Bisola Adeniyi Details Lady Biba’s Push for Global Growth and Stronger Nigerian Fashion Production

Nigerian fashion entrepreneur and Lady Biba founder Bisola “Bibi” Adeniyi said her brand was created to serve professional women who wanted clothing that reflects authority, confidence and cultural identity in daily work life.

In an interview published by BusinessDay Weekender, Adeniyi said she launched Lady Biba in 2013 after seeing that much of Nigeria’s fashion market leaned toward weddings, aso-ebi and red-carpet dressing, while many career-focused women had limited locally made options for structured workwear.

She said the central question that shaped the label was simple: what should a modern African woman wear while building her career, leading teams and running businesses? According to her, that question still drives the company’s direction.

Adeniyi said Lady Biba has grown from a Lagos label into what many customers now treat as a workwear authority, with a broader structure built around three lines: Essentials by Lady Biba for everyday pieces, Lady Biba Signature for elevated office and statement looks, and LB Lumina for premium occasion and bridal wear.

She said the long-term target is to build a global fashion house for professional women, combining African craftsmanship, modern tailoring and stronger production systems.

On design language, Adeniyi said she does not treat African heritage as static. Instead, she described it as a living source that can be translated into contemporary silhouettes for boardrooms, conferences and leadership spaces. She said Lady Biba focuses on clean lines, strong structure and fit, while using fabric story, colour direction and proportion to maintain African identity without turning garments into costume.

She said fit remains a major part of that approach because women’s body types differ widely, and proper fit affects both comfort and confidence.

Reflecting on showcases in New York and London, Adeniyi said international audiences often respond less to obvious motifs and more to what she called clarity of identity in silhouette, structure and intentional femininity.

On manufacturing, Adeniyi said Africa’s fashion value chain still has weak points in reliable mid-to-large scale production. She said that gap keeps many brands between boutique success and true commercial scale.

She pointed to Nigerian-grown cotton and the demand for Adire as practical opportunities to build stronger local textile capacity, improve margins and offer clearer origin stories to consumers who value traceability.

“If I had to fix one link today,” she said, “I would focus on dependable mid-scale garment manufacturing.” She added that this middle layer is necessary for consistent quality, delivery timelines and wholesale growth.

Adeniyi also said her idea of power dressing has changed since 2013. She said earlier expressions depended more on rigid structure, while today’s professional women still want presence but with more ease and flexibility. She said Lady Biba now blends flow and structure, including softer interventions in suiting while keeping authority intact.

She described clothing as a “visual language of leadership,” saying first impressions in professional spaces are often formed before anyone speaks. She said dress does not replace competence, but can support presence and reduce anxiety around presentation.

Adeniyi said customer feedback continues to guide the brand. She cited women who reserve Lady Biba pieces for key career milestones and major meetings, saying those stories reinforce her goal of making garments that function as practical confidence tools.

She said the wider mission is durability, not trend cycles, and that Lady Biba’s growth strategy is tied to long-term brand discipline, production reliability and products that help African women show up with clarity in local and global spaces.