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Rikaoto by Me is the proudly Nigerian, proudly African brand owned by stupendously gorgeous, ex-beauty queen from Kebbi State by name, Mariam Elisha. The former Miss Valentine 2007, had always been fascinated by fashion and style since she was a precocious little girl growing up.
As a little girl growing up, her dolls were always wearing the most colorful outfits around as she always always wanted to make them stand out.
What began as a fascination then, later blossomed into a passion while she was at the University of Lagos, where she studied English Language. The need to always stand out, further pushed her to continue with her passion, making clothes for herself and a few friends. It was while at school that she participated in and won the pageant- Miss Valentine.
Winning the beauty contest further pushed her into the limelight and by extension her craft. During her reign she always needed to represent herself and the brand well, so she always made sure to make stand out outfits for herself which got loads and loads of commendations. So not only was she beautiful, she was also skillful to back it up. So it was a good combination of beauty and brain.
The brand’s design ethos is based on the belief in clean lines and unapologetic femininity. “We believe that the female form is a work of art-beautiful and structured that must be well accentuated”. A good designer would help hide the wearer’s multitude of sins, and at the same time help show off the wearer’s best features.
“We work using the best of fabrics and materials to create wearable works of art”.