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Tribe of dumo: History and Company
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Tribe of Dumo, previously known as Afro Kouture was launched in Houston, Texas in 2015 as an African-Inspired accessory line. In August of 2016, the Fashion House chose to rename itself to Tribe of Dumo. "Tribe of Dumo" coined from the designers West African last name "Odumodu" literally translates to mean "LION". Symbolically, this translates to "STRENGTH". This name originates from the IBO tribe in Nigeria. As a people, the Ibos have been know for their industrialism, artistic qualities, drive for educational improvement and business development. Both designers of this brand belong to this tribe and they share the same qualities as the Ibo people. Our choice of textile and prints comes from the love of our tribe, country and nation. The history of our bold prints is believed to stem from one prevailing theory. In the mid-19th century, the Dutch enlisted of West African men, both slaves and mercenaries to beef up their army in Indonesia. While there, these men took a liking to the local handicrafts and brought these Indonesian prints, now known as ANKARA, back to their home countries. Since then, these beautiful prints have been the predominant choice in many African Designers around the world.
African Fashion boasts of the use of beautiful bold prints and textiles and our mission is to bring this love of African Fashion to the worlds stage and intertwine our textiles with everyday western styles making every man, woman and child feel like a part of the Fashion Tribe, the Tribe of Dumo, where Culture meets Couture.
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Tribe of dumo: The Designers
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Chioma Osibodu (nee Odumodu): She has always thought of herself as a designer at heart. She currently has a career as a Nurse Practitioner and caters to the health needs of her patients. She always believed she was gifted with her hands and learnt how to sew at the age of 17 after graduating from high school in Nigeria. Also an entrepreneur at heart, she always believed there was more to her than her career. She believes in "birthing" ideas from the inside, never taking "No" for an answer and striving to be the best you can be.
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Ijeoma Odumodu: She is the creative Director behind our brand. Currently attending The Art Institute of Houston, she has risen to the top and made a mark for herself while chasing her dreams to design and create. An entrepreneur at heart, she has always wanted to design and create fashion forward pieces that stay true to the simplest form of design, but are yet edgy and playful. Her passion for fashion and design is overwhelming and channeled towards pushing the envelop in the design world. Working alongside her sister, Ijeoma is able to balance her persona with her co-partner.
Both women share a passion for the arts, but also a passion for women, especially those in business. They are also co-owners of Bosses In Heels LLC a for-profit entity in Houston, Texas that centers around female empowerment, business development, education and mentor-ship. They utilize this platform to showcase products belonging to other female business leaders and starters in their community.
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Whenever they are not designing, they are building and elevating the minds of business owners to accept the well known adage
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"The strongest factor for success is confidence. Believing you can do it. believing you deserve it. Believing you will get it."
John Assaraf
