TOLU

My name is Tolulope which means “To God be the glory” but I go by Tolu for short. My name comes from the Yoruba language in Nigeria, where I was born, but, having dual citizenship my family moved to Canada by the time I was two. 

Initially we moved to Ottawa, but I grew up on the east coast living the most idyllic life. It was fun and carefree; the people were warm (despite the actual temperatures and crazy snow we’d get) and the sense of community was strong. Eventually though, we did move back to Ontario, settling in the Niagara region. I grew up a small-town girl but have always had greater aspirations and loved adventure.

Having the opportunity to travel across the globe from a young age my parents instilled a sense of wonder and the importance of exploring outside one’s comfort zone and learning about new places and cultures. We’d go to Dubai, Hong Kong, Brussels or anywhere in Europe for March breaks during elementary and high school. This passion to explore, learn and push my limits is part of what helped me make the biggest decision of my life (so far), to attend medical school in Ireland. Though my Irish saga has since come to an end, I am so grateful for the six years I spent in Dublin. Most people want to do a semester abroad, but I got to do my whole degree. All the experiences, memories and friendships have shaped me into the woman I am now.

Fashion is defined as 

1. a prevailing custom or style of: dress, etiquette, socializing, etc or 

2. the conventional usage in dress, manners, etc or

3. the make / form of anything. 

In the sense of customs and style, fashion has always been a part of my life, it runs deep in the different west African cultures distinguishing tribes and families, but even more than that my mother’s style has had the greatest impact on me. Most young adults would have issues or concerns with being “styled” by their mother, but to this day I am more than happy to have her buy my clothes (she also has a higher price point than me, haha). Her closet is something legendary and the way she can fashion (to give particular shape of form to) looks, even more so. Her shoes, bags, dresses, gowns, power suits and don’t even get me started on traditional wears and the jewelry are all things I admired watching her creatively and instinctively put together.

I am currently involved in research studies in Canada and the United States, but with COVID putting the brakes on most non-essential hospital work I began looking into who am I apart from my clinical career. While looking into my other passions, this one found me. 

So here I am, excited to be a part of the ME family, pushing my limits yet again while exploring this new life and art. 

Height: 5’ 8”

Bust: 32

Cup: DDD

Waist: 30

Hips: 42

Hair: Dark Brown/ Black

Eyes: Brown

Dress: 8

Shoe: EU 40 / US 9.5 / UK 7