Jadesola Rawa is a beautiful, hardworking and tenacious woman. She is the founder of ready-to-wear Afrocentric fashion brand, Melia by Jade.
Jadesola has vast experience in media, television production and public relations spanning almost a decade across different organisations in Nigeria. She started out as the Media Officer at the Nigerian Economic Summit Group.
First time I met with Jadesola in person, was at the Bellafricana ACE Awards at her exhibition stand. I was drawn to the beautiful pieces she set out on display, and I thought to go by her stand and she welcomed me with chocolates! If you know me then you know I can swap my best friend for chocolate (don’t tell her please).
Like I said earlier, Jadesola is the founder of Melia by Jade, a clothing brand that uses Adire, Tie & Dye, Kampala, and Batik to design contemporary outfits such as Shorts, Jackets, Playsuits, Cape dresses, Pants etc for the modern-day woman. Jadesola is passionate about building a brand that mixes art with wearability, making every woman see the fun, sexy side of herself.
The Melia by Jade brand started when Jadesola was on holiday in Dubai and a foreign lady took interest in her Adire robe which she had on that day. She agreed to send the woman a piece back in the UK, and viola! we now have the amazing Melia by Jade brand because she tried her best to fulfill a promise.
Just in case you were wondering, her brand name Melia by Jade was coined from a hotel she stayed at while in Dubai, called Melia chain of hotels. The name Melia means “feminine beauty” or something “ethereal”. So when you hear “Melia by Jade” just remind yourself that we are talking about “feminine beauty by Jade”…. I think you get the gist.
Jadesola is a lover of Arts and paintings. Little wonder why the tagline of her brand is “wearable art” She finds inspiration from everyday items and infuses them into her pieces. Part of the aim of her business is to empower other people. This is why all fabrics used for her pieces are sourced locally (Both in Nigeria and from other African countries) and the manpower used from planning to production and to packaging are all home sourced.
Jadesola believes that no one should be afraid to change directions. If something doesn’t work, sit, pray, reflect and start on a new path with a clean slate. (Told you she was tenacious).
Scroll down to view some of her beautiful pieces below.
You can also connect with Jadesola Rawa on Instagram @meliabyjade to purchase her pieces.
The Verified Tribe is a segment on the Bellafricana digest focused on celebrating entrepreneurs and business owners who’s businesses are listed on the Bellafricana Verified Network of Afrocentric Businesses.
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