Behind the Designs: Get to Know Abisola Omole
Introducing Everyday Art by Abisola Omole. Discover the limited edition collection of cotton throws and scarves for making each day just a little more creative.
Describe yourself in 5 words.
Relaxed, ambitious, creative, honest, & funny.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
So, I was born and raised in London. I have three very cool sisters, and I’m very close with my family. They’ve always been so supportive of my ideas over the years and so they’ve helped me to become the businesswoman I am today. Being a Creative Director, Interior Designer & Writer means that I’m a storyteller at heart, and so whether I’m launching Studio Arva Islington, my concept store that housed my furniture line; designing a size-inclusive clothing collection with renowned fashion brands or launching Arva Spritz, my premium non-alcoholic aperitif, I find that I’m always just looking deeper into the process of things and enjoying telling stories through whichever medium seems right in the moment.
Discover the TBCo x Abisola Collection
What inspires your style?
I’ve always felt like my style was constantly evolving, and I think that’s simply because it’s based on everything that I consume. From the anime I watch, to the houses I get to visit, to the exhibitions I go to see, everything has a part to play in what my current aesthetic looks like, and so that’s always going to change. I think from a foundational point of view, my aesthetic is usually grounded in comfort, ease, and relaxation. I always want to feel at one with myself. I don’t like to feel too out of equilibrium, and so I suppose everything that inspires me or that usually moves me seems to be somewhere within that spectrum of like, romanticism but still calm, or you know, that it makes you think about something deeply but then it still has that sort of like warmth to it, so it all comes back down to being grounded in what I perceive as peace.
Can you tell us a little about your collection?
There are two sides to it. One side I’d describe as timeless & bold, and the other I’d describe as whimsical, soft & inspiring.
I always try to approach everything I do with a timeless nature just so that I never get bored, so I try not to subscribe too closely to trends, and I feel like that’s kind of what I’ve tried to do with this collection. I wasn’t trying to play to the colours of the moment or the patterns that I thought people would gravitate to based on something they might have seen on their favourite celebrity or catwalk.
I want the different sides to evoke different feelings. So, with the timeless and bold side of the Collection, I want people to feel empowered. I want people to feel inspired and curious and make you think and hopefully lead you to a creative place. Then the other side of the collection is a lot more whimsical and soft, and I want people to feel like they can really dream and really relax and find out a bit more about themselves. The pieces lean towards this idea of warmth and comfort, and so I hope people can feel those things when using and interacting with the pieces.
Discover the TBCo x Abisola Collection
Any tips for styling the pieces in your collection?
I always think it’s really fun to challenge perceptions of how we should use certain items and when it comes to throws and scarves, of course, we have the usual ways we all know, you know, thrown across a sofa or maybe something being wrapped around your hair or a bag handle, but with these, I think I want to challenge people to think more about how they can use these products in the typical ways but also the non-typical ways. So, I really like the idea of framing the scarf and having it as a piece of art (make sure you steam it first); I also love the idea of hanging a throw up like a piece of art. I love tapestries and I think this is my modern take on a tapestry and I think having it as a feature piece of art in your space could be quite cool. Fabric is so malleable and so the throw could also be a really nice tablecloth or a cool picnic blanket. I want people to not feel limited by these products is I guess what I’m trying to say. These are only suggestions though and I’ll be very happy when people use them for very typical things as well, so it’s all just about playing around and making the most of the pieces that we decide to own.
