EKI ORLEANS

Grey Sheep

https://instagram.com/ekiorleans01/

Location

london / United Kingdom

It was never my journey to start off in fashion. I wasn't one of those girls who knew from the get go that she wanted to become a designer. I always did however have a love for colours and buying pieces in small boutiques that no one would have.

I was born in a rural town in Germany, raised in Nigeria and now reside in London. My diverse mix of cultures has clearly influenced my design aesthetics. I draw inspiration from my cultural experiences, most notably from my West African heritage as I find it incredibly rich in story telling. Growing up in the buzzing and culturally diverse city of Lagos is where I first developed my love for the vivid and earthy colours of Africa.

I’m just a girl who followed her passion.
After my studies, I pursued a career in financial marketing for several years. I enjoyed my job but it was never a passion and so when I became pregnant, as you know your hormones go haywire, I set out to find it. Precisely at this point is when my creativeness kick started and I made it a mission to find my passion, which so happened to be reliving the little girl’s dream of colours and combining it with African story telling. I took it upon myself to teach myself the art of designing prints and collections with a personal story and boy, did I make a lot of mistakes on this journey!

Prints.
For inspiration, I always resort back to my African roots. Each pattern I design tells a story reminiscent of my childhood memories or is an interpretation of nature. There is always an injection of colours with a distinct orange running through most of our prints.

Nature & Sustainability.
I live a very sustainable life. I love nature, I recycle, I walk everywhere and I am very conscious of not wasting, so I made it my mission to incorporate sustainability into my brand. I only work with silk, as it is a natural fabric and is biodegradable. Our fabrics are printed in China with a lady we have been working with for years and understands our values. Once our designs are printed, all production is handled in a small London studio that ensures we have a no wastage policy. When we collaborate with others in the industry, we always ensure their work ethics match ours.

"I’m just a girl who made it her mission to find her passion and purpose in life, which is to inspire women around the world. My collections accentuate the feminine, the brave and the sexy within all of us and my sole purpose is to bring out the colourful goddess in every woman.”

Latest Collection

Films