Adele Dejak Jewels and Clothes’ Designer - Founder of Adele Dejak “Unlike any other!” was Adele Dejak’s reply when asked by Vogue to describe her style in three words, and nothing holds more true regarding her designs. The Nigerian-born, British-raised designer first studied Law at Middlesex University in London; however, her love for art and design was so obvious through her choice of clothes and colours that her colleagues at the university were almost certain that she was an art student and not a law student, something which did become true not long after that. Later on, Adele studied Graphic Communication at Blake University in London, as well as Typographic Design at London College of Communication, which is now called London College of Printing, from which she earned her degree in Typographic Design. Adele Dejak started her art career as an Art Director for one of the most popular Italian magazines before moving to Nairobi, Kenya, and launching her own label. Her love for design started at a young age when she started to collect African beads at the age of five, not to mention she was strongly influenced by both: her mother and grandmother who had unique tastes in clothes and jewellery, and always stood out as the most stylish women around. Even though she started designing her own personal jewellery, which always received positive feedback from everyone who saw them, Adele was wary of taking the bold step of launching her own label. It wasn’t until she moved to Nairobi, and through the insistence of her friends and a chance encounter at a party, that she finally made the decision to start her own business in 2005. She started with only jewellery and accessories’ design, and had only one staff member; and by 2015, Adele’s business has expanded to include other lifestyle collections, such as: handbags, belts, and sandals, and the company’s size has increased to include 30 permanent employees, as well as other independent small-scale artisans. Adele has always had a personal relationship with jewellery, and what inspired her to start her own label was her desire to be unique, distinctive, and to stand out, and since she couldn’t find anything in any available stores to help her achieve that, she resorted to designing her own bold and chic jewellery. Her jewellery designs really were “unlike any other”, clearly reflecting her beautiful and colourful African roots; combining history and heritage with a modern twist. Each piece designed by Adele is a statement in its own right, aiming to make women feel empowered by her unique and bold designs. She believes that “It’s not time to be shy anymore,” which is one of the messages Adele has conveyed in her designs, and wishes women everywhere to believe in it. Written by Yasmine Mokhtar