Her sculptural leather design, EXUVIA, draws on the human body and natural moulting to explore transformation, protection and renewal
By Staff Reporter
NAIROBI, KENYA | 4 SEPTEMBER 2026 — Nigerian designer Omosalewa Ogunjimi has been named the Real Leather. Stay Different. (RLSD) Africa 2026 Most Commendable Designer, taking the continent’s top honour with her innovative leather design, EXUVIA.
Ogunjimi’s winning work impressed the judging panel with its bold approach to structure, transformation and modular design, setting it apart from a highly competitive field of emerging designers from across Africa.
Inspired by the human spine and ribcage, as well as the natural process of moulting, EXUVIA explores themes of resilience, protection and renewal. Rather than treating leather simply as a surface or decorative material, Ogunjimi makes it an integral part of the garment’s architecture.
Its modular construction allows the design to be transformed and presented in multiple configurations, giving the piece both functional and visual versatility. The result is a sculptural garment in which material, form and storytelling work together.
That combination of creativity, craftsmanship, functionality and material experimentation ultimately helped EXUVIA distinguish itself during the final stage of the competition.
As Africa’s Most Commendable Designer, Ogunjimi will now represent the continent at the international RLSD competition in Bangkok, Thailand, from 27–29 October 2026, where her work will compete alongside designs from other regions of the world.
For Ogunjimi, the achievement represents an important step in developing a design identity centred on structure, function and storytelling.
“EXUVIA is a reflection of my design language where structure, functionality and storytelling come together to create something distinct. I’m honoured to carry this work forward and represent Africa on the global stage,” she said.
From concept to finished design
Now in its fourth year in Africa and sixth year globally, Real Leather. Stay Different. challenges emerging designers, creatives and design students to rethink the possibilities of leather while exploring its creative, sustainable and commercial potential.
The 2026 Africa edition attracted hundreds of designers from more than 12 African countries. Following several rounds of evaluation, 15 finalists from Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Uganda advanced to the final stage across the Apparel, Accessories and Footwear categories.
For the finalists, however, reaching the final was only part of the challenge. They had to demonstrate that their ideas could move beyond sketches and concepts and become functional, finished products.
The process required them to take their designs from research and initial sketches through concept development and prototyping before producing their completed pieces.
It was this journey from idea to execution that formed a central part of the final judging process.
The finalists presented their work before an international panel of six industry judges, who assessed each entry against five criteria: Individuality, Conceptualisation, Relevance, Sustainability and Commerciality.
It was during this final assessment that EXUVIA made a particularly strong impression.
Lead Judge Preston Viswamo described the concept as “spectacular” and Ogunjimi’s work as “really outstanding”. He highlighted her creativity, modular approach, design development and prototyping, while also recognising the strength of the project’s sustainability proposition and commercial potential.
A design built around transformation
The judges’ response reflected one of EXUVIA’s defining qualities: its ability to connect an abstract concept with a practical design solution.
Ogunjimi’s exploration of moulting provides the conceptual foundation for the work, using the natural process of shedding and renewal as a metaphor for transformation. The references to the human spine and ribcage further reinforce the garment’s themes of protection, resilience and the body.
At the same time, the modular construction gives the concept a functional dimension. The garment can be altered and presented in different configurations, allowing the wearer or presenter to interact with the design in more than one way.
This balance between experimentation and usability was central to the project’s appeal. While EXUVIA has a strong sculptural identity, its development also demonstrates Ogunjimi’s effort to translate an ambitious idea into a tangible and functional product.
For the judging panel, that progression — from research and concept through prototyping and into a finished design — demonstrated the level of development expected of a strong commercial design proposition.
Taking African design to the world
Ogunjimi’s victory now gives her the opportunity to take EXUVIA beyond the African competition and onto the international stage.
At the Bangkok competition, she will meet designers from other regions and present her interpretation of leather within a global creative environment. The event will also provide an opportunity to showcase the breadth of emerging African design and the ways in which contemporary designers on the continent are experimenting with traditional materials.
Her achievement is also aligned with the broader purpose of RLSD Africa: to give emerging designers a platform to develop their creative and technical abilities while demonstrating that leather can support innovative, sustainable and commercially viable design.
With EXUVIA, Ogunjimi has taken an unconventional idea and developed it into a distinctive piece that brings together material, structure and narrative.
Her win marks the culmination of a demanding design process and the beginning of a new chapter as she prepares to represent Africa at the global RLSD competition in Bangkok this October.
