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Autumn Adeigbo

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Autumn Adeigbo
Born
Poughkeepsie, New York
CitizenshipUnited States
EducationSpelman College
Parsons School of Design
OccupationFashion designer
AwardsNeiman Marcus Fashion Award (2022)
Websitehttps://autumnadeigbo.com

Autumn Adeigbo is an American designer of Nigerian heritage. She is the founder of the eponymous women's ready-to-wear and accessories brand. Adeigbo's company became the first brand led by a female, black designer to raise more than $1 million in venture capital funding.

Biography

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Autumn Adeigbo was born in Poughkeepsie, New York to Nigerian parents. Her mother is of the Ibo tribe and her father is of the Yoruba tribe.[1] Adeigbo grew up in Illinois and Indiana, where her mother moved to attend medical school.[2]  Adeigbo's father is an artist and writer. According to Adeigbo, she got her interest in fashion from her mother, who sewed her clothes when Adeigbo was a young girl.[3]

Autumn Adeigbo graduated from Spelman College with a degree in Economics, as well as from Parsons School of Design with a degree in Fashion Design in 2005.[4] She interned with Betsy Johnson, worked in retail at Anna Sui and Paul Smith, and assisted celebrity fashion stylists Andrea Lieberman, Leslie Fremar, and Rebecca Weinberg.[5]

Adeigbo started developing her own collection in 2009.[6] The designer's first collection consisted of seven African inspired dresses. At the time, she was working as a fashion assistant at W magazine and hostessing at New York City hotspots The Lion and STK restaurants.[4]

In 2014, Adeigbo launched a program in Ghana for women, teaching them hand beading for fair-trade wages. She went on to launch three additional fair-trade pilot programs in Nigeria, Kenya, and Rwanda.[7]

In 2016, Autumn Adeigbo created the namesake brand.[8]

In 2017, she started working with angel investor Christopher Elliott, who invested in her first official collection, which was presented in 2019.[9][10]

In 2019, Autumn Adeigbo was named a Tory Burch fellow at the Tory Burch Foundation. She became one of 12 finalists who competed in the Fashion Institute of Technology's Design Entrepreneur program.[11]

In 2020, Adeigbo raised $1.3 million in venture capital funding for the development of a brand.[12] The brand Autumn Adeigbo became the first brand led by a female, black designer to raise more than $1 million in venture capital funding.[13]

In September 2021, she raised additional funds in the amount of nearly $3 million, led by venture capital firm Offline Ventures. Cameron Diaz, Gabrielle Union, and Mila Kunis also participated in the round in addition to the Global Impact Fund.[14][5]

In the same month, Autumn Adeigbo became a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) when she was invited by chair Tom Ford.[15][16]

In 2021, she raised a second round of funding bringing the total to $4.2mm in under two years led by Offline Ventures co-founders Dave Morin & Brit Morin and Chris Howard & Leah Solivan of Fuel Capital (Solivan is the founder of TaskRabbit).[17]

Adeigbo launched her first First Holiday collection in 2022.[18][19]

Brand

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The brand was originally inspired by the designer's Nigerian heritage. Autumn Adeigbo uses elements of modern, luxurious and vintage clothing in her collections. She aspires to invest in women along the design production and distribution chains.[20][6] The designer collaborates with women.[5] Adeigbo creates clothes in bright colors with prints and patterns.[21]

Clients of the brand include Mila Kunis, Gabrielle Union, Kerry Washington, Charli D’Amelio, Mindy Kaling, Busy Philipps, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Blunt, Amanda Gorman, Kelly Clarkson, Florence Pugh, Jessica Alba, Sincerely Jules aka Julia Sarinana, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lizzo, Selma Blair, Zooey Deschanel, Kerry Washington, Katherine Schwarzenegger, Kristen Bell, Gabrielle Union, Blair Eadie.[22][23][24][25]

