Walé Adeyemi
[photos: Svenson Linnert]
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"Wah-lay Add-aye-emmi": A 28-year-old no-fuss or frills fashion designer and music industry stylist extraordinaire to boy-band sensation Another Level and previously Shola Ama, D'Influence, Brand New Heavies, Finlay Quaye, Missy Elliot...
Walé on Walé: "I try to be quite an international designer, but my clothes are known to represent different things in different places. Here in the UK, it's more of a hip-hop connection."
The Walé style: "I don't do things that are outrightly fashionable. I try not to. And I don't wear clothes that are outrightly fashionable either. When it comes to styling, I've just gotta hang with the people for a while. I can't style someone just by looking at them. I have to get a feeling for what they're about."
Walé works: "I do everything for Another Level. Since they started out, I've done their styling, including the latest album cover and I'm doing the tour as well. I'm responsible for their look. I have to work my designing around this."
Kick start: "I worked as a studio assistant to designer Joe-Casely Hayford, while I was at college in Thurrock and did a short stint designing for Habitat."
The fame game: "I met Lauryn Hill at the club Subterania once. We talked clothes and I tried to hook her up with mine. It was just before 'Killing Me Softly' came out, after that it was hard to get to her."
Walé rocks: "I rapped on a record once and we put it out on vinyl ourselves! I can't remember the name now..."
Walé loves: "Music! Rap, R&B. I especially can't live without the 'Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' album."
Walé would: "D'Angelo! I'd love to hook up with him."
Walé won't: "I wouldn't consider working with bands that I didn't like. If I'm not really feeling it, then that's it. If it was somebody totally naff
and wack, I'd just say 'no'."
Walé rules: "I believe that you've either got to do it (fashion) properly or not at all. It's the kinda' thing where you really have to live it. It's not like a '9-to-5'."
Watch out for Walé: "Things are changin'. It (the 'Adeyemi Empire') is growing. There's a lot of different areas I'd like to go into, like expanding the accessories line. The next thing is to do a catwalk show. I want it to be a whole new vibe tho', like telling a story on the runway."
Sign-off: "It's up to you alone to make it. It takes time to get to where you want to be."
Where's Walé?: The Old Truman Brewery, 91-95 Old Brick Lane, London E1. Walé's clothes are stocked in Home, 39 Beak St London W1, telephone: 0171 287 3708.
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