By Chinazam Ikechi-Uko.
“That’s Mowa, when she is not playing the boys and girls, you can find her on the drums. Most people can’t really tell if they want to fight or f-ck her, either way, she doesn’t care.”
– Deto Black.
It was 4 days short of Halloween in the year 2021 and alternative Afro rapper and singer, Deto Black decided to fast-track the campiness and dress-up culture for the holiday by announcing her latest single. It was titled “G and G” which means Geeked and Gorgeous, and the announcement came with a short clip which served as a promotional ad. The video painted a picture of the song’s idea, production inspiration and music video. It featured Deto along with 3 of her friends, Deto explained and narrated the tale about how she and her friends got bored and decided to create a band.
In this 1 minute clip with a fantastic audio that has the potential to make a viral TikTok trend, Deto singlehandedly managed to introduce her friends and state what role they take in the band. Her friends- Chi previously known as Chi Virgo, a singer and songwriter with one of the best rock albums of this year; Biba, a model who recently modelled for Davounte’s SS24 collection; Lastly, Mowa short for Mowalola, a fashion designer. The band of 4 have individually accumulated Vogue mentions, magazine covers, international ad campaigns and many more. If they look vaguely familiar, it could also be because the bandmates sans Mowalola played the role of Zodiac contestants in Amarae’s music video for Co-Star as Virgo, Libra and Sagittarius.
(G and G promotional video)
Nevertheless, the most fascinating part remains how Deto described the internet’s perception of Mowalola in under 20 seconds. Mowalola Ogunlesi is a Nigerian fashion designer known for her innovative and boundary-pushing designs, blending streetwear and high fashion while challenging traditional gender norms. Many opinions have flown about Mowalola, some true, others false and many exaggerated. But it comes down to do you want to fight or feel her. September 2023 marks the first time the internet drew a unanimous conclusion, and then came the war. How did we get here? Is Mowalola as problematic as social media has concluded?
Let’s do an exercise, you’ll need candles and a mirror. Pick up your lowest waistline in your closet, turn off the lights, light the candles, stand in the mirror, shut your eyes, chant Mowalola Mowalola Mowalola, and watch controversies and side eyes tackle you before you can open your eyes again. This is the modern life of the average Mowalola fan or apologist, saying you like Mowalola usually produces the same effect as finishing Macbeth. Another interesting fact is that no one can tell if it is Mowalola (the person) or Mowalola (the brand) that they do not like.
This issue stems from the marketing trajectory of the brand, more often than the average designer, Mowalola models her collections and has starred in a few promotional ads. So the brand has become so tightly associated with her to the point that everyone who knows the brand, knows what Mowalola looks like. This is not as common as the average fashion enthusiast would assume but Mowalola is both the face and creative director of the company so as a result, Mowalola’s actions are assumed to be the brand’s actions.
“Felicia” -one of the Mowalola x Bratz dolls.
With a client list that includes A-listers such as Rihanna, Kanye West, Lil Nas X, Drake, and Solange and as one of the few people to ever design an outfit for both Bratz and a Barbie, Mowalola is a force to be reckoned with. To some Mowalola is a terrible person, to others, she is easily misunderstood, and to none, she is a victim. But what if, Mowalola’s crimes are not as sinister as X (formerly Twitter) would have you believe? What if they are? How does one build such a grim trail without being a racist or misogynist? How does Mowalola get more hate than her next-door British designer who has a history of anti-semitism?
So let’s analyse the macabre series of scandals attached to the Mowalola name, playing both plaintiff and defendant so you can fairly vote on what side you are on as opposed to dragging someone because everyone else is doing it. This will be done from the most recent to the genesis, so grab your popcorn and settle in; we are going in for the ride and save your swords or white flags for the denouement.
ROUND 1: MOWALOLA VS ISLAM. FIGHT!
“I’ll ensure this design is removed from the collection. I deeply regret any hurt or offence my oversight may have caused. Thank you for holding me accountable, and I appreciate your understanding as I learn from this experience,” -Mowalola’s apology for the Saudi Arabian flag skirt.
The Spring 2024 ready-to-wear collection for Mowalola sparked several controversies. Like dust to a TV screen, every stage of the design has attracted criticism on the internet but the kicker is the islamophobia charges. Otherwise known as dislike of or prejudice against Islam or Muslims, Mowalola found her Instagram account (yes, the social media page doubles as the brand’s page as well as Mowalola’s personal page) flooded with emojis of the Saudi Arabian flag.
