Every Look From Tia Adeola's New York Fashion Week Debut Show

Tia Adeola recently presented her first New York Fashion Week runway show at Spring Studios in New York City, showcasing her Autumn/Winter 2020 ready-to-wear collection. Originally from Nigeria, born in New York, raised in London, and now New York City-based, Teniola “Tia” Adeola is the founder and designer of her namesake label.

Inspired by her background in Art History and a deep interest in the Renaissance period, her aim with Tia Adeola is to make
bold, wearable art for women, to reconceptualize history through the lens of fashion to include people of color in classical visual narratives they’ve often been left out of, and to pave a new future by empowering women in her community.

According to Tia:

Black women (and men) are often missing from retellings of Western history, very much including Art History. I’ve spent a lot of time exploring the untold stories of the Renaissance period from the point of view of people of color and historically what women have worn to obtain and project their wealth as a means of protecting their families and their own selves. That’s really the core of the Autumn/Winter 2020 collection — powerful women throughout history and how that translates into what a warrior queen, or head of the family, wears today to feel powerful.

Key looks from her Autumn/Winter 2020 collection include an intricately hand-beaded two-piece, floor-length dress that closed the show, a sequin, and feather jumpsuit made with custom fabric from Dubai, a silk skirt featuring Sandro Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” – a nod to Tia’s Art History background and her favorite Renaissance painting – as well as her signature ruffle silhouette played across sleeves on jackets and tops, skirts, and dresses in bold, vibrant colors like red, blue, and pink. Looks were paired with headpieces in collaboration with Leila Jinnah, custom hand beaded pearl gloves and tights, as well as the newly released Nike Air Max Verona sneaker.

Tia created the first iteration of her brand – Slashed by Tia – in 2016 while still studying at The New School. Upon graduating last year in 2019, Tia transitioned the name of her brand from Slashed by Tia to Tia Adeola, debuting the new name of her brand at her first official New York Fashion Week show. Tia continues to grow her brand with projects including her ongoing partnership with Nike, and her involvement in Teen Vogue’s Generation Next and 21 Under 21 program.

See the full show below