Oluwatobiloba Olatoke is a fashion illustrator extraordinaire, she is the Founder and CEO of Tatelierr Brand. In this interview with Seyi Taiwo-Oguntuase , she speaks on her work which effortlessly blends elegance with a modern edge of rich Nigerian Culture. She also speaks on other issues relating to the fashion industry.

Excerpts: How did your journey to being a fashion illustrator begin? My journey into the world of fashion illus­tration began at a young age. Growing up as someone with a passion for fashion design, I was constantly surrounded by creativity. How­ever, it was during my studies at Bowen Uni­versity as a Biochemist that I truly discovered and honed her craft.

I studied Biochemistry at Bowen Universi­ty, driven by a fascination with science and its potential to solve real-world problems. Howev­er, my passion for art and fashion was always there, as I grew out of a love for Biochemistry. During my time at university, I found myself constantly doodling designs and immersing myself in fashion magazines while drawing inspiration from a lot of art-related content.

It became clear that fashion illustration was not just a hobby but a calling. It all began as someone who has tried a lot of things with entrepreneurship amongst others. I was a bead maker.

I was a bag maker amongst other things. I remembered that I had a friend whom we wanted to try things to get out of the trenches due to our fighting spirit. We started Illustration training together.

She quit and I.