Why? The collection titled Crash featured various country flags designed on extremely low-waisted mini skirts. This included the Hinomaru (Japanese flag), The Union Jack (United Kingdom), the Five-star Red (China), the Royal Standard (Saudi Arabia) and the Twelve-star (EU) which was missing one star. While this proves that Mowalola is up to date on current affairs, the provocation was not lost on anyone. It is common knowledge that both Saudi Arabia and China have an unfavourable history with the mini skirt. Nonetheless, the primary source of disagreement revolved around the message written on the Saudi flag, featuring a Shahada in Arabic that translates to, “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is Allah’s messenger.”
The backlash was swift and in true Mowalola fashion, she initially dismissed it by tweeting, “Cry me a river.” Or at least that is how the story goes, but as an internet baby, I believe it is important to include the fact that the first chapter of the backlash was simply racist rhetoric thrown at her. The explanations about the mini skirt and its inscriptions came into play in the third chapter and so did her apology.
ROUND 2: MOWALOLA VS FATPHOBIA, YE AND LOTTA VOLKOVA COLLABORATION. FIGHT!
“Ur[Your] rage is valid but I will always be humorous. I flipped this Karl Lagerfeld 4 slim people tank top. It is funny to me because I hv[have] never seen any plus size on a Chanel runway & I never see this outrage towards them.” – Mowalola on the fatphobia backlash.
In the same Spring 2024 collection, Mowalola managed to piss off another set of people- the plus-sized community and the moral police. The Crash collection featured a short-sleeved conjoined piece with the words ‘4 Slim People’ across. This enraged the masses especially since there were no plus-size models on the runway. Mowalola expressed her idea behind the design as her play on a Karl Lagerfeld top. Mowalola (the brand) is an independent brand so it has fewer resources than its bigger counterparts such as Chanel so it should not be held to the same standards on a garment production level. However, the message is harmful, hence, the reaction.
The Crash collection was also created in partnership with her longtime collaborator- Ye. Ye and Lotta Volkova are controversial figures and her decision to work with them has brought her morals into question by the moral police. Ye spent a better part of 2022 saying unsettling things about Jews and his family.
Lotta, on the other hand, is a victim of misogyny. In 2022, the internet ganged up and bullied Lotta, labelling her a paedophile and satanist. This is because an X user lied that she was the stylist behind the Balenciaga scandal and posted a picture of a woman in red on a runway holding two blood-soaked dolls. That was neither Lotta nor Balenciaga but a fashion show from across the globe in China. Also, Lotta had left Balenciaga in 2017 and a quick Google search would have told anyone who truly cared. Unfortunately, the youth have adopted a personality trait from the ancient Christians- they love a witch hunt. So with a few lies and tweets, someone pointed at Lotta and screamed Witch and she was burnt at the stake. Now, Mowalola felt the heat for simply working with her and writing her name on garments.
ROUND 3: MOWALOLA VS ALLEGATIONS OF THEFT. FIGHT!
“Only God can cancel me.” -Mowalola when Twitter (now X) tried to cancel her for stealing designs.
Before runways opened by Irina Shayk and Paris fashion shows, Mowalola had been labelled a thief on social media platforms. Ironically, the moral police attacked Ye for working with her back then. Now, a lot of our favourite designs have been slammed with this title, however, Mowalola’s stuck like a tongue to the frozen metal. Why is that? Could it be because the screenshots were damning or the domino of accusations that rolled out? Well, her being Nigerian certainly did not help, despite several nations leading Nigeria on the poll of notable thieves, the idea of The Nigerian Prince is a fan favourite or in this case princess. There were many accusations brought to light but only one had a solid case- Lauryn Brown’s. She was the first and only one to come with evidence, motive and a murder weapon and lord, the crime scene was bloody.
In March of 2021, Lauryn, owner of cowboy hat brand LAMONTWEAR slammed Mowalola for giving her the impression that she wanted to collaborate with her but instead took her designs and debuted it as part of the Mowalola new collection. Lauryn got no credit, no money and Mowalola had stopped responding to her- until the backlash. The X thread is still up(with receipts). In a bid to save the day, Mowalola apologised to her and the Mowalola team reached out to Lauryn and proposed to maintain their collaboration with her, this time granting her shares in the venture. She turned it down but the whole ordeal stayed with Lauryn and somehow for most of Mowalola’s career, this has been swept under the rug.
FINISH HER OR MOWALOLA WINS?
Now that we have covered most of the important scandals while keeping in mind that Mowalola (the person) and Mowalola (the brand) are not the same. Despite the marketing and social media accounts, liking the Mowalola brand does not mean you stand in support of Mowalola’s actions. It could just mean you love the sultry Y2K and quirky aesthetic packed with mini skirts and several leather garments. The brand celebrates African culture and explores sexuality and identity, making it a rising star in the fashion world with a collection inspired by Nigerian psychedelic rock from the ’70s and ’80s. But for Mowalola herself, we will the jury decide.
