By Mide Olabanji

From the patewo of Yoruba people to enslaved Africans employing cornrows as escape maps, Black hair has always transcended the boundaries of beauty, often spilling into territories of storytelling and architecture. 

Ajoke Lawal, Nigeria’s multi-niche braid expert, is a contemporary reminder of how fluid Black hair is, as well as its importance to art and storytelling. Nifemilarj, a now ubiquitous brand name from the combinations of her names “Nifemi,” “Lawal,” “Ramota,” and “Ajoke,” originally began from playing with dolls. 

“My interest in hair started when I was little. Because I loved grooming and playing with my dolls, I’d plait their hair. Then it graduated to friends and old mamas in my street that allowed me to experiment with their hair,” she tells AMAKA.

In the music industry, Lawal has directly worked with Asake, Adekunle Gold, Teni the Entertainer, Shekhinah, Sgawd and Lady Donli, as well as models in Pheelz, Oxlade and Kizz Daniel’s music videos. In the fashion and creative industries, she is acquainted with Ashley Okoli, Oyinkansola Dada, Oyindamola Aleshinloye and Tolu Oye. Her work has graced magazine covers and fashion campaigns for Kadiju, Meji Meji, Zashadu, Orire, and many others. 

One of Marriam-Webster’s definitions of music is “an agreeable sound”. This indicates that there usually is the exchange of an idea between musicians and their listeners. Music videos are another way that these ideas are reinforced, and this normally takes place through the help of other creatives, such as hair and wardrobe stylists. The creatives brought in help to accurately bring these ideas to life. 

Although her experience in the industry has been a mix of both good and bad, it remains one that Lawal will forever cherish. “I’m really grateful for all the iconic people I’ve gotten to work with so far,” she says. Like a mother to many children, it is hard to pick a favourite industry to work in. “Regardless of the field, they all equally bring out my creativity. But I must admit, working on beauty editorials tends to bring it out more,” she reveals.

Lawal’s process of creating a hairstyle is not one-dimensional; ideas, clients’ preferences, sketches, and mood boards all come into play. “I mostly start by discussing with my clients about the ideas they may have, or if they would just prefer me to do my thing. Sometimes people like my friend, Tolu Oye, come up with sketches to inform the eventual look. It usually is the case for her brand’s shoot or when she wants a specific look for an event. After the agreements are reached, I get my necessary work tools and create,” she details.

A subsidiary of Dada Gallery, Lagos Is Burning is an annual ballroom celebration of art and fashion in Nigeria’s creative city, Lagos. For its third and most recent edition, Lawal was the hair stylist to two of its attendees, one of which is Oyinkansola Dada, the founder. Lawal is also one of the collaborators of Kadiju’s sustainability-informed art pieces. “Just like the icing on a cake, hair can play an important role in crowning a look, and it did in these cases,” is her response to hair’s contribution to art. “A person, a sketch or a wig are all forms of art that I am always happy to add my hairstylist touch to. It just gives them an additional elevated look,” she adds.

A swift look at her work, and braids and cornrows are an easily discernible motif where Lawal reinvents traditional Yoruba and African hairstyles, such as suku and patewo. Her work is usually exaggerated, hard-to-miss and over-the-top. She agrees to having a niche and although people try to confine her to certain hairstyles, she doesn’t feel restrained. “Like my artist friend Lolu always says, beauty has too much of a range to just stick with one genre, so I am always maintaining flexibility with my art,” she explains. Beauty is as general as it is specific, and to Lawal, “beauty is boundless.”

“I prioritise beauty of the past, the beautiful women who have lived before us,” she says regarding her brand.

Tolu Oye, whom Lawal fondly refers to as a “darling friend,” is one of the people who inspires her. “Because I love being creative and am incredibly passionate about hair, I also inspire myself, pour into my craft and am always promoting my art. Women of the past generations too,” she says. In the near future, working with even more renowned stakeholders in the music industry including TG Omori, Tems and Tiwa Savage are her goals. “In five years, having achieved set personal goals, I see my brand as world renowned for my unique hair artistry,” she concludes.