Adeigbo received the Fashion Designer on the Rise award at the Neiman Marcus-sponsored National Black Arts Fine Art + Fashion Awards on April 7, 2022.[26]

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References

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  1. ^ "18 Black-Owned Accessories Brands to Support This Month and Always". Vanity Fair. February 26, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  2. ^ "Designer Spotlight: Autumn Adeigbo | Moda Operandi". Moda Operandi. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  3. ^ "4 Ways The Luxury Market Is Becoming More Sustainable". The Zoe Report. April 30, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Scharf, Lindzi (March 17, 2021). "She dresses Amanda Gorman and Kerry Washington. Here's how Autumn Adeigbo styles herself". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Johns, Nikara (December 21, 2021). "Designer Autumn Adeigbo's Colorful Dresses Are Taking Over Fashion — Now She's Tackling Shoes". Footwear News. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  6. ^ a b "How Sustainable Fashion Is Finally Becoming Less Elitist". Bustle. May 13, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  7. ^ "Autumn Adeigbo | Parsons School of Design". www.newschool.edu. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  8. ^ Johns, Nikara (November 2, 2021). "Nordstrom Removes Jeffrey Campbell Product That Knocked Off This Black Designer". Footwear News. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  9. ^ Ell, Kellie (July 30, 2020). "EXCLUSIVE: Designer Autumn Adeigbo Secures $1.3 Million Investment". WWD. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  10. ^ "Autumn Adeigbo Is The Designer Who Wants You To Be "The Bright Spot In Every Room"". The Zoe Report. April 29, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  11. ^ Ell, Kellie (September 27, 2021). "EXCLUSIVE: Autumn Adeigbo Raises Nearly $3 Million for Nameplate Fashion Brand". WWD. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  12. ^ "Autumn Adeigbo Spring 2022 Ready-to-Wear Collection". Vogue. November 10, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  13. ^ "Ethically-sourced and sustainable gifts from BIPOC entrepreneurs you should consider". Fortune. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  14. ^ "Black-Owned Fashion Start-Up Autumn Adeigbo Raises Nearly $3 Million To Expand Business". POCIT. Telling the stories and thoughts of people of color in tech. September 27, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  15. ^ Feitelberg, Rosemary (September 7, 2021). "CFDA Welcomes 12 New Members, Creates Two New Tiers". WWD. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  16. ^ "CFDA". cfda.com. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  17. ^ Ell, Kellie (June 22, 2022). "EXCLUSIVE: Cameron Diaz, Mila Kunis and Gabrielle Union Invest in Autumn Adeigbo". WWD. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  18. ^ "Autumn Adeigbo Resort 2023 Collection". Vogue. July 8, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  19. ^ Moore, Booth (July 7, 2022). "Autumn Adeigbo Resort 2023". WWD. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  20. ^ "Inside Autumn Adeigbo's Inspired and Joyful "Everyday" Style". Coveteur: Inside Closets, Fashion, Beauty, Health, and Travel. December 20, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  21. ^ Sessoms, Janelle (August 29, 2021). "7 Black-Owned Sustainable Brands You Need On Your Fashion Radar". StyleCaster. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  22. ^ Moon, Jacorey (December 23, 2021). "Mindy Kaling Stuns in a 'Joyously Indian' Bejeweled Outfit With Highlighter Pink Pumps". Footwear News. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  23. ^ Johns, Nikara (January 21, 2021). "Kerry Washington's Plaid Power Suit Gives a Nod to Black Female Designers at the 2021 Inauguration". Footwear News. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  24. ^ "Busy Philipps Is Really Mad at Carrie Bradshaw". InStyle. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  25. ^ "Zooey Deschanel is a vision in the stunning figure-flattering dress of our dreams". HELLO!. August 19, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  26. ^ "Designer Autumn Adeigbo Has an A-list Line-Up of Celebrities Investing in Her Brand". Grazia USA. June 23, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
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