The University of North Texas is a school of unique individuals and Tolu Augustine Falana is no exception. Tolu manages designing/promoting/selling clothing, being an up-and-coming social media fashion icon, staying active on campus, and getting A’s all at once.
Name: Tolu Augustine Falana
Role: Entrepreneur/Designer/Style Icon
CollegeFashionista: What is your interest in fashion?
Tolu Augustine: Fashion always sparked my interest, even as a kid. I used to watch TV shows and remember every part of a character’s outfit. It’s crazy. Back when I couldn’t really have clothes and wore my brother’s hand-me-downs, I still dressed the best I could. My interest, for now, lies in the street-wear culture. Fashion is something I’m still completely a student to. Above all, I want to influence, innovate, and bring positivity to my peers through fashion. I want people to look at the way I dress, along with my designs, and be inspired to be themselves and try something new.
CF: What led to you start your various projects?
TA: I spent a lot of late nights in my room drawing and thinking of ideas with music in the background. One day I just said “You know what? Let me bring this all to life.” Seeing it all come into fruition is still surreal.
CF: Where do you draw inspiration from?
TA: Hate to sound cliché, but everything. When it comes to fashion, designing, and putting things together in general, nothing’s off-limits. I’m kind of a weird dude; I analyze pretty left-field things. A lot of what I observe, hear, and feel stick with me and find their way into everything I do.
CF: What’s the hardest part about running a business in college?
TA: Finding a balance. I like to be on top of everything, and I’ve noticed that when you focus on one thing, others fall short. School for me isn’t just class; I’m in many different programs and organizations. You can’t just schedule in what I do, and say “I’m going to be creative from 8:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.” It doesn’t work like that.
CF: What projects are you most proud of?
TA: I’d like to touch on a recent project: MOVE MNTNS. My favorite quote goes, “the most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any (-Alice Walker).” I’ve noticed that as people, mainly African-Americans, we have a mental ‘ceiling’ over our heads. Through MOVE MNTNS, I wanted to remind people that you can do great and be great. I wanted to remind people that you can not only climb mountains, but move them too. You can truly change the world. I chose four inspiring icons: Tupac Shakur, Nina Simone, Bob Marley and John F. Kennedy, using visual waveforms of their interviews, speeches, and music that embody this. The support/success from MOVE MNTNS was unreal, but empowering those around me through it is one of my greatest achievements.
Learn More: Want to keep up with this young mind? Find him on Instagram/Twitter at: @tolu_augustinee or on Tumblr.
