Why I launched ‘The Fashion Roundtable’ show – Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi

2026-03-15 - 05:27

By Ayo Onikoyi Media personality and entrepreneur Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi has announced the launch of a new talk show, The Fashion Roundtable, aimed at spotlighting the untold stories and realities behind Nigeria’s rapidly growing fashion industry. The show, which will premiere exclusively on YouTube on March 19, 2026, is designed to provide a platform for designers, models, stylists and other industry players to share candid conversations about their journeys, challenges and successes. According to Olateru-Olagbegi, the idea behind the programme is to move beyond the glamour often associated with fashion and explore the real experiences of those who power the industry. “I created The Fashion Roundtable because I wanted a space to have real, honest conversations with the people who are shaping Nigeria’s fashion industry,” she said. Olateru-Olagbegi, who also co-hosts the popular culture talk show Off-Air, noted that while audiences often see the finished products on runways and social media, the hard work and struggles behind the scenes are rarely discussed. She added that the show is coming at a time when Nigerian fashion is gaining increasing global attention, making it important to document the industry’s evolution and the stories of the people driving its growth. Each episode of The Fashion Roundtable will feature guests discussing how they started their businesses, the challenges they have faced, how they overcame setbacks and the strategies they used to finance and grow their brands. The show will host a diverse lineup of industry professionals, including celebrity stylists Swazzi and Zack Aminu, model Ruth Vader, footwear designer Kiing Davids, as well as designers such as Nkiru Achukwu of Zephans & Co, Morenike Olusanya of Bawsty and Aanuoluwa Ajide-Daniels of Aso. Viewers can expect several revealing moments from the series, including Kiing Davids’ attempt at producing women’s footwear, which he later abandoned, as well as the story of Zephans & Co selling over 35,000 outfits within a year. Another highlight will be Bawsty’s first pop-up event, which reportedly attracted 600 registrations and sold out in less than two hours. The Fashion Roundtable premieres on YouTube on Thursday, March 19, 2026.