Abba Folawiyo, an Ageless Matriarch
Ageless beauty and fashionista, Chief ( Mrs.) Abba Folawiyo, is a showstopper any time, any day. If you are not drawn to her commanding dress sense, you will be stopped in your track due to her graceful steps. Yet, all these belie the fact that she is well advanced in age. Unarguably, she fits perfectly into the description of a radiant Queen.
Wife of the late Baba Adinni of Yorubaland, Alhaji Wahab Iyanda Folawiyo , businessman and philanthropist, hit the limelight gracing the covers of some popular newspapers and magazines. Folawiyo, owner of the upscale fashion outfit, Labenella, has clothed top celebrities in and outside the country.
Famously called Sisi Abba, her love for fashion design first blossomed when she was 15, but she became a professional at 25 to the admiration of all.
However, unlike some others, the secret of her continued relevance is simplicity and ability to understand the trend; she never loses touch with modern trends in the fashion world.
Her passion and commitment to fashion is such that she designs from her heart, rather than from her head, and so she puts in a lot of loving effort into every design at Labanella, making sure that what she makes for people are what she would wear herself. She founded Labanella creations in 1978, and in 1981, it was formally incorporated as a limited liability company. The outfit, one of the foremost and most successful in the country, became a pace setter and has participated in fashion shows, in some of the world’s major fashion centres such as London, Paris and New York. In 1986, the company staged shows in many West African countries in a project known as “Labanella goes Ecowest”. Society Happenings gathered this innovation was well applauded far and wide as this further established her as one of the greatest fashion icons in the country.
Back in 1963, Princess Abba had emerged as the best designer at VC- 10, award in Ghana. Presently she is the matron of fashion designers association of West Africa ( FADEWA) and the Matron of Honour of Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria ( FADAN).