relevant to today, but still staying true to ourselves?
04:02And I think with marketing, that's really, truly the power of it.
04:06And I think we've been able to do that really well with our brand and really being able to put people on our journey of our storytelling, how our crafts are made.
04:14And so that was really, I guess that really helped me.
04:18Yeah, definitely.
04:19How would you then, if you are, you know, selling this brand to consumers, sharing the story about it, how do you go about describing really what makes you guys different today?
04:28Yeah, for us, I think we did a few key things that really made us stand out.
04:32And that was prioritizing quality and craftsmanship and not being able to really showcase that and building trust with our consumers.
04:40So putting them on that journey, showing them truly how the products have been made and being transparent with them.
04:47And what was really important for me was also building trust with our artisans in Bikina Faso, for example.
04:52When I first started, I wasn't able to have wholesale orders or make a lot of fabrics with our artisans.
05:02And that's because they really needed to trust us and they really needed to understand that we value the work that they are doing and the rich tradition of what they are doing.
05:12And we were able to really showcase this online as well as building something new.
05:16At the time, I hadn't really seen these type of styles, whereas a corset top or this type of modern dress in traditional fabrics, hand-woven fabrics, hand-dyed fabrics, in the way that Kylenthal was doing it.
05:31And that really set us apart and made people curious.
05:34How does your design process look today from maybe first idea you have to a sketch to then the products coming to life?
05:40Can you walk me through what the steps are?
05:41Yeah, so now we've been able to build an amazing team where I will come up with the design concept, the sketches with my design assistant.
05:51And then we would create a pattern, sample it.
05:56And most times, like this fabric, for example, design the fabric that I'd want and send the swatches over the colours to our weavers who would make the fabrics.
06:05And then we'd start producing it like that.
06:07So everything is much slower.
06:09We make everything in-house at the moment.
06:12And that's the way we've been able to, that's the way we did it.
06:17And is this all happening in London?
06:18Are you working with weavers elsewhere?
06:20Where is the team located today?
06:21Yes, I work with weavers across West Africa in five different locations, different kinds of artisans from beading in Kenya, hand-dying in Nigeria, weaving in Burkina Faso, Senegal for gold jewelry making.
06:36So we've been really been able to, at the beginning, there was just one of me and my seamstress.
06:44And now we've been able to grow the brand to where we have, we work with over 40 artisans across the continent in five different locations.
06:52So we create it all in this place and then we ship it globally.
06:57How did you find the right partners in those artisans?
07:00You know, I'm sure that as you have this vision in your mind, you need to make sure that the people you're working with have the same vision or are able to help you execute on these things.
07:07How did you land on the right partners to help you do so?
07:11I think for me, it's very important to share the vision.
07:15And I've been really blessed to have women who are able to believe in that.
07:20At the beginning, even the women I was working with, we kind of took a chance on each other.
07:24She was starting her career in she wanted to learn how to sew, but she knew how to make patterns.
07:29And I wanted to start my brand.
07:31So I think it's really important to just build a team that understands your values and shares the same ethics as you.
07:40And I think for me, it's just been more so being curious, going to these different places, speaking with the right people, connecting with the right people, and then eventually being able to build this type of team.
07:53How do you go about building a creative brand and having that vision come to life while also building a business that can support itself?
08:00Because I bet sometimes those things are at odds with each other.
08:03How do you make those decisions for yourself and for the brand?
08:06Yes, I think going back to building a good team, for me, I really felt that at the beginning, I used to pride myself in saying I was a one-woman team.
08:15I'm doing everything myself from the marketing to the design to everything.
08:20But that really, truly led to burnout.
08:23And now I've learned how to delegate.
08:26So I handle more of the creative direction and the marketing, but then have a really skilled group of people who are better than me, who are able to now push this vision more and be able to just work on what we all have.
08:42So most times we have weekly meetings and we all agree on the same goals and just continue to push that out there.
08:50What are some of those goals that you guys are setting week after week?
08:53Right now, we're really focused on partnerships and being able to partner with more people, more brands that align well with our vision.
09:02So that's working with more retailers across the globe and as well as just really being able to push the brand out there on platforms like TikTok and being fun and relevant to the consumers of today.
09:18How do you feel like retail partnerships have impacted what you are building, you know, in terms of partnering with some of those brands?
09:25What has getting your products into stores changed for you?
09:28Well, what that has really done is we've been able to reach a more demographic.
09:34So the people that wouldn't have maybe necessarily discovered Kylenta at the time now shop from us on our website.
09:42And that has been really key for us because one of the main things that we really wanted to do was reach a more wider range of people.
09:50And one of our retailers in the U.S. has really been able to amplify that for us.
09:55And I think that has been so important and key for the business.
09:58And speaking of more of those partnerships that you're mentioning, you've also partnered with some non-fashion companies.
10:03Can you tell me a little bit about some of those partnerships, what they looked like and kind of what you got out of it?
10:07Yes. During New York Fashion Week, we had our first debut show and we partnered with Mastercard for this.
