After the fire at her studio, Onalaja turns shock into an inclusive collection

Onalaja arrived at her first official London fashion show with almost none of her archives intact. Two months earlier, a fire had destroyed her studio and over a decade of work. The Nigerian designer used this as the starting point for a collection of rebirth.

The fire ravaged Kanyinsola Onalaja’s workshop in northwest London just as her mother had sent her graduation collection to the Istituto Marangoni, along with several years’ worth of preserved pieces. Custom orders, retail productions, and archives were lost. After a few days of pause, the designer rented a new space and resumed preparations for her September 20 appointment.

For this debut appearance on the London Fashion Week calendar, the house transformed the incident into a visual language. The collection features ash-gray tones, black, and then brighter bursts, culminating in the image of a bird of paradise. An earlier collection from 2020, titled “Rising from the Ashes,” served as a thematic thread for this return.

The reconstruction does not erase what already sets Onalaja apart in women’s luxury fashion. The brand offers pieces ranging from XXS to XXXXL, a range still rare on the runways. Kanyinsola Onalaja, whose weight has fluctuated significantly over the years, explains her desire to create for women who struggle to find a party dress or formal outfit in high-end circles.

This inclusivity is supported by a highly crafted aesthetic. Embroidery, beads, fringes, feathers, fabric painting, and dyeing enrich silhouettes that the designer connects to her Yoruba and Edo roots. Her universe, which she describes as “disco glam,” has already captivated Tems, Olivia Dean, and Ciara.

Founded in 2014, Onalaja is now among the houses featured by London Fashion Week. The brand is distributed at Alara in Lagos, Revolve, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Cult Mia, according to its official profile with the London organization.