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Yemi Osunkoya (23 April 1966 – ), full name: Adeyemi Oluyomi Osunkoya, is a British Nigerian fashion designer now living in the United States. He is the Creative Director and Owner of the fashion brand Kosibah which specialises in couture bridal and women's evening wear.

Early life
Osunkoya was born in Ibadan, Nigeria in 1966, the son of Babatunde Olusiji Osunkoya, a professor of immunology and chemical pathology at the University of Ibadan, and Beryl Cosiba Osunkoya, a midwife at University College Hospital Ibadan.

He attended the International School Ibadan and the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife where he studied textile design and fine arts.

He learned couture sewing techniques at the Paris Academy of Fashion.

He relocated from Nigeria to London in 1988.

Kosibah
Osunkoya founded the fashion brand Kosibah in London in 1991 (incorporated as a limited company in 2002). He named the company after his mother but, in Yoruba tradition, modified the name slightly to avoid the disrespect implied by using his mother’s name directly.

Osunkoya never worked for another designer; he started his own label out of necessity: “It coincided with the recession of the early 90s in the UK. Nobody was hiring so I set up on my own.”

Kosibah specialises in bridal and women's evening wear based on Osunkoya’s design preferences; he finds menswear “boring”. Kosibah employs the same couture techniques as the Paris haute-couture houses.

In 2016, Osunkoya relocated from London to New York where he is now based. He opened a branch of Kosibah in New York City in 2017 which is now the brand's principal base of operations although the brand retains a studio in London.

Fashion shows
Kosibah and Osunkoya have been invited to fashion shows as representative of black African and Nigerian high fashion design. Osunkoya has shown collections at:

Prominence as a black designer
Osunkoya has been featured as a prominent black designer in the UK and in the US in a field which has few black exemplars. He was featured in recent press coverage as the only black designer on the Bridal Council and as one of few black-owned businesses serving the wedding industry.



Osunkoya (left of group) attending a reception celebrating West African Culture at St James's Palace hosted by HRH Prince Charles (right of group). Osunkoya was invited as a prominent West African designer who had designed a gown worn at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton (Duke and Duchess of Cambridge).

Personal life
Osunkoya now lives in Harlem, New York.