LAGOS Nigeria - As far as collaborations go, we are fully in peak mode. Across the globe, brands have long sought the influence of musicians, artists, and athletes to enlist as ambassadors in order to tap into their mega audiences. On a smaller scale, social influencers consistently partner with brands to promote seasonal drops and sit front-row at runway shows, but are also increasingly called upon to design capsule lines that evoke a personal sense of style. In Nigeria, the end of the decade brought one of the first design collaborations between the ascendant global influence of social star Temi Otedola, best known as JTO Fashion, and contemporary menswear label Orange Culture.

Otedola has subtly advocated for the #WearAfrican movement since launching her platform in 2014, which consists mainly of her Instagram account (623K followers strong) as well as her Youtube channel and owned website. Mixing her favorite Prada sandals with ATAFO or Maki Oh, Otedola also signifies the next generation of Nigeria’s elite circles, which regularly include the leading fashion designers in the country, such as Adebayo Oke-Lawal, the creative force behind Orange Culture.

On her Instagram, she shared that “this is my first venture into designing and Orange Culture was THE perfect fit, with their cutting edge designs made sustainably in Nigeria with Nigerian fabrics.” (Otedola’s emphasis) The announcement was followed by a launch preview to showcase the capsule and made available to shop online immediately via Orange Culture’s website. With pieces ranging from ₦10,000 to ₦102,000, the collaborative collection demonstrates how careful strategic marketing can make for a runaway success.

BALANCED TERMS WHILE KNOWING YOUR WORTH

While we don’t know all of the details behind the collaboration, what we do know is that there were clear roles and responsibilities for the parties involved. Oke-Lawal and his team were to oversee the manufacturing, fulfillment, and customer service among other logistics while Otedola’s growing influence with a global audience would fuel the marketing and PR buzz required to standout from the crowd. We’ve seen this tactic deployed well by influencer and retail collaborations in SomethingNavy/Nordstrom and Song of Style/Revolve to the tune of millions of dollars in generated sales. Enlisting an influencer in the areas that their skills are well suited - namely styling and image creation - can go significantly further than the in-house teams’ effort and critically have sizable revenue implications.

As it pertains to African brands, securing influencers in this manner of co-creation (versus pure promotion) is certainly in its early stages, but JTO Fashion x Orange Culture is a signal of the economic viability of African creatives working together and speaking to a global consumer. Otedola lending her name and visage to a collaboration of this kind is an explicit stand of commitment to an industry that can surely benefit from greater demand.

ECHO EFFECT

While not entirely groundbreaking, the capsule collaboration itself created an echo chamber of friends and family of Otedola with even larger social profiles to magnify the launch. Otedola named her current beau musician Mr. Eazi as brand ambassador, whose Instagram following at 3.1M far outpaces her own. Fans adoringly comment and like posts where he and Otedola pose together and where many of this base may be familiar with JTO Fashion, it is no doubt that many more were put on to Orange Culture as a result.

In the event Otedola pursues building her own brand while expanding her empire into film with her upcoming on-screen debut, she has built the groundwork and indeed a consumer base who will eagerly flock to her aesthetic.