For this Meet the Makers we meet Alejo Mi. Tumi, the creative mind behind the brand, describes its style as ‘afro boho chic’ and we couldn’t agree more! With uplifting colours and conceptual compositions, it’s clear Tumi’s Nigerian heritage encompasses the identity of the brand, even though Tumi left Nigeria for England aged just 7. Meaning ‘My Guest’ in Yoruba, Tumi’s native mother tongue, Alejo Mi stands to represent the help yourself spirit. With lots of things to decorate and enhance the beauty of your home, Tumi’s purpose with Alejo Mi is to provide. From coasters to wall prints, Alejo Mi creates a cohesive aesthetic transporting you to her mother land. With such an important contextual history and heritage behind the brand, we sat down with this maker to learn more about how identity impacts product.
Can you tell us a bit about where you grew up and how that may have influenced your work?
I was born in Nigeria and lived there until I was 7 when my family moved to West Yorkshire. What a culture shock! From the sub-Saharan heat to seeing snow for the first time. My art allows me to revisit my memories of Nigeria and allows me to marry with that with other African indigenous patterns and motifs. Every now and then I also like to mix other shapes based on how playful I’m feeling at the time. My work is always a mix of all of these things.
Can you share any notebooks or sketches with us to show an insight into where some of your projects began?
Yes, I prefer to draw on loose sheets of paper. I find that I reserve a sort of reverence for sketchbooks, which I almost treat as sacred spaces. Not every sketch will make it into a sketchbook unless I really love it. Below, I have a selection of different sketches and how they start. My love for the widely enjoyed African delicacy of fried plantain (a banana-like fruit that is eaten cooked) is celebrated in my earlier prints. I did several iterations of the print and after much manipulation I was happy with it and titled it ‘Plantains on Blue’.
How do you typically start a project? Do you tend to begin with rough sketches or do you prefer to start digitally?
Every Alejo Mi print starts its life as a pencil and paper sketch. Once I am happy with the sketch I add colour using paints or watercolour markers. I have started experimenting more with digital art, but I follow the same process, by starting off with a real life sketch. I love to work on all sorts of different mediums, but watercolours have my heart. I find I have greater control and precision with these tools which allows me to feel better connected to what I am drawing or sketching.
Do you have a favourite artist or designer that has inspired your work?
When I was younger, I really loved the work of Henri Matisse for the vibrancy and the boldness within his works. Then shortly before I started my Architectural studies at university, I fell in love with the work of Antoni Gaudi. I have always had an affinity for artists who challenge this idea of acceptability and those who do so with bold colours and vibrant shapes. Fast-forward to today, I am currently inspired by an eclectic mix of visual and audible art. I read Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in the summer of 2010 and was greatly inspired by the stories which brought up my memories from my earlier childhood and brought to the forefront my desire to express cultural art that relates to my own earlier influences growing up in Nigeria.
Where do you see your art going in the next couple of years?
I would love to see my art in more homes. I would love to see my art prints gifted to friends, my coasters on the desks doing their bit to brighten the work space. To do this, I would love to partner with more brands and boutique shops to release more home décor and giftable items.
Browse some of Alejo Mi’s designs
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