10:14And it was absolutely incredible.
10:16That really, for me, showed me how much we are taking African craftsmanship on the global stage.
10:22We were able to, during our runway show, we had traditional music being played.
10:27People were really moved by this.
10:29And that was really important.
10:31And that just, even we had our playlist played on Times Square as well with Spotify.
10:37So those collaborations were really great.
10:40Yeah.
10:40You also have dressed some celebrities for red carpets and other events.
10:44Tracee Ellis Ross.
10:45Yes.
10:45Victoria Monet.
10:46Naomi Osaka.
10:48How did these partnerships come to be?
10:50Most times, the stylists reach out to us.
10:52So I think that we're doing the right thing.
10:56And we've been able to make enough noise for them to reach us.
11:01And most times, the stylists would reach out to us and we would give them the clothes.
11:05And the clients love it and wear it.
11:08So that has been, it's really showing me how much we're taking this to this level.
11:13Yeah.
11:14Has there been, you know, in maybe one of those examples or a different example that you feel like is an I made it moment for you and Kelanta?
11:20I think that I made it moment for me.
11:26I don't know if it's I made it, but because it's, there's so many key things that have happened in the brand that I've just felt really proud of.
11:34Right.
11:34And that is growing the team and training the weavers that we work with, as well as doing our New York Fashion Week debut for MasterCard.
11:43This really, it was more of just the impact that we had made and how moved people were.
11:49And I think that has always been the core of Kelanta, really collaboration and celebrating our crafts, you know.
11:58And I think it's so important for me because when we think of luxury, for example, we are thinking of the Chanel's or the Hermes.
12:08And I think we're really changing that narrative and we're putting African craftsmanship on the map for luxury fashion.
12:16Do you have any expectations for the future of the industry as you're talking about there?
12:22Like a lot has changed.
12:23You guys have been pushing a lot of this change.
12:25What do you think is to come in the fashion industry in the next like one to three years?
12:29I think, I think what would to become is more, maybe more collaboration, which is something I would love to do.
12:40Collaborations with more heritage brands where they are seeing the innovations that's happening across the continent and seeing how they can partner with this to tell that story as well on that level.
12:50What are some of your bestsellers today?
12:54In terms of the clothes?
12:55Yes.
12:55We have the Jojo top, which was the first item we ever released, which we still, we've made it into so many different styles.
13:03And our bestsellers are, we have this amazing yellow woven braided dress called the Ito dress.
13:12I know it.
13:13I've seen it all over Instagram.
13:16Yes, that has been, that has been, that has been great.
13:18Has there been any project you've worked on, someone that you've, you know, given clothes to or dressed or anything else that you guys have really worked on in the past year that you feel like was a pivotal moment in getting more people's eyes to the brand?
13:31Yes, when we showcased our SS24 collection, we really highlighted that landscapes across Africa, actually.
13:42I shot it in five different states, and I think people were really moved and connected by this.
13:47And we really were able to show the movements of water and these different states, showed how our products have been made.
13:54And this really got a lot of traction online, and people were curious to know more about the brand.
13:59And we were able to continue to tell that story till today.
14:03Why do you think that generated so much interest?
14:06Was it just like the scene behind the scenes, the authenticity of it?
14:10What about that do you think attracted people?
14:12I think people really want to shop more meaningful these days.
14:17And that, so people want to really know what is like the truth behind the brand.
14:22So consumers are more conscious.
14:25And I think that this just was able to move and connect people and show that, oh, this is a brand that isn't just about clothes, but it's about heritage, it's about showcasing landscapes, it's about being conscious about everything that they are doing.
14:42So I think this was a good point for us to make and show the world that we are more than just fashion.
14:50My last question for you, as a young designer, someone who is up and coming in this space, do you see youth as an advantage, a challenge?
14:59How are you using your age as someone who's under 30 years old to continue to build this brand?
15:04I think that I never really looked at age.
15:08I honestly feel like at any stage in life, you can build anything remarkable.
15:14But I do believe that for me, coming into the scene, I wasn't afraid to do things that I've never seen before.
15:23And I guess not being afraid to be disruptive.
15:25And it could be maybe just me not necessarily having much, like, responsibility.
15:34Yeah.
15:34I don't know.
15:35But I think that there was so much power in that.
15:38And it might not be from age, but it just, I think I just really wanted to express that to the world.
15:44And you had some flexibility to do so.
15:46Yeah, exactly.
15:46I had that flexibility.
15:47I had, I was able to travel and, you know, pack up and say, okay, let me go to Nagos, let me go to Bikinopasso, let me go to Senegal.
15:54I wasn't thinking about anyone.
15:57Yeah.
15:57I just knew that I'm really curious.
16:00I really want to create something that I haven't seen before.
16:02So let's see what happens.
16:04Yeah, I love that.
16:05Well, and you definitely are doing it.
16:06Thank you so much for joining me today.
16:07I cannot wait to see all else that you guys create and the different places that you end up.
16:11Thanks.
16:17Bye.
16:18Bye.