Muyiwa Togun
My name is Muyiwa Togun, Founder and CEO of Roy Urban Kollection (RUK), an African textile, art and fashion manufacturer and brand. I am a self-made artist, textile and fashion designer, pulling inspiration from my Yoruba roots and my lived experience as a Nigerian youth navigating poverty, systematic oppression, and assimilation into a new culture as a recently immigrated resident to the United States.
The idea for RUK evolved during a difficult period in my life. I was working as an IT professional in Nigeria when I was laid off unexpectedly and went through a period of intense unemployment which left me homeless and sinking into poverty. I always held a passion for art and used this period to master traditional Yoruba fabric making, and growing Roy Urban Kollection into a production team of artists, tailors, and operations specialists.
Since its inception, RUK has participated in numerous fashion and art events globally and was featured in Philly’s 2020 Fashion Week @philly_fashion_week, African Fashion Designer of the year 2021 @afdaworld, Black Music City 2021 and 2022 award shows @recphilly, the recipient of the Comcast Rise Award 2022 @comcast and the Philadelphia Textile Exporter Award 2022 (Philadelphia Award Program).
We aim to expand our African textile production and training programs in the United States with a focus on providing technical and income-generation skills, and wellness through fun, light, and color. Our training program has assisted many to branch out into the textile industry as entrepreneurs and fashion designers. We partner with women and youth-led organizations, artists, entrepreneurs, and individuals simply interested in the textile arts.
Extending the cultural practice of African textile making within the diaspora and across borders is how we will continue to honor the legacy of our ancestors while serving our future, young and female generations through community development and cultural preservation.