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Bunmi’s triumphant London Fashion Week show

Friday 17 September 2010

Bunmi Koko's London Fashion Week collection

The names queuing up to associate themselves with East London fashion designer Bunmi Olaye reads like a definitive Who’s Who of celeb-world’s most desirable stars, which would be more than a dream-come-true for any aspiring fashion designer but Bunmi has the World’s most iconic public figures as fans, too.

She was personally invited to meet with Nelson Mandela at his home after picking up the Best Emerging International Talent award at Africa Fashion Week and subsequently asked to dress one of his granddaughters for a national fundraising event in his name. While, when it was discovered that Michelle Obama had expressed an interest in one of her designs, the story made headlines across the planet.

All of this would be impressive for an established designer, for a recent graduate, who set up the company during the sandwich year of her degree course at the University of East London, it is truly exceptional.

Bunmi’s triumphant London Fashion Week show was in many ways, the culmination of this phenomenal year and something of a homecoming too. The show was received with rapturous applause from an audience which included former Sugababe Keisha Buchanan, actress Ali Bastion and socialite Callum Best. But for once, it was not the celebrities that stole the show but the visually striking designs that make up Bunmi Koko's Matriachy collection.

Bunmi says of the show: “It’s been an incredible year for us as a brand and in many ways our London Fashion Week show is the culmination of all the hard work that has gone before. We are thrilled to be exhibiting our full collection at such a prestigious global event and we’re just so happy that everyone loved the show”.

For an interview with Callum Best about Bunmi’s show click here.

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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