With Rema rocking its wears, the Lagos-based fashion house, the Daltimore Brand is setting a marker in the Nigerian fashion industry with its Afro-western collections.
By Clara Gaiya
The Daltimore brand recently set the internet buzzing when fast-rising rapper, Rema (Divine Ikubor) rocked some of its 2022 collections in his latest music videos. Since then, netizens have amplified Daltimore collections as some of the best creative streetwear collections that best promote Afro-western creativity. Beyond the Afro-pop crooner’s endorsement, some other notable celebrities such as Simi and Ayra Starr have also rocked the Daltimore collections in their music videos, thereby further growing its brand equity.
It took more than a month to sit the brain behind the Daltimore brand down for an interview. In less than 20 minutes, the pharmacist-turned-fashion designer opened up on the motivations that saw the birthing of Daltimore and how he was able to break the hurdles of sharing the spotlight with big brands in the Nigerian fashion industry, riding on the back of celebrity endorsement. David Omijie, CEO of Daltimore Brand, said he caught the vision in 2015 during his days in school.
“I started the Daltimore brand in 2015 while I was still in pharmacy school. The inspiration was really to start making the kind of clothes I liked, for myself. One of the things that made us popular within the shortest time is that we always try to incorporate Nigerian cultures and stories in our pieces, though our pieces are influenced by the West. We try to make them in a Nigerian way in order to promote our culture and heritage,” said Mr. Omijie.
The creative fusionist who believes fashion is a way to express creativity and show another side of one’s personality using clothes, said he is committed to making the Daltimore collections a household name in the Nigeria market, which means showcasing the brand more on the runways, and event pop-ups, thereby enhancing its celebrity appeal. “We have plans to further deepen Daltimore’s brand essence in the Nigerian fashion space, while also significantly growing more celebrity endorsement, and establish the brand for the long run,” he added.
To say that the Daltimore brand is remarkable for converting foreign-looking designs to suit the Nigerian taste is, to say the least. The avant-garde promoter, whose signature pieces range from leather, denim, and trench jackets said his collections are world-class and quite affordable with assured premium values. He added that Daltimore is a unique brand on its own, but its popularity has been accelerated by hard work from the creative team and support from celebrity influencers. He explained that the brand follows current trends like the new alternative vibes, and styles commonly used in music videos, hence drawing the attention of celebrities in the music industry.
“The vibe is a blend of western culture and a creative Lagosian’s mind. When we started this, the reception was absolutely pleasant, and because we incorporated a burst of colours for some of our latest clothing designs, the acceptance and patronage from our clients have grown considerably. Whenever our clients step out in our Afro-western wears, no matter the occasion, they will always stand out,” said Omijie.
Some of his fans call the Daltimore Brand a product of Omijie’s personality as his clothes literally mirror him as a lover of divergent styles. Though influenced by the West, Daltimore’s fashion pieces are Nigerian-made and they incorporate elements of the country’s culture and heritage, and sometimes, these wears give a subtle bad-boy appeal, in tandem with the obvious alte energy. The Daltimore Brand, one can easily say, enables the world to see through the lens of a Nigerian with chutzpah in the fashion industry. The shrewd CEO said: “It is not an easy setup as it has taken some years of hard work, and gaining recognition in the industry comes with so much competition as the industry is quite large.”
Clara Gaiya, an entrepreneur, writes from Lagos.
Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.
