Ayishat Akanbi believes that personal style is something that should be accessible to anyone and everyone. Her passion is to help others find their confidence to dress in a way that articulates and emulates their personality. She believes that clothes are not just something you ‘throw on’, but are a way to express who you are.
Ayishat Akanbi | Culture, Race, Class Speaker
Having gained a degree in Media and Cultural Studies, Ayishat has a strong interest in and opinions on socio-political issues surrounding race, class, gender, identity, bullying, sexuality, homelessness, gangs, the prison system, drugs and addiction. She believes it is paramount to educate young people on the political parties and what they stand for. Her aim is to help make politics more engaging for young people and campaigns for it to be taught in schools.
Amongst other accolades, Ayishat has been featured in publications including GQ, Fiasco, Stylist, RWD, The Mirror, Labrinth Vevo and Live Magazine. She has appeared on Style Revo TV, Channel 4 and CNN; she has also been a stylist on Channel 4’s My Hotter Half, BBC3’s The Rap Game UK and featured on BBC’s ‘A Day in the Life of’ special.
Ayishat Akanbi | Stylist
She has styled and consulted for companies such as Reebok, Nike, Converse and Adidas, and worked with clients including Amir Khan, Labrinth, Wretch 32, Emile Sande, Rizzle Kicks, Ed Sheeran and Craig David.
With an online social media following of over 200,000, Ayishat uses her platforms to raise awareness on a number of important issues such as racial and gender equality. “Many who would have been otherwise uninterested in politics and social issues, unintentionally learn about the world around them. Through tweets, memes, videos, vines and Facebook posts, the language barrier between politics and young people has been broken.”
Ayishat Akanbi | Racial Equality Campaigner
She also campaigns for racial equality and believes we all (no matter our race) have to have conversations with ourselves about the silent prejudices we hold: “Did you expect a particular accent when you spoke to your Indian Uber driver? Do you find yourself covertly impressed by a black boy with an elaborate vocabulary?” She believes the mainstream media has a big part to play in how we develop unconscious bias and prejudice.
Ayishat has put everything she knows about style and social change into a book. The Awokening: Clarity, Culture and Identity in the Web of Chaos – due to be published in early 2023 – has been branded a “timely critique of wokeness”. In the books she explores how grievances previously overlooked such as racism, homophobia and mental illness are now publicly discussed topics.
