{{Short description|Nigerian fashion and textile designer}} {{Infobox person | name = Banke Kuku | occupation = Fashion designer, textile designer | birth_date = {{Birth based on age as of date|27|2014|07|02}}<ref name="femaleallrounder-2014" /> | known_for = Banke Kuku fashion and textile brand | education = Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design; Chelsea College of Arts | years_active = 2011–present | spouse = Olusola Lawson (m. 2017) }}
'''Banke Kuku''' is a Nigerian fashion and textile designer. It is also the brand name of Kuku's fashion and textile line.
== Early life and education == Kuku was born in Nigeria in the 1980s.<ref name="C.J-2024">{{Cite web |last=C.J |first=Nelson |date=2024-05-21 |title=The Rise and Rise of Banke Kuku {{!}} OkayAfrica |url=https://www.okayafrica.com/the-rise-and-rise-of-banke-kuku/269945 |access-date=2025-12-29 |website=Okay Africa |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://bankekuku.myshopify.com/pages/about |access-date=2025-12-29 |website=Banke Kuku |language=en}}</ref> Her mother was an attorney and taught Kuku to knit when she was five.<ref name="Newbold-2020">{{Cite web |last=Newbold |first=Alice |date=2020-06-21 |title=Lagos Designer Banke Kuku Is Telling Africa’s Stories Through Vibrant Silks |url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/banke-kuku |access-date=2025-12-29 |website=British Vogue |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name="Austin-2015">{{Cite web |last=Austin |first=Julia |date=2015-03-23 |title=12 Things You Didn't Know About Nigerian Entrepreneur Banke Kuku |url=https://moguldom.com/90840/12-things-didnt-know-banke-kuku/ |access-date=2025-12-29 |website=Moguldom |language=en-US}}</ref> Her family moved to London when she was eight.<ref name="C.J-2024" /><ref name="Newbold-2020" /> Kuku attended boarding schools in Kent.<ref name="Newbold-2020" />
Kuku attended Central St. Martins College of Art and Design and Chelsea College of Arts, where she studied art, fashion, and textiles.<ref name="C.J-2024" /><ref name="Newbold-2020" /> At Chelsea, she specialized in printed and woven textiles. One of her mentors was Duro Olowu.<ref name="Banke Kuku">{{Cite web |title=Episode 2: About my fashion and lifestyle brand and plans after the pa |url=https://bankekuku.myshopify.com/blogs/bk-vlogs-1/episode-2-about-my-fashion-and-lifestyle-brand-and-plans-after-the-pandemic |access-date=2025-12-29 |website=Banke Kuku |language=en}}</ref> She did a business course with The Prince's Trust.<ref name="Banke Kuku" />
== Career == Kuku's textile designs focus on printed fabrics.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=20 June 2022 |title=Designer Spotlight – Why Banke Kuku is the designer of the moment. |url=https://www.thisdaystyle.ng/designer-spotlight-why-banke-kuku-is-the-designer-of-the-moment/ |access-date=2025-12-29 |website=ThisDay |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="femaleallrounder-2014">{{Cite web |last= |date=2014-07-02 |title=Banke Kuku of Banke Kuku Textiles |url=https://femaleallrounder.wixsite.com/femaleallrounder/single-post/2014/07/02/-banke-kuku-of-banke-kuku-textiles |access-date=2026-01-05 |website=femaleallrounder |language=en}}</ref> She produces her designs in the Ikoyi neighborhood of Lagos.<ref name="C.J-2024" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=May |first=Naomi |title=Designer Diaries: meet the Lagos designer reclaiming the narrative of African fashion |url=https://www.stylist.co.uk/fashion/banke-kuku-nigerian-fashion-designer/594914 |access-date=2025-12-29 |website=Stylist.co.uk}}</ref>
Kuku worked as a freelance textile designer in the UK.<ref name="C.J-2024" /><ref name="African Business Stories">{{Cite web |title=Banke Kuku: Founder & Creative Director, Banke Kuku – Fashion with Purpose: Sustainability & Innovation in Luxury Design |url=https://africanbusinessstories.com/banke-kuku-founder-creative-director-banke-kuku-fashion-with-purpose-sustainability-innovation-in-luxury-design/ |access-date=2025-12-29 |website=African Business Stories |language=en}}</ref> She created interior design textiles.<ref name="C.J-2024" /><ref name="Madiba-2025">{{Cite web |last=Madiba |first=Gwen |date=11 November 2025 |title=Banke Kuku: The Thread Between Art and Identity |url=https://rollingstoneafrica.com/culture/fashion-news/banke-kuku-the-thread-between-art-and-identity/ |website=Rolling Stone Africa}}</ref> In 2011 she established her eponymous label, then Banke Kuku Textiles, and established a studio in London.