The rise of Tokyo James in the fashion industry has been steady. Just a decade ago, he was a stylist and creative director, working throughout Europe and directing digital campaigns for brands like Puma and Brioni. Then came Rough UK, his digital magazine where he worked as an editor. And now, the British-Nigerian designer has become one of Africa’s most celebrated fashion designers.

As a child, James didn’t pay attention to fashion though he came from a very stylish and exuberant family who exposed him to an overwhelming width of Nigerian clothing. However, in James’ teens, he discovered his voice and found an eccentric love for style.

James founded his eponymous menswear brand in 2015 with the mission to offer modern men a simplistic choice of fashion with an avant-garde taste. Bold and experimental fabrics are something synonymous with the brand Tokyo James. With more emphasis on texture, the brand operates with a traditional technique, using structured silhouette and unique sartorial sense for clothing to create unconventional elegance.

Currently, James is one of the 8 finalists of the 2022 LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers out of the 1900 applicants of this year’s prize. In previous years, the prize has witnessed African talents like Thebe Magugu, Kenneth Ize, Bayo Oke-Lawal and Lukhanyo Mdingi.

OkayAfrica spoke with Tokyo James about his intro to fashion, growth, finding his brand and being a finalist of the LVMH prize.