Timisola Shasanya is one of a trio of fashion designers who showed as part of Hi-Fi’s London Fashion Week collective in September. The non-profit arm of counterculture disruptors and tastemakers Hidden Agency, Hi-Fi provides a creative canvas and supportive ecosystem for designers facing the commercial difficulties of existing in a prohibitively expensive fashion capital like London.
Following on from previous Hi-Fi recipient Maximilian Raynor’s runway show, Timisola presented her collection “Runners” alongside fellow CSM alumna Ella Douglas at the same East London venue. Entitled “Runners”, the menswear collection melds intricate textures, techniques and tactility with a storytelling arc that speaks to her multicultural and multi-chaptered upbringing between Nigeria and rural Kent.
A story of migration and resilience, one that’s never been more apt, it’s an assemblage of pieces, demonstrating that Timisola not only crafts beautifully constructed clothing but also emotions. That craftsmanship is the product of a fashion education that includes the prestigious Institut Francais de la Mode, as well as Central Saint Martins. It has been further refined by internships with iconic designers and global fashion houses, including JW Anderson, who alongside Barbour provided Timisola with surplus fabrics and fibres that she used in the creation of “Runners”.
Noctis speaks to Timisola about her influences and inspirations, the role that Hi-Fi’s played in the brand’s development, and her future aspirations.
Congratulations on your collection “Runners”. What influences did you draw from to make it and what is the significance of that title?
The title “Runners” originates from a fabrication method I first explored during my initial year’s White Show project. For that body of work I looked into the lives of housemaids in Lagos and the intricate, often painful, power relations between them and their employers, known locally as ogas. My research drew on firsthand testimonies from older generations recalling their youth, alongside memories of a houseboy I knew while growing up in Lagos. To deepen the narrative, I incorporated real broom bristles into the fabric. The broom, an everyday household object, is commonly associated with cleaning, but also with punishment and control. By embedding it within the work, I sought to reclaim and transform its meaning using a material linked to pain to create something beautiful. Every stitch, every bristle, carries layers of memory, labour, and an effort to confront histories that are too often ignored.
How do these influences manifest themselves in the pieces we saw?
They appear through my choice of material from the emotion of the broom to the waxed cotton and metal that all carry traces of migration and resilience. Within each piece I wanted to narrate the feelings of tension especially through wearability and how objects and materials can transform once you embed into reality.
Can you tell us about the techniques and fabrics you used to create “Runners”?
For the technique I embedded broom bristles into waxed cotton and tarpaulin using a pleating as a technique. These materials, drawn from my Nigerian surroundings, were manipulated to resemble leather.
You showed at LFW as part of the Hi-Fi initiative alongside Ella and Maximilian Raynor, a previous Hi-Fi recipient. How important has Hi-Fi’s support been in allowing you to do that and how has being part of that platform increased your visibility?
Hi-Fi was such a turning point. It allowed me to expand on my BA collection in a way that felt natural and resourceful using what I already had and pushing it further. The support meant I could create something new out of existing materials, which really aligns with how I work: transforming the familiar into something reimagined. Being part of that platform also gave my work visibility beyond the academic space; it connected me to a network that values narrative,
experimentation, and cultural storytelling.
Many of the fabrics you used to make “Runners” were sponsored by Barbour and JW Anderson. How did that come about and what difference did having access to those materials make to the creative process?
Those sponsorships came through my BA collection and the British Fashion Council scholarship. Having access to Barbour and JW Anderson’s excess fabrics was such a gift. It gave me room to reinterpret my ideas and add new dimensions to “Runners”. The challenge was to take materials tied to traditional British menswear and twist them through my own lens, merging that heritage with the textures and rhythms of my Nigerian background. It made the process feel layered, cross-cultural, and honest.
Your pathway to this collection includes studying at Sarabande and CSM and interning with Ferragamo, the aforementioned JW Anderson, and Jawara Alleyne. How did these experiences prepare you for creating “Runners” and what lessons have you taken from them into your own practice?
Sarabande came early for me. I was awarded a scholarship in my first year, and having their support gave me creative freedom from the start. Studying at CSM was about community, being surrounded by people who were so fearless really pushed me to go deeper, to take risks. Each industry experience shaped me differently. My time at JW Anderson was far from my personal aesthetic, but it taught me the importance of experimentation whilst also understanding
how precision and construction goes hand in hand with creativity and fluidity. Ferragamo was a dream – working under Maximilian Davis was inspiring, especially seeing a Black designer redefining heritage codes with such refinement and depth. And Jawara Alleyne was one of my first internships; that experience set the precedent for my design experience. Working for Jawara was incredible. I learnt how to design with freedom and spirit. It showed me the importance of being raw, emotional, and intimate. All of these moments helped me form my own language, one that sits between craft and emotion, structure and soul.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future? Is menswear something you’ll continue to focus on?
Yes, but I see menswear as a space to challenge, not conform to. I want to expand my sculptural language, continue exploring material identity, and build a body of work that merges fashion, art, and cultural narrative.
Follow Timisola Shasanya on Instagram
Read our interview with Hi-Fi Founder Liam Gleeson
Words: Brian James
Photos courtesy of Hidden Agency