How Adaku Parker Created Dovetailed

This founder is on a mission to help us all add more colour and print to our homes and wardrobes with her African wax print fashion and sewing shop

By: Maddi John

Adaku Parker’s original career trajectory wasn’t supposed to see her creating beautiful textiles with a small team of skilled seamstresses in the UK. The barrister-turned-designer made the leap into the textiles industry after taking several sewing and tailoring classes whilst on maternity leave. Now running her own business, Dovetailed, Adaku creates sustainable and ethical fabrics, specialising in high-quality, vibrant prints, that fuse African fashion with British design – available to shop in-store on Liberty's third floor. Here she opens up the doors to her studio to show us what goes on behind the scenes...

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THE MAKING OF DOVETAILED

How Did you First Get Into African fashion and Sewing?

A chance viewing of the Sewing Bee in 2016 sparked an interest in sewing. Whilst on maternity leave with my second child, I took several evening classes in clothes making, tailoring, African fashion and pattern cutting. At first, I made accessories for myself, friends and family. Then several ten-week sewing workshops later and Dovetailed London was born.

"In my previous life as a barrister, I didn't think that I had a creative bone in my body. However, it turns out that I do.”

You Have One Minute – Describe Your Brand in an Elevator Pitch

We are an African fashion and sewing Brand on a mission to encourage and inspire women to add colour and print to their wardrobes. We believe that fashion should not cost the earth and have adopted an ethical and sustainable model of garment manufacture that means we know exactly who made your clothes and that they are paid fairly for their labour.