Patience Torlowei (born 24 July 1964) is a Nigerian fashion designer. She is the creator of the "Esther Dress", the first piece of couture ever to join the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African Art's permanent collection.
Early life
Born in Enugu to Ijaw parents, Torlowei graduated from the Textile Arts and Technology faculty at the Yaba College of Technology. She moved to Belgium in 1989. As a fashion designer, she has worked to create bridal clothes, lingerie, and ready-to-wear attire. She founded her first fashion line, Patience Torlowei BVBA, in 2006.
Career
A dress designed by Torlowei, Esther, is currently owned by the National Museum of African Art (NMAA) in Washington, D.C. It is the first piece of haute couture to enter the museum’s collection. The dress depicts scenes of oil and diamond extraction and war, and is made from a variety of materials including gold fabric. It was previously featured in a 2014 fashion show at the museum.
Torlowei was also included in the 2019 exhibition, “I Am… Contemporary Women Artists of Africa”, at the NMAA.
See also
References
- "The dress comes out of pain: Patience Torlowei creates fashion from the highs and lows of modern Africa", Washington Post, August 22, 2019.