If you never thought your ‘sachet water nylon’ could be useful after being disposed of, think again! Nigerian eco-conscious fashion designer Deborah Oluwadunsin Adediran is changing the African fashion narrative by creating fashionable products that save the planet and serve people.
Adediran has been in the fashion space since 2016. She started her bag-making fashion accessory brand in 2021. However, in early 2024, she embraced sustainability in fashion design.
“Deciding to create products that will serve the people and save the planet isn’t merely accidental; it was born first from the place of knowledge and then experience. I remember how I almost lost my life in a flood many years ago due to unmanaged waste in my community. It was one of the most tragic moments of my life,” Adediran tells The Benchmark.
The fashion designer now finds it disheartening to see waste disposed of indiscriminately without caring about the environmental degradation it would cause. So, while others see trash, she sees raw material that can be transformed into beautiful accessories. This belief now drives all operations at Diya Collections, where the 26-year-old breathes life into fashion by melding creativity with sustainability.
Finding Diya Collections
Deborah Adedirans’ journey is as bold as her designs. For her, life started on an ugly note of rejection. As the 21st female child out of 21 children, her birth wasn’t welcomed by her parents simply because she was a girl child. She grew up feeling unwanted until she found purpose.
Since this experience, the creative founder has learned to see beauty where others may overlook it—one reason why she saw the goldmine in repurposing waste materials.
DIYA means Daring
Intentional, yielded, and audacious are three key elements demonstrating that style can be powerful and planet-friendly. DIYA, an eco-conscious fashion brand, makes fashion accessories like bags from recycled plastic waste—hence, serving people and saving the planet.
They begin their production process by advocating to communities and teaching them about the importance of proper waste management. They also use this to lobby communities to release their waste instead of trashing them wrongly.
After successfully sourcing raw materials, they are moved to their workspace, where they are sterilised and washed. From here, they go through a long manufacturing process that involves shredding, fusing, and weaving—their in-house artisan weaves the water sachet. Currently, the team has five on-site team members who handle the different aspects of production.
One significant thing DIYA does is to inspire women of colour worldwide to step confidently into their unique style, knowing they are also part of a movement to safeguard the environment.
Apart from her inspirational work, she is passionate about using fashion as a vehicle for environmental change and social impact. This led her to an impact project in her community—Ilorin in Kwara state—where she worked with a group of talented young people to train them in bag-making. She taught them how to create stylish and functional high-quality bags through this free training.
Adediran has encountered her share of obstacles, especially as a sustainable designer in Ilorin Kwara State.
“The Ilorin market has been good but challenging. Some people prefer to go for the normal bags they are used to because they are concerned about the durability of our products, so we have to convince them,” she said.
Despite the hurdles, the sustainable founder remains hopeful about growing her business. She envisions Diya Collections as more than a regional fashion brand but an International fashion brand, preparing herself to serve individuals globally.
“We’re trying to increase our visibility and be in spaces where our target audience is. We also plan to do some intense marketing because I believe that products that get sold are not necessarily the best but the products that get the best PR. We’re in between the two. We have good products and hope to get a good PR for what we do. We are also open to collaborating with private and public brands, ” Adediran, shares.
This African Fashion Designer is set to promote a new standard for African-made products. She is paving the way for other designers to step boldly into a different global fashion landscape.
