Ade Bakare

The Ade Bakare (Couture) London was founded by Ade Bakare in 1991 with a loan from the Prince of Wales Youth Business Trust (PYBT).

Ade Bakare gained a BA History (Education) degree from University of Lagos Nigeria, in 1987. He then graduated in fashion HND from Salford University College in Manchester in 1990.While at college, he came 2nd in the National Student Bridal Competition, which was shown on "This Morning"on ITV.

He gained a lot of his couture experience working for Christina Stambolian and Victor Edelstein who had haute couture houses working as a Design Assistant.

The Ade Bakare label, which is couture influenced, is a rich blend of creativity and modernity. The collection is shown twice yearly and sells to outlets in England and abroad.

Currently Ade Bakare designed the wardrobe for the actress Fenella Fielding who played the Duchess of Windsor in a play "A Dangerous Woman" by Paul Webb. Apart from designing for, Ade Bakare has designed outfits for vocalists, singers and group bands.

Among some of his top socialite clients include royalty, actresses, musicians, celebrities and wives of members of parliament.

Recently (Summer 1998) saw the launch of the Ade Bakare Hat line, which has gained good recognition. He was filmed for the Ascot 98 season on GMTV as one of the leading designers Ladies chose to have their outfits designed by. He received a lot of national and international coverage in the media. St Martins, London and Salford University College, Manchester, are some of the places he has lectured on fashion. One of his main pastimes is working with charity organisations, which include the Breast Cancer Campaign Society, the Society for the Blind and Sickle Cell Anaemia for Children.

Ade Bakare won the "business Man of the Year 1998"award. This was organised by the African business ventures, sponsored by Western Union and Nat West Bank. In August 2000,The Trumpets gathering of Africa's best presented an award to Ade for his contribution to the positive image of Africa and Africans through fashion. Also in October 2000, Ade Bakare received the Nigerian independence achievers award for significant and outstanding success in the British fashion industry.