Explore every episode of the podcast Bridging The Gap Podcast

Mai Atafo walks through the long, winding path that led him into fashion ✨. He speaks on growing up with parents who wanted medicine 🩺, discovering marketing 📈, almost choosing engineering ⚙️, and eventually finding clarity through design 🎨.

He shares the evolution of his brand name 🔁, why referrals remain the strongest currency in the business 🤝, and how craftsmanship shaped his identity in menswear 🧵.

Mai also reflects on how different his life would have been if Instagram existed when he started 📱, why fashion serves as a form of expression for him 👔, and the surprising moments when his work was mistaken for Tom Ford 😮.

A layered conversation on career pivots, mastery, reputation, and the reality of building a brand in Nigeria’s fashion landscape 🇳🇬✨.

🌟 There is much more in this episode than what you’ve just read. Listen till the end — the gems are worth it.

In this episode of Bridging the Gap, Lisa Folawiyo walks through the arc of a twenty-year career that began at a time when fashion in Nigeria had not yet become an industry ✨. She speaks about leaving law for a path that felt instinctive, creative, and expressive👗.

She explains the discipline that kept her consistent, and the belief that Nigerian fashion could stand on its own 🌍. The conversation digs into her print-first approach — working intentionally with Ankara, Aso Oke, and Akwete — and why choosing materials that are accessible, affordable, and locally grounded has always been central to her practice 🎨.

Lisa reflects on empowerment as a natural extension of her work, her relationship with collection-making, and why every body of work feels like raising something new 💛. She shares how sustainability has been part of her process from the beginning, long before it entered global vocabulary 🌱.

Tune in to Season 2, Episode 3 of Bridging the Gap to hear how her focus and instinct helped shape Nigerian fashion 🎧.

Today on Bridging the Gap, we sit with Fisayo to explore how Kai Collective evolved into one of the most distinct young fashion brands in the industry. She talks through the four-year climb before the brand gained traction, juggling a university degree and building Kai at the same time 🎓✨, and the discipline required to create designs that stand out in a saturated market.

She speaks on team diversity, the magic of having the right people around you 👥, the inspiration behind the Gaia dress 👗, and the role of peer-driven mentorship. She also sheds light on navigating legal battles as a bootstrapped founder, and what creators should know about protecting ideas, trademarks, and creative work in a fashion industry where legal fights often favour whoever has deeper pockets ⚖️.

This conversation is a full playbook for bootstrapped businesses 🚀.

If Fisayo’s journey speaks to you, hit subscribe and share this with another founder or creative who needs it 🤎✨

In this episode 🎙️, Nkiru shares how her mother inspired her journey into fashion and how the lack of access to foreign markets led her to build her own brand. 👗

She talks about starting with a clear community of tall women before even creating a brand, the power of listening to that community, and how expansion really happens when people feel heard. 💬✨

Nkiru also reflects on the magic of influencer collaborations done right and what it means to build a brand that inspires women to try, dream bigger, and pursue what they love. 💫

🎧 Tune in to hear her story and the lessons behind building with purpose.

With over 13 years of shaping the fashion industry 🌍👗, Ejiro Amos Tafiri has become known for her creativity, discipline, and fearless attitude. In this conversation, she takes us behind the seams of her journey, beginning with dressing herself as a young woman, moving through farming and gardening 🪴, continuing into fashion school, and eventually rising into a force whose work resonates both in Africa and globally.

Ejiro shares how her background 🎨 and love for research 📚 continue to fuel her designs, how she learned to calculate every outcome like mathematics 📊, and why persistence and diligence 💪🏾 became the pillars of her career. She opens up about the challenges, the sacrifices, and the choices that shaped her path, proving that her success was never an overnight story but the result of vision and consistency.

Beyond fashion, Ejiro Amos Tafiri reflects on culture and responsibility, her desire to live with purpose, and her dream of seeing African culture celebrated and taught worldwide.

