Celebrity clothier, Yinka Ash is fast grabbing attention of some of Nigeria’s A-list singers as he continues to convert more of them to fans of his Ashluxe brand. The fast-rising young fashion-preneur has revealed how he is using the influence of 90s’ rap and highlife music to inspire his brand.

The Biochemistry graduate of Caleb University, Lagos runs urban fashion wear brand, Ashluxe and has clothed celebrities including Davido, Naira Marley, Zlatan Ibile among others. His imprints have also been worn by South African model, Bonang Matheba. The Ashluxe narrative is rising with exposure in music videos such as Naira Marley’s song “Puta”. Its range of pop culture fashion appeals to the millennials and they include t-shirts, hats, pants, socks, slides and track suits among others.

Downplaying his popularity among his celebrity clientele, he said:
“I avoid mentioning the names when I can because I’ve worked with quite a lot and it’s impossible to name everyone off hand, but i’ve styled Zlatan Ibile, Sarah Langa, Toke Makinwa, Bonang Matheba, Davido, Rahman Jago, Naira Marley and Pretty Mike amongst others. Working with them is quite humbling, because these are VIPs and they show the brand such genuine love and support. Everything comes naturally, and it’s good that we have started to support our own.”

For Yinka, the creative juice runs in the family. He was born to a father who is a Structural Engineer and an English Language Lecturer cum writer mom. Yinka Ash also has a brother who runs an Apparel Design outfit known as Crowned Gear.

Speaking on his source of inspiration, the Epe-born fashionista revealed:
“Indeed, I’ll say that growing up in Lagos, you cannot avoid being in the fashion scene, we like to dress up! Also, being brought up by creatives, I’ve been exposed to various forms of design and art all my life so fashion found me. Growing up in the 90’s, our style was influenced by rap culture. We adopted du rags, bandanas, baggy pants, oversized tees from Tupac, Snoop, Biggy, 50cent etc, but then I also listened to Fela Anikulapo Kuti and was immersed in his idea of using music, a form of art as a vessel to spread his political opinion. So yes, the disparity between rap and Afrobeats and highlife helped influence my school of thought.”

“Ashluxe has evolved from being a crazy idea in my head to the street style brand it is now that is coveted by all. The Ashluxe team is carefully curated and made up of the best and most talented individuals ensuring that we put out only our best. Tons of research is done to produce certain fabrics and curate the graphic design and techniques used in the collection. For example, the new spectrum reflective Ashluxe material took months to perfect in Paris. The Ashluxe trademark denotes quality and effort. Tangible effort is made to create a holistic experience because the art of fashion is multifaceted,” he remarked.