Dayton.com: Wright State graduate launches contemporary streetwear collection

Christensen Oninku, a graduate of Stivers School for the Arts and Wright State University, is the creator and creative director of his fashion brand, Hause of Oninku. On Friday, April 30, Hause of Oninku released its first capsule collection, entitled “We Should’ve Never Met Like This.” According to Oninku, his first collection is inspired by the fact that he did not receive any formal training before setting out to create his brand.

“I think that part of it has to do with my informal introduction into fashion,” Oninku said. “I’m not technically trained and I didn’t go to school for fashion, so everything that I’m learning is all pretty much secondhand and just learning from mistakes. So, I think that ‘We Should’ve Never Met Like This’ really encapsulates that idea.”

Though Oninku was not technically trained, just one scroll through his Instagram profile will tell you he takes fashion very seriously. The fashionable Columbus resident claims he has been inspired by fashionable icons in the rap music world like A$AP Rocky and Kanye West. At a certain point, Oninku finally had that “aha!” moment and began researching the work of design icons like Raf Simons and Jil Sander in order to emulate the construction and creativity that drives the making of a brand. Eventually, Oninku had the confidence to create his first fashion line.

“There was really just a moment when I decided that I wanted to create clothes — that I wanted to make a brand,” said Oninku. “It took time to fall into myself and to develop my own style, but I think finding out what you love is really important when it comes to developing the ethos of brands because you want to tap into that specific type of audience. For a while, I just would just buy clothes and I would wear them and it felt great. Then, there was a moment where I wanted to make garments for other people to make them feel great.”

Apart from creating quality clothing designed to spark thoughtful conversations, Oninku made it his mission to make contemporary streetwear just a bit more approachable and accessible. Despite the high quality of his pieces, each item is under $100.

A few years prior to launching his first capsule collection, Oninku released a provocative t-shirt that depicted a bald eagle being eaten by a panther. On the back of the t-shirt, it read: “You ought to be ashamed for wearing that.” According to Oninku, he put that message on the back of the t-shirt because he assumed many people would view the front of the t-shirt and say that exact phrase after taking in the message associated with the image.

Despite the fact that the coronavirus pandemic has made it a bit harder to promote his brand and a new collection, Oninku has gotten by with a little help from his friends. These friends (and Ohio natives) include photographer Dom Jackson, videographer Clarence Taylor, lead artist RED and a long list of other friends who have modeled the clothing in photos and videos. Oninku also hopes to make the move from Columbus to New York City in June to further promote his brand in the fashion capital of the country.

In fact, Oninku is already busy crafting his next collection, which will, among other things, include a t-shirt with a photo of his grandmother on the front and her wise saying, “This Too Shall Pass,” on the back.

“I just have so much adoration for my Nana, my grandma,” said Oninku. “I feel like so many people share that same feeling. Grandmas all across the world just have this universal wisdom about them. So, I went personally to my grandmother and asked her if she would be comfortable being on a t-shirt, and I wanted her to come up with a phrase that she loves.”

Those interested in learning more about Hause of Oninku, or who want to purchase an item from the brand’s new collection, can visit Hause of Oninku’s website.

View the original story at dayton.com