Ireti Ojo – Taking advantage of every fashionable moment

Think of our Woman Empowered’s approach to life and fashion like a master weaver working at a loom. While others might only see a piece of clothing only for its colour, and fabric, she sees the entire outfit before the first knot is tied. She doesn’t just add accessories for the sake of decoration. She builds her creative looks layer by layer, ensuring that even if the world outside is chaotic, her look, and her confidence is strong enough to hold the weight of tomorrow.

When I first sat with Ireti Ojo, I didn’t immediately see the forty-five fashion shows she has anchored in just the last three years. You don’t see the frantic, sweat-drenched backstage air of Toronto’s emerging fashion scene, or the meticulous rows of “Stylist Archive” pieces that have graced the pages of international magazines. Instead, you see a woman who carries herself with a humility so profound it almost feels like a veil.

To know Ireti is to understand that her work: shaping frames, styling bodies, and directing the visual soul of a shoot, is an act of resistance against the fragility of time.

“I’m somebody who loves life and knows that tomorrow is never promised for any one of us,”

Away from the social media credits and the professional bylines, Ireti defines herself through the lens of survival and gratitude. “I’m somebody who loves life and knows that tomorrow is never promised for any one of us,” she says, her voice grounded in a foundation built by her parents. For Ireti, every morning she wakes up is a gift that some are denied, and this awareness keeps her rooted. She does not move through the world with the entitlement of the perpetually seen; she moves with the purpose of the perpetually grateful.

Her journey into image-making was never a calculated pursuit of fame, but a natural evolution of a girl who saw the world in colour. In high school, she was already a quiet disruptor of the status quo, layering men’s blazers and cardigans with brooches. She curated trends from what was available, creating a signature so compelling that her brothers would often raid her closet for their own wardrobes. To Ireti, no colour is taboo, and the outcome of a creative endeavour is only limited by one’s willingness to throw things together and see what sticks.

There is a specific, quiet power in the way she describes her process. She is a multi-skilled visual practitioner: Creative Director, Stylist, Wardrobe Consultant, and Makeup Artist, who is used to wearing every hat on agile, independent sets. When she prepares for a shoot, the work begins weeks in advance. It is a period of deep mental processing where she envisions how a model will “pop” on camera. Unlike many in the industry who rely on temporary pulls from retail stores, Ireti draws from her own archive, using her personal wardrobe to build narratives from the ground up.

A typical day on set with her frequent collaborator, photographer Jim Orgill, is a study in intentional build-up. She starts at 11:00 a.m., working with a level-headedness that belies the inherent chaos of the industry. She has mastered the art of the “build-up,” starting with the most basic looks and makeup and layering on the drama until the final shot is a peak of avant-garde extravagance. This efficiency is about emotional intelligence. She knows that the lights are hot, the hours are long, and the energy in a room can shift in a heartbeat.

“If one starts losing their head over something small, you kind of set the tone for everyone else,” she observes, reflecting on the chaotic backstage reality of fashion. In those moments of high tension, where models must be un-clothed and re-clothed for three different designers in a matter of minutes, Ireti remains the anchor. She understands that while the public only sees the seamless result of the runway, the true work happens in the heat of the struggle.

“Her portfolio is a testament to the belief that creativity is an extension of the self.”

Yet, for all her success, there is a lingering sense that she is still learning to see her own brilliance. During our conversation, her humility was so striking it was almost disarming; it felt as though she didn’t fully realize she deserved the spotlight. Her body of work speaks a truth that words sometimes miss. Her portfolio is a testament to the belief that creativity is an extension of the self, a way to evoke emotion and motivate the soul in a world that can often feel “blah” or boring.

She speaks of the Toronto fashion scene with a fierce, protective pride. She sees the “overflow of talent” in the city’s university hubs and community events, and she laments that this brilliance often goes unrecognized because it isn’t situated in New York, Europe, or Japan. To Ireti, Toronto is a “Force to be reckoned with,” an era of self-appreciation where creatives are finally refusing to be restricted.

However, her most resonant insights are about the sanctity of one’s circle. Ireti is resolute about the necessity of letting go. She speaks candidly about “Toxic vampires, the energy-sucking people who settle for the status quo and pull you back just as you take a step forward. Why do you have to settle for that?” she asks. Instead, she sticks to projects, that truly move her and people who support her growth, “I help out at CCA_CANADA (Couture, Culture and Arts) run by Claris Manglicmot. This has been very rewarding. I also took a styling workshop from Toronto Fashion Academy and another with Brenda Foreman a couple years ago. I had already come with my style, but it helped with networking.’

As she looks toward the legacy she is building, Ireti is focused on the integrity of her time. She wants the older version of herself to look back and know that she took full advantage of every moment because she kept the promise, she made to herself: that life is fleeting. She likens the human potential to a butterfly made to change, made to grow, and made to be promising.

Her work is a different way of looking at an outfit, a way of saying, “Wow, I didn’t know those pieces could go together,” but her life is a different way of looking at existence. It is a reminder that we are all creative beings, often unaware of how much more we could get out of life if we simply changed our mindset and paved our own way.

Ireti Ojo is styling a life built on the bedrock of truth and the urgency of the present. She reminds us that while we might all be scared, if we don’t try, we have nowhere to go. Her archive is full, her eye is sharp, and her spirit is resolute, anchored by the simple, beautiful fact that she woke up today