By Alexa Schmidt, Staff Writer
Meet Lola Ayodele, a student whose fashion designs went above and beyond at the Sanctum Artum Art Show on Oct. 21.
Ayodele, a junior accounting major, is originally from Nigeria and made the decision to come to Manhattan College. To take a break from her vigorous studies, Ayodele uses fashion as her creative outlet.
Ayodele’s initial interest in fashion design started quite simply. “My friend lent me a sewing machine. I started messing with it and realized just how much I enjoyed making clothes.” Ayodele said.
Since then, Ayodele has created a whole collection of clothes. Her clothes are not limited to just one specific area of design. She is versatile and likes to experiment with everything.
“I design tops, skirts and dresses. To be honest all of it; It’s always exciting to see what I can create because sometimes I don’t know how something will turn out and I will end up loving it.” Ayodele said.
When it comes to the designing process itself, she says, “It varies. Sometimes I dream up an idea, a feeling. Then I do some research to brush up my technique or I draw up what I want to do which helps me sometimes. Or I see a combination of photos online and join them into one style. Other days I make outfits that suit my mood. It really does vary.” Ayodele said.
Another part of her designing process always includes inspiration, which is a key aspect behind any idea or project. Ayodele gets her inspiration from a variety of different sources.
“I get inspiration from everything. The fabrics themselves inspire me. I go shopping and I see a piece of fabric that’s calling to be made into something specific then that idea gets chiseled by a photo concept I have for it or the person that I feel would look best in the outfit. A place I would say that I get inspiration from is my imagination. I dream all the time. You have to be able to imagine things that do not exist in order to make life fun.” Ayodele said.
She was featured on the Manhattan College website back in February.
Despite being featured and having her work shown at last year’s fashion show on the quad. Although she does share her designs with the general public and MC community, she’s still not used to it.
She said, “I am really new to this concept of sharing my work with people. It’s been challenging and exciting. It has also given me the chance to work with new people and merge both aspects of my life, passion and school.”
Ayodele’s future plans, and ultimate goal is to have her own line of clothing and make her talent into a business.
“I would love to start my own fashion house. Ideally, I want to have different locations all over the world that serve women well.”
Ayodele hopes to gain a lot from this experience. She would like to see “how much I can accomplish if I really put my heart into a project.”
Ayodele wants everyone to know how critical it is to set goals for yourself and believe in what you’re doing.
“It’s important to note that anyone can achieve their dreams. Good things are not only for a select few. You just have to keep working or doing something that has to do with what you love and you will be surprised just how much you will have accomplished.”