David Lewis (Nigeria) | Class of 2021
At Jacobs University Bremen, one will often come across students donned in bright, printed dungarees and pants. These items of apparel have a distinct look to them and give its customers not only a sense of comfort, but also an added persona and they are a product of one student’s creative hobby and passion.
Meet David Lewis, founder of Lewini, a clothing line that creates timeless pieces with unique combinations of colours, shapes and patterns. Based in Lagos, Nigeria, Lewini sells its clothing to online customers in Europe, USA and the rest of the world. David is involved with all the operations of Lewini – from designing and production to sales and customer management. He also organises regular photoshoots where students from Jacobs University model for his brand’s marketing purposes. “Lewini started in 2016, after a couple years of designing and making clothes for myself. I decided to take the next step and make clothes for other people and establish a clothing label. It also gives me a space to be innovative and use my interests to bring recognisable value to the world,” said David.
David is currently a second-year student of Global Economics and Management. Jacobs was one of his top choices while applying to universities – he wanted to learn a new language and experience a culture different from what he was normally used to. The student body and cultural pool at Jacobs University provides David with a platform to stimulate a vibrant and energetic community at Jacobs, but also to grow his business. “I find myself fortunate to be able to build a clothing brand while learning and growing in a community as diverse and unique as the one here at Jacobs. The feedback I get from the different backgrounds and cultural perspectives of students here gives me valuable insights on how Lewini could operate.”
How does Lewini operate currently? “Currently, since I am in Germany, I design my outfits here and send them as scanned copies to the tailors back home (Nigeria) who I've trained and taught to know the Lewini styles and cuts. They help me produce the pieces in bulk and have them shipped to me to upload and sell on our website. Most of our sales happen online to our customers around the globe- and frequently we have events here on campus where we get the Jacobs community together to celebrate and enjoy the Lewini spirit, culture and vibe.”
Recently, with help from a few friends, David released a short documentary film, titled “Stories of A Dream”. It spoke at length about the origin story of Lewini and stories that lead to its founding; it was screened in a multimedia room on campus and was attended by nearly fifty students. “The Lewini Dream encapsulates a spirit of boldness, creativity and curiosity; a deep desire to do things differently and communicate thought-provoking and positive messages through unconventional means. At the core of what we do is create pieces of clothing that offer people an opportunity to be the creator of their persona and define every element of themselves through their Lewini outfit.”
So, what’s next for David, and for Lewini? “Our next upcoming collection is our winter collection which drops on Friday 29th November and lasts for round about a month. We will also be on the runway for the third time this year, at Johns Hopkins University. As for me, I’m looking forward to spending time with friends and family over the winter break – it has been a packed semester. I will also be attending the Berlin Fashion Week in January.”
For more on Lewini, visit:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0jZJaazxcsyFWJLPXw-5bg
https://www.instagram.com/madebylewini/?hl=en
You can watch his documentary, “Stories of A Dream” here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYVkgaZsgNI
Check out some of the Lewini outfits:
