I've always lived with the memories of the life my grandfather lived. In my opinion, his generation enjoyed life in the best way they could. They in fact lived the original soft life, they were the pioneers. Think about it this way, what didn't they exude? Class, poise, panache and a deep understanding of fashion. Thinking back to their choices of music, drinks, and all. Fun fact: We were literally handed the 'Owambe' word by them. Pure class!'

I remember how my grandfather would swing softly to the tunes of King sunny Ade and Ebenezer Obey, leisurely singing along to the lyrics almost all through the week. And then on Sundays, Evangelist Ojo Ade would sweep him into the high heavens. One way or the other, these actions had an influence on how I saw life, how I thought about life and what made sense to me.

One aspect of my life that this clearly influenced was fashion. Grandpa was an Anglican Reverend, so his wardrobe was majorly filled with white outfits, My favorite of his whites was the 'Agbada. Ever sparkling white with the indigenous threaded embroidery (jakan) and the traditional cap famously known as the Ijebu cap. It was so soothing to the eyes, especially when worn with his always shinning black loafers. All shades of class and stvle mehn. Only recently, I found myself falling in love with all of these outfits from his wardrobe which led to the creation of the collection termed Baálè or Baálè.

Baálè ( head of the community) or Baálé (head of the family)

Baálè in both names signifies leadership, poise and class.

I remember growing up, boys my age disliked native wears. It seemed so old-fashioned, compared to our trendy jeans, baggies, three-quarters and co. For some reason I can't really place, they seemed big with no exact  fittings and the fabrics used were somewhat basic. So, most people would  rather go for the jeans and shirts options, not to forget the growing influence that the Hip-Hop music genre was beginning to have on us all. As time went by and with the invention of more customer-friendly fabrics and improvements on African prints (Ankara) with better sewing, native wears are now widely accepted by younger men. In our eyes now, they're more classy, comfortable, and have become a way of preserving our  culture and heritage.

The 'Baálè' collection for me is about reinventing my Grandfather's generation's fashion style, while also infusing some new-school styles hence the "Urban-Vintage collection' Consider this a melting pot of two major generations and you wouldn't be far from the truth. It's time for you to step into this reality with us, transcend the times and let's lead you into a moment of fashion euphoria. Baále is here for you, bow down and be glammed.

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