<ref>{{Cite news |date=23 August 2014 |title=Nigeria: Banke Kuku - I Started Knitting At Age Five |url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201408252683.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20140830005331/http://allafrica.com/stories/201408252683.html |archive-date=2014-08-30 |access-date=2025-12-29 |work=AllAfrica |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Steve |date=2025-05-29 |title=The Print Alchemist: Banke Kuku’s Mastery Of Colour, Culture, And Couture |url=https://empiremagazineafrica.com/the-print-alchemist-banke-kukus-mastery-of-colour-culture-and-couture/ |access-date=2025-12-29 |website=Empire Magazine Africa |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Banke Kuku" /> Around 2016 she moved back to Nigeria because she was marrying a Nigerian man.<ref name="Banke Kuku" /> Clients expressed interest in garments made with her interior design prints, and in early 2019 she created a collection of loungewear, pajamas, and kaftans.<ref name="C.J-2024" /><ref name="Banke Kuku" /> In November 2019 she opened a storefront in Lagos.<ref name="Madiba-2025" /><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2023-09-12 |title=Banke Kuku is Devastatingly Gorgeous on THISDAY Style’s Latest Cover |url=https://www.bellanaija.com/2023/09/banke-kuku-thisday-style/ |access-date=2025-12-29 |website=BellaNaija |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="African Business Stories" /> In March of 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic shut down her storefront operations, and she launched an online sales space.<ref name="African Business Stories" /><ref name="Banke Kuku" />
Kuku moved into daywear and evening wear after the COVID-19 restrictions lifted.<ref name="C.J-2024" /> She debuted her designs at the 2021 Lagos Fashion Week.<ref name="C.J-2024" /> The brand eventually expanded to include menswear, childrenswear and resort wear.<ref name="Madiba-2025" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Oladokun |first=Itoro |date=2025-03-22 |title=Nigerian ready-to-wear brands redefining fashion |url=https://guardian.ng/news/nigerian-ready-to-wear-brands-redefining-fashion/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=2025-12-29 |newspaper=The Guardian |language=en-GB}}</ref>
She collaborated with Gabrielle Union on a 2022 6-piece capsule collection.<ref name="C.J-2024" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chwatt |first=Nikki |date=2022-10-25 |title=Gabrielle Union Debuts Capsule Collection with Banke Kuku for New York & Company |url=https://wwd.com/shop/shop-fashion/gabrielle-union-new-york-and-company-banke-kuku-collection-1235400506/ |access-date=2025-12-29 |website=Women's Wear Daily |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2023 she was a guest judge on ''The Great British Sewing Bee'' for designs that included batakari, adire fabric, and boubou.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Liddle |first=Rachel |date=2023-06-08 |title=Sewing Bee introduces special judge |url=https://www.prima.co.uk/leisure/tv-and-film/a44125869/sewing-bee-guest-judge-banke-kuku-boubou/ |access-date=2025-12-29 |website=Prima |language=en-GB}}</ref> In September of 2023 she was the cover feature for ''ThisDay Style''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rukevwe |first=Oroma Roxella |date=10 September 2023 |title=Banke Kuku. A Force for Fashion |url=https://www.thisdaystyle.ng/banke-kuku-a-force-for-fashion/ |access-date=2025-12-29 |website=ThisDay |language=en-US}}</ref>
Tiwa Savage, Michelle Obama, Kelis, and Catt Sadler have worn her designs.<ref name="Newbold-2020" /><ref name="Austin-2015" />
== Personal life == In 2017 Kuku married Olusola Lawson in Marrakesh.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Randle |first=J.K. |date=2017-05-14 |title=Arab spring smells like a rose: For Banke and Olusola |url=https://businessday.ng/analysis/article/arab-spring-smells-like-rose-banke-olusola/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=2025-12-29 |newspaper=BusinessDay |language=en-US}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuku, Banke}} Category:Nigerian fashion designers Category:Alumni of Chelsea College of Arts Category:Alumni of the University of the Arts London Category:Nigerian textile artists Category:Nigerian women company founders Category:1980s births Category:People from Lagos Category:Living people