In this episode, we sit down with fashion designer Emy Kasbit, celebrated for bringing African sustainable fashion 🌍 to the global stage through his bold use of Akwete textiles 🧵. He shares the journey of how his brand started in Calabar during his school days 📚, grew through mentorship and resilience 💪🏾, and became a 10-year-strong sustainable fashion house.

From early struggles, to pivotal encounters with mentors like Sharon and Makigo 🌟, Emy Kasbit opens up about the challenges of moving to Lagos with no connections 🚶🏾‍♂️, the breakthroughs that put his designs in the spotlight ✨, and the role women and artisans 👩🏾‍🤝‍👩🏽 play in powering the brand’s DNA.

This conversation is an origin story of creativity 🎨, mentorship 🤝, and persistence, showing how African fashion continues to evolve while making its mark globally. 🌍✨

In this episode of Bridging the Gap, we welcome Lanre Da Silva Ajayi, a visionary who has spent almost two decades shaping African fashion 🌍👗. Known for her fearless use of color and bold prints 🎨, Lanre reflects on how individuality became the signature of the LD brand and why standing out remains one of her strongest points.

She takes us through the changing face of Nigerian fashion, recalling how clients who once hesitated to wear daring pieces now embrace confidence and bold style choices. From her earliest collections growing through referrals to showcasing her work on runways in South Africa, New York, Paris, London and across Africa ✈️✨, Lanre has consistently positioned her brand on the global stage.

Lanre also speaks about the future of the industry, highlighting the importance of stronger collaboration, improved production quality, and the need for manufacturing structures that can sustain real growth. For her, fashion is not only about aesthetics but also about building systems that can drive African creativity and create lasting impact.

On this episode of “Bridging The Gap”, we have the honor and pleasure of welcoming the one, the only, Ugo Monye 🧥.

Without mincing words, Ugo walks us through the arduous adventure of unraveling his talents; breaking down the crucial role his mentors played in helping him establishing AND maintaining certain standards that many thought were unattainable in Nigeria 🇳🇬🌍.

Needless to say, there were innumerable challenges along the way, and Ugo wasn’t shy about talking about overcoming them. Finally, Ugo clearly articulated the future 💫 of the #UgoMonye brand and we can’t wait to see what’s next. 

If you’re interested in fashion, the economics/history of modern day fashion, you’re in the right place and yes, this podcast is for you. Sit back, relax and enjoy!

On our inaugural episode of “Bridging The Gap”by The Fashioned Museum, we are graced with the pleasure of true African Fashion Royalty - if we say so ourselves. Her name may not immediately resonate with you but we have little doubt that Adama Paris has played a key 💪 role in our modern African Fashion journey, thus far. 

More candid than we ever imagined, Adama  shares about her two decades of ploughing the proverbial roads in establishing an undeniable fashion brand - in creativity, storytelling and production. 

For those who may not be familiar with her, Adama is the founder of Dakar Fashion Week which she has initiated, hosted and nurtured since the early 2000s; in addition to this, Adama owns a television network - FA Channel from which she’s currently birthing 💫 a unique array of content and as if that wasn’t enough, is now working on a manufacturing site + fashion hub for designers. 

If there is any nugget 💎 to leave you with, Adama underscores the importance of being exceptional at your craft and building a brand that speaks for you even when you are not there. When luxury brand - Chanel made its debut in Africa, she was specially headhunted to produce the show primarily because @pharrell (Pharrell Williams) had put in a good word for her - he spoke about her and for her even though they had never met in person. [fyi, @pharrell is the current lead designer at Louis Vuitton.]

Another key aspect of the conversation speaks to the criticality of the role of the government (policy, processes and practices) in Fashion and Innovation. Indeed if you consider yourself a fashionista, entrepreneur, or just want to know more about the fashion industry, this episode is for you. Don’t forget to share, comment, follow and like for more! 🤜🏽