like you are starting all over again. it's not a bad thing per se, but I wanted to be sure.” He also talked to Troora about the importance of building a community around his brand. Eventually, in 2020, Temisan figured it out, and Dukun was born. The name, “Dukun” comes from Temisan’s surname Ogharadukun, which means “enemies have become friends”. Simply put, Dukun means to become friends. When Temisan launched his first two collections for men, he drew inspiration from the traditional style of shirt called Kemeje—the Itsekiri
men’s dress shirt often worn with a wrapper underneath. The silhouette and volume of the Kemeje change, with taste, trends, and function. The Itsekiri people can be found in Nigeria’s Niger Delta area. The Intricacies of Sourcing and Creating
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As Temisan began to travel, he acquired new tastes, encountered new traditions, and again infused them into his creations. Moving from Warri, Delta state to Lagos, Nigeria, one of the largest cities in the world, meant that he would come across a more diverse culture and traditions from all over the world. “Lagos is a very cultural place,” he says. “It provides a lot more function for my work just for being a cultural hub” The culture of Lagos allows for places and events where Dukun would fit for how people express style; art exhibitions, concerts, and even just dining with friends. Temisan’s creative process evolves from and merges with his local heritage and the freedom that Lagos gives. In his first two collections, one can see the fusion of the Lagos and Itsekiri cultures come into play. The first collection was Prologue, suggesting the beginning of a story and an expectation of more to come. Most importantly, one can see the deliberate use of the English word, Prologue, to pass a clear and simple message to a diverse city like Lagos. This desire to communicate in a less complex tone was reflected in the Prologue collection, as it leaned more into urban and minimalistic designs. Dukun's second collection, Ugha mi—the Itserkiri phase for “my compound,” referring to a traditional Nigerian home style—presented a more elaborate and extravagant piece, with more patterns and guts. Temisan explained that the choice for Ugha mi was to portray that every piece has a personality, just like different homes make you feel something unique when you step into them.
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