British Nigerian designer Gbemi Okunlola is an icon in the global bridal fashion market. At 11 years old, she discovered her passion for creating stunning dresses. While her peers played with toys, she found joy at the sewing machine, turning her dreams into reality.
Okunlola is no ordinary fashion designer today, as her brand has been featured in Vogue, Bridges, and Insider. She has built a bridal empire generating an impressive £1.3 million ($1.6 ) annually. This self-taught seamstress went from stitching in her living room to designing luxury gowns for brides across the UK, US, and Africa.
How Okunlola started
At 11 years old, Okunlola taught herself to sew, experimenting with fabrics and patterns. By the time she reached her teenage years, sewing had become her second nature. In 2012, she launched Alonuko with her £15,000 ($18,604.95) savings and started making Ankara dresses and evening wear. Everything changed in 2013 when she made her very first wedding dress. That single gown helped her find her niche.
Alonuko is a British luxury fashion brand specialising in women’s clothing and bridal wear. They create iconic pieces for women, offer bespoke bridal services, design luxury women’s fashion and bridal wear, and cater to brides of all sizes and ethnicities.
“Alonuko,” meaning “weaver,” was drawn from Gbemi’s Yoruba name, spelt backwards. It isn’t like the Western bridal brands, as it combines African individuality, culture, and elegance with modern British luxury. There, Okunlola made wedding dresses with bold lace patterns and hand embroidery. She also noticed that black and brown brides struggled to find illusion gowns with tulle that matched their skin tones. So, she created her own, and this attention to detail became her brand’s signature.
In 2017, the story changed for the bridal dressmaker when an American bride stumbled upon her work on Instagram and reached out for her wedding dress. The fashion designer flew to the U.S. for the fitting. After successfully handling the deal, she got the idea to host Trunk Shows, which were pop-up events where designers meet brides, showcase collections, and take orders.
The first U.S. trunk show was a blast. In just three weeks, she met 100 brides across three states. That initial success was the foundation of Alonuko’s global expansion. Today, trunk shows in cities like Houston, New York, and Atlanta account for 70% of Alonuko’s sales.
Alonuko gowns are luxurious and expensive, starting at £3,500 ($4,340.66) and custom designs reaching up to £25,000 ($31,010.83). Brides are willing to pay for these stunning creations despite the high cost.
In just 14 years, Gbemi Okunlola has transformed her brand into a globally recognised name without spending so much on marketing. Her success is entirely due to the power of social media, word of mouth, and remarkable designs.
She leverages her online presence, which includes over 634,000 followers on Alonuko’s Instagram page and more than 62,000 on her account, to showcase her work to a global audience. The Bristish-Nigerian fashion designer plans to expand her offerings to include ready-to-wear collections, making her designs accessible beyond the bridal market.
