Dumebi Iyamah

Dumebi Andrea Iyamah
Born (1993-03-18) 18 March 1993 (age 31)
Lagos, Nigeria
Other namesAndrea
Alma mater
Occupation
Known forFounder and head designer of Andrea Iyamah
Parent(s)Andy Nkwor Iyamah, Onyi Iyamah

Dumebi Andrea Iyamah (born 18 March 1993) is a Nigerian-Canadian fashion designer born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. She is the founder and CEO of the fashion label Andrea Iyamah that caters to bridal, swimwear and ready-to-wear lines. She is known for her take on women's fashion and swimwear, which has been worn by celebrities such as Michelle Obama, Kate Hudson, Gabrielle Union, Ciara, and Issa Rae.[1][2]

Early life and education[edit]

Iyamah was born in Lagos, to Andrew and Onyi Iyamah both of Ika (Agbor) origin as the fourth of four children. She attended Grange School in Lagos.[3][4][5]

She holds a bachelor's degree in Communication and Multimedia from McMaster University. She began her fashion brand in Ontario Canada during her study at McMaster University at the age of 17, she founded the fashion brand with the help and support of her family and close friends.[6]

Career[edit]

Iyamah started building her fashion brand Andrea Iyamah at the age of 17. The headquarters of "Andrea Iyamah" is in Toronto, with a flagship store in Lagos which was launched in 2017[7][8][9][10] In her early days of blogging, she shared her works of art including fashion sketches, portrait drawings, and photography with the digital audience. One of her designs was featured in a popular blog post in 2011 which inspired the creation of "Andrea Iyamah."[11][12][13] She worked on her business while pursuing undergraduate studies, starting out with designing custom couture from clients. She refined the brand to diversify into three main streams, custom bridal, ready-to-wear and swim/resort wear. Officially launching a full swim collection in 2013, her work has garnered attention from press such as Vogue, Elle, Essence, Refinery29, HuffPost, Cosmopolitan and much more.[14][15]

She has staged several fashion shows in Africa, Europe, France, and the United States[16] with major celebrities such as Michelle Obama, Kate Hudson, Ciara, Gabrielle Union, Genevieve Nnaji among others wearing her designs.[17][18][19][20] She showed her Spring/Summer 2020 line at Lagos Fashion Week 2019.[21]

Personal life[edit]

Iyamah is the last child of four children born to Andrew and Onyi Iyamah. Her father was an engineer by education and her mother was a beautician who owned a hair salon, clothing boutique. At the time she was born, both parents were entrepreneurs, owning their businesses. At the tender age of 7, she lost her father and was raised by her mother.[22][3] Her sister, actress Somkele Iyamah, is a director of the Andrea Iyamah fashion brand.[23]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "About A.I". Andrea Iyamah.
  2. ^ Simon, Nila Do. "7 Swimsuit Brands to Have on Your Radar". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
  3. ^ a b "Designer Biography – Dumebi Iyamah Of Andrea Iyamah". onobello.com. Archived from the original on 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
  4. ^ "Fashion Biz: Swimsuit Designer Andrea Iyamah". EBONY. August 2, 2016.
  5. ^ "Post". Creative Pursuit.
  6. ^ "Life, Experience and Edginess - We introduce Andrea Iyamah - DESIGNER". Africa Fashion Guide. August 22, 2014. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  7. ^ "Andrea Iyamah goes from strength to strength". www.pulse.ng. December 21, 2017.
  8. ^ "Genevieve Nnaji, Falana, Papa Omisore, More At Andrea Iyamah's Store Launch". January 11, 2018. Archived from the original on December 26, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  9. ^ Style, BellaNaija (January 10, 2018). "All That Happened at the Andrea Iyamah Store Launch in Lagos".
  10. ^ O, Vickie (January 6, 2018). "Photos: The Andrea Iyamah Store Launches In Lagos!".[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ "" I knew fashion was something I always wanted to do"- Fashion designer". www.pulse.ng. September 6, 2017.
  12. ^ Team, Blavity Engineering. "Blavity News & Politics". Blavity News & Politics.
  13. ^ "Meet Andrea Iyamah | The Corporate Canvas". Archived from the original on 2019-10-17. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
  14. ^ "ANDREA IYAMAH PRESS". Andrea Iyamah.
  15. ^ Sowah, Chermaine (August 13, 2018). "3 West African Fashion Brands You Should Know". Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  16. ^ "Andrea Iyamah's Fashion Showcase | DN-AFRICA Magazine". DN AFRICA. May 21, 2018.
  17. ^ "Andrea Iyamah". www.facebook.com.
  18. ^ "Celebrity Spotted". Andrea Iyamah.
  19. ^ "Gabrielle Union Rocks Nigeria's Andrea Iyamah Jumpsuit To Her TV Series Press Conference". April 23, 2019. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  20. ^ "BN Collection to Closet: Genevieve Nnaji in Andrea Iyamah". February 22, 2016.
  21. ^ "Dumebi Iyamah Takes Us Through Her Brand's Butterfly-Inspired SS20 Collection". BellaNaija. 2020-04-20. Archived from the original on 2020-04-22. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
  22. ^ "Somkele Iyamah biography, net worth, age, family, contact & picture". www.manpower.com.ng.
  23. ^ Emeka (2017-10-05). "18 Things You May Not Know About Somkele Iyamah-Idhalama". Genevieve Magazine. Retrieved 2020-10-02.

External links[edit]

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