Reni Folawiyo

Reni Folawiyo
Born
London
OccupationFashion Entrepreneur Business woman
Known forPromoting Africa fashion
SpouseTunde Folawiyo
Children2

Reni Folawiyo is a Nigerian lawyer, fashion entrepreneur and businesswoman. She's the founder of Alara, West Africa's first fashion luxury and lifestyle concept store[1][2] which was designed by British-Ghanaian architect David Adjaye.[3] She owns NOK Garden and NOK by Alara to promote African cuisine.[4]

Early life and education

Folawiyo was born in London to late Chief Lateef Adegbite, former Attorney General of Western Nigeria and former Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs[5] and raised in Abeokuta, Ogun state, Nigeria.[6] She is Yoruba.[7]

She studied commercial law in the University of Warwick, United Kingdom and came back to Nigeria to start practising in her father's law firm[8]

Career

Before founding Alara, Folawiyo practised law at her father's firm and simultaneously ran an interior design business producing custom furniture.[9] During this period, she hosted salons for artists and designers at her home, building a network of creatives across the African continent over several decades.[10]

In 2015, Folawiyo founded Alara on Victoria Island, Lagos, a luxury fashion and lifestyle concept store housed in a building designed by British-Ghanaian architect David Adjaye.[11] The store stocks global designers and African designers including Maki Oh, Lisa Folawiyo, and Kenneth Ize alongside international names such as Stella McCartney, Dries Van Noten, and Valentino.[12] The name Alara means "wondrous performer" in Yoruba.[13]

In 2023, Folawiyo expanded Alara internationally with a pop-up store and experience at the Brooklyn Museum in New York, running from June to October 2023, and subsequently collaborated with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.[14] She is currently developing Alara World, an episodic global programming initiative to bring the Alara experience to international and diasporic communities.[15]

Recognition

In 2019, Folawiyo was named one of Vanity Fair's best dressed people worldwide.[16] In 2020, she was named one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business by Forbes Africa.[17] She has been included in the Business of Fashion BoF 500, a list of the people shaping the global fashion industry.[18]

Personal life

She married Nigerian businessman Tunde Folawiyo in 1989 and they have two children, Faridah and Fuaad.[19]

References

  1. ↑ "Get to know ALARA Founder Reni Folawiyo in inspired video from CLAN's 'She' series". Pulse Nigeria. 2019-02-26. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  2. ↑ "Sola Sobowale, Ibidunni Ighodalo, Nkechi Eze...Here are Nigeria's Most Inspiring Women in 2018". Leading Ladies Africa. 2018-03-08. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  3. ↑ "RENI FOLAWIYO – THE ALÁRÁ OF NIGERIA'S FASHION INDUSTRY". Nigerian Women Diary. 2017-07-24. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  4. ↑ Searcey, Dionne (2017-10-21). "A Rare Gem of a Restaurant in Lagos". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  5. ↑ "Sweethearts Forever: Tunde and Reni Folawiyo Celebrate 30th Wedding Anniversary". This Day. 2019-04-14. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  6. ↑ Conway, Megan (2014-05-29). "Redefining African Luxury in Lagos, Nigeria". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  7. ↑ Obasi, Lola Ogunnaike, Daniel (2021-08-09). "Inside Fashion Entrepreneur Reni Folawiyo's Stunning Lagos Penthouse". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2024-08-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ "RENI FOLAWIYO – THE ALÁRÁ OF NIGERIA'S FASHION INDUSTRY". Nigerian Women Diary. 2017-07-24. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  9. ↑ "Reni Folawiyo". Business of Fashion. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
  10. ↑ "Reni Folawiyo Speaker Harvard African Business Conference". Harvard Business School Africa Club. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
  11. ↑ "Reni Folawiyo Building Alara a Home Where African Design Thrives". The Brief Network. 2025-12-08. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
  12. ↑ "Reni Folawiyo". Business of Fashion. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
  13. ↑ "Reni Folawiyo Building Alara a Home Where African Design Thrives". The Brief Network. 2025-12-08. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
  14. ↑ "Reni Folawiyo Speaker Harvard African Business Conference". Harvard Business School Africa Club. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
  15. ↑ "Reni Folawiyo Speaker Harvard African Business Conference". Harvard Business School Africa Club. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
  16. ↑ "Reni Folawiyo Speaker Harvard African Business Conference". Harvard Business School Africa Club. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
  17. ↑ "Reni Folawiyo Speaker Harvard African Business Conference". Harvard Business School Africa Club. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
  18. ↑ "Reni Folawiyo". Business of Fashion. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
  19. ↑ "Sweethearts Forever: Tunde and Reni Folawiyo Celebrate 30th Wedding Anniversary". This Day. 2019-04-14. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
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