Adebayo O. K-Lawal is a Pan-African fashion designer, creative director and social entrepreneur. He’s the founder of House of Double Truth, an ethical fashion label inspired by traditional African aesthetics and tailoring techniques. Adebayo was born in Lagos and moved with his family to New York when he was seven years old. He graduated from The School of Visual Arts in New York City where he majored in Illustration and minored in Fashion Design. In 2014, he completed an executive education program through Parsons School of Design, focusing on the intersection between business strategy and social impact - which further galvanized his personal mission to merge fashion with positive change. In 2016, Adebayo founded House of Double Truth a unique style label that blends contemporary designs inspired by traditional African aesthetics and tailoring techniques with a focus on creating ethical brands that also have a positive social impact.
Double Truth’s Vision
The Double Truth Philosophy is rooted in the notion that the truth is actually two truths. The first truth is that Africa is an abundant continent with limited resources. The second truth is that Africa has the creative minds needed to develop and design new products that can be produced with low costs to compete with the rest of the world. Double Truth’s vision is that the African creative entrepreneur can design and produce products that are not only made ethically but are also designed to be sold at prices that are accessible to the masses. Double Truth’s vision combined with the current business strategy is to create a scalable business model that can be replicated in different parts of the world.
Double Truth’s Mission
The mission of Double Truth is to promote economic inclusion and support social entrepreneurs in Africa by providing business management skills and design training. The focus is on women and youth in Africa because these groups are under-represented in the fashion and design industries. By providing training and mentorship to these two groups, Double Truth hopes to inspire and empower them to create businesses that can provide jobs and generate income.
Who is Double Truth?
Double Truth is a global initiative that is currently focused on the fashion and textile sectors in Africa. The initiative is led by Double Truth Fashion, a social enterprise that designs and produces ethically made garments that are sold at affordable prices. The organization is led by a team of young, forward-thinking African social entrepreneurs who are dedicated to advancing the fashion industry in Africa by promoting ethical fashion practices, training and mentorship youth and women, and increasing the value of the textile sector in Africa.
Why Fashion is Important to Africa
Fashion is an important sector in Africa that is currently underdeveloped. There are very few African fashion designers who are well-known in the global fashion industry. However, the African market is huge, so there is a huge opportunity for growth. Double Truth is currently focused on the textile sector, which is the largest sector in Africa. The textile sector employs more than 50 million people on the continent. However, the textile sector in Africa is underdeveloped because there is a lack of innovation in terms of design and production methods. Double Truth’s mission is to help solve this problem by creating a network of designers and producers who are committed to innovation, are ethically focused, and are determined to create designs that are modern, sustainable, and truly African.
How to Leverage Fashion for Good
Double Truth advocates for a new way of thinking about the fashion industry. They believe that fashion is an inherently good industry, but that it is currently broken. They believe that fashion can be used to create a positive social impact, but only if it is done ethically and responsibly. For Double Truth, ethical fashion means that the people involved in the production of the garment are treated fairly and paid a living wage for their work. It also means that the garment is made from sustainable materials that are not harmful to the environment. Double Truth also believes that ethical fashion should be accessible to everyone, not just the elite. They believe that it is important to design garments that are both fashionable and affordable so that everyone can have access to ethically made clothing.
Conclusion
The fashion industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry, but most of the profit goes to a small number of designers and companies. Double Truth wants to change this by helping African designers compete on the world stage through ethical fashion practices. Double Truth’s initiative is focused on innovating the textile sector in Africa. They want to help design and promote African fabrics that are unique and modern, but also reflect the culture and heritage of the people of the continent. Double Truth is focused on promoting economic inclusion and supporting social entrepreneurs in Africa. They believe that the fashion industry is the best place to start because it is currently underdeveloped and can be easily transformed through innovation and creativity.
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