Titled ‘A New Beginning’, Samuel Adeloye’s latest clothing collection showcases the SACOUTURE TM Line, which promises to deliver couture in an “accessible and modern way”.
Following his London Fashion Week debut last year, Adeloye says he is exceptionally excited for this new venture, as he hopes it will encourage others to chase their dreams.
“This has been a journey for me,” he explains. “You embark on a journey and it’s a new beginning and a new experience – that’s life – and this venture has helped me grow as a person.”
As well as being inspired by his travels across Europe – which has led to some incredible aviation-style jumpsuits – the designer says his spiritual exploration is sewn into each piece.
“New beginnings are a new opportunity, and that’s been the main concept of the brand: to be inspired.”
Despite various obstacles, and a variety of stops and starts, it seems that a career in fashion was almost pre-destined for Adeloye, thanks to his community’s dedication to dressing to the nines.
“Growing up, being Nigerian, I think fashion and expressing yourself through fashion has always been a thing for us,” he says.
“We always organise parties, and go to parties, so you always have to wear the best and nicest things.”
“When I got my first job, I spent my first paycheck on designer clothing,” he adds. “It hit me that I would rather create my own pieces than spend my money elsewhere.”
In 2019, the Samuel A. Collection (SAC) was born, and while Adeloye had plenty of design ideas, he realised that he had a lot to learn about the industry.
“It was a little discouraging for me because I had invested so much and the return wasn’t great,” he admits.
“I would join seminars – specifically those of Virgil Abloh – where you could learn from other designers and creators in the industry. I learned a lot from him and how he approached business, and from there I started to learn about the more traditional Maisons like Dior, YSL, and Chanel.”
Starting with a small capsule collection, and under the guidance of some impressive mentors, SAC finally began to grow legs – particularly outside of Ireland.
“Jerome Tordjmann was a mentor of mine from a showroom in Paris called Talk Studios,” he explains. “They do showrooms for brands like myself who are a bit ahead of the game. I showed him my collection and he was impressed – but he was more impressed that I was from Ireland as not many designers had approached him in this way.”
From Paris, Adeloye travelled to Germany where he sold his designs through a pop-up stand at a friend’s store. The more people he met, and the more cold calls he made, the more opportunities that arose until, eventually, London Fashion Week came knocking.
“It was a great experience and such a big motivator,” he says. “The networking was amazing but there was also incredible exposure. I could see that there was a market for the brand, particularly in the UK.”
This year, the Nigerian-Irish designer hopes to bring SAC to the next level with the Sacouture line, which pulls influence from both streetwear culture as well as the “original concepts of couture”.
As well as gaining traction abroad, though, Sam hopes that the creative scene in Ireland can continue to grow.
“I’m first generation Nigerian-Irish,” he explains. “There aren’t many Black Irish people in this community for me to look up to or follow in their steps, so I’m hoping I can create a template for others – the way Virgil did for me and so many aspiring creatives.”
“I felt like SAC wouldn’t have gotten as much love in Ireland unless I did well abroad first,” he continues, “but now I’m really in a place where I’m keen on making my own footprint in the creative scene here and having a positive impact.”
