About Us

Hebedi originated from, keen desire to propagate the rich art and unique traditional textile of southwestern Nigeria, while also encouraging cross cultural communication. We use traditional textiles to produce contemporary designs while also considering the social, environmental, and cultural impacts.

Hebedi’s founder Islamiyat Lawal is wife to a US army officer, mom to an amazing baby boy, and a graduate student about to earn her PhD in chemistry. She was born and raised in Nigeria where she briefly attended fashion school before resuming for her graduate studies here in USA. She launched Hebedi in May 2022 (7 months postpartum) with funds saved from graduate school stipend and some loans from family. Since then, she has been running Hebedi on a one-person team, employing local Nigerian artisans, who dye the fabrics using ancient traditional techniques, and tailors who bring the garments to life.

All Hebedi clothing is designed in USA and handmade in Nigeria with high quality, long-lasting, ethically sourced and sustainable fabrics. Every piece of Hebedi clothing represents a novel compound made from equal proportions of “History”, “Uniqueness”, and “Art”. The history speaks to the generations who have perfected the local textile dyeing and weaving art for centuries. The Uniqueness and Art embodies the originality our creative designers and artisans put into each piece.