Abiodun Tokunbo, the celebrity stylist who’s now Baba Ijesha’s wife

For years, Abiodun Folashade Tokunbo, the Nigerian fashion designer, remained behind the scenes; her hands busy with fabric, her name whispered in the corridors of Nollywood as the stylist who could make anyone look like a million dollars.

But a few days ago, Tokunbo, who is the CEO of Anjy Luminee Couture, the Lagos-based fashion house also known as House of Luminee, stepped out from behind the curtain and into a very different kind of spotlight.

She is no longer just the woman who dresses the stars. She is now known to be the wife of Olanrewaju Omiyinka, the controversial movie star better known as Baba Ijesha.

On Monday, Baba Ijesha announced that he welcomed a baby boy with Tokunbo. The film star also appreciated the fashion designer whom he called “my ever beautiful wife, strong Jagaban,” while introducing their son as “King Kagar Omiyinka”.

On her part, Tokunbo disclosed that this was their first child together after 12 years, referencing her daughter. It, however, remains to be seen if the lovebirds have been together for over 12 years.

WHO IS ABIODUN TOKUNBO?

Tokunbo hails from Ijesha Isu, Ekiti state, where she was born as the sixth daughter in a family of eight. She completed her primary education at Hosanna Africa Primary School and her secondary education at Methodist Girls High School. She subsequently obtained a National Diploma in Banking and Finance from The Polytechnic Ibadan, and later earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Lagos State University.

Tokunbo launched her fashion brand in 2013, shortly after completing her final examinations at LASU. Her big break came when Nollywood actress Mercy Aigbe discovered one of her designs online and reached out to the model featured in the post.

The model then shared Tokunbo’s contact details, leading to a collaboration that would launch her career into the spotlight.

“I started my brand in 2013 and that was right after I finished my final papers at LASU. I didn’t want to sit at home while I waited for my results that were typically going to take two years to be out, so I went back to my first love,” she said in a 2019 interview.

“I was always going to Oshodi, and I would buy materials and borrow people’s machine to sew and give to models to wear. It was on one of those occasions Mercy Aigbe saw my design on the internet and she contacted the model who in turn shared our contact and the rest is history.”

Tokunbo has worked with a lot of A-list actresses and socialites such as Mercy Aigbe, Shola Shobowale, Ini Edo, Queen Silekunola M. Naomi Oguwusi, Tayo Odueke (Sindodo), Mide Martins, Mercy Johnson and Angela Okorie.

Others are Bobrisky, Tonto Dikeh, Ope Dolapo, Eniola Badmus, Fathia Balogun, Olaitan Ogungbile, Eniola Ajao, Oge Okoye, Kemi Afolabi, Omoni Oboli, Nkechi Blessing Sunday, Ayo Adesanya, Aduni Ade and Chidinma Ekile.

“When making clothes for celebrities, I consider their personalities and body types, and I make sure that whatever I design for them fit perfectly. I also pay attention to details because I know that as stars, whatever they wear would be under intense scrutiny, so there is no room for errors,” she said in another interview. (TheCable)