Crowned in Tulle: Mimi Onalaja, Nigeria’s Fashion Princess

Style Profile Series 1

There are women who dress well, and then there are women who wear joy. Mimi Onalaja is firmly in the latter camp.

A presenter, actress, host, and the soft spoken sparkle at the center of many a Lagos gathering, Mimi has long since secured her place in Nigeria’s fashion conversation, not with noise, but with an undeniable presence. If fashion is a language, Mimi speaks it in cursive.

She belongs to a circle of fashion-forward women (the ones you scroll through after wedding weekends to see who wore what). But Mimi doesn’t get lost in the crowd. She’s the kind of woman who could be tagged in a group photo and still have you clicking to her profile first. Because when you get there? A visual diary of what it looks like to live softly, brightly, and stylishly in one’s skin.

The Girl’s Girl

There’s something unmistakably inviting about Mimi’s presence. Maybe it’s the wide smile. Or the warmth in her captions. Or the way she celebrates other women. She’s a girl’s girl in every sense of the word and that filters into her fashion. Her wardrobe doesn’t scream “look at me.” It says, “come sit with me.” It’s generous, expressive, and light.

She’s also a seasoned host and moderator, especially in women focused spaces. She turns heads at every event not just with her outfits but with her charm too. It’s this blend that makes her so magnetic.

Frills, Flare, Femininity 

To watch Mimi dress is to be reminded of the pleasure in dressing up. She is no stranger to a skirt (mini, midi, or maxi) and knows how to wield a tulle moment like a wand. Her wardrobe leans toward the ethereal; flowy pants, wrap dresses, kimonos that whisper as she walks. There’s always movement. Always air. Even in her more structured pieces, there’s a sense of ease. 

She doesn’t shy away from volume either. You’ll find ruffles, puffed sleeves, wide leg palazzos, dramatic bows, and layered peplums. But never in an overwhelming way. She balances drama with softness. Even her boldest looks retain a kind of whimsy. She reminds us that you don’t have to wear black to be chic. (Though she can do that too, Mimi in an LBD is a lesson in elegance.)

Prints, Pastels, and Power Moves 

Color is one of Mimi’s most powerful tools. Pastels? She lives in them. Lavender, blush, mint green, butter yellow, they all show up often and unapologetically. But she also plays with jewel tones and brights, depending on the moment. Her color choices feel intuitive, not performative. She dresses for herself, but the rest of us get to enjoy the show.

And when it comes to Nigerian prints, Mimi is fluent. Ankara. Aso Oke. Silk Adire. She wears them with reverence but also reinvention. She’s not bound by tradition, yet she honors it. Whether she’s attending a wedding or hosting a panel, her look never feels off theme. Instead, it feels like she’s setting the theme.

In fact, Mimi has become something of a muse for the Nigerian wedding scene. She’s the one blogs watch for the aso ebi breakdowns. And for good reason. Each look is better than the last, tailored to perfection, yet still playful. Her wedding guest fits? Mini fashion masterclasses.

The Designers She Champions 

Mimi’s love for fashion doesn’t stop at wearing it. She’s a walking PR machine for homegrown talent. She wears Nigerian designers like they’re extensions of her personality: Zackstyling by Doyinsola for the bold silhouettes, Abebibytan for romantic layers, Banke Kuku for rich storytelling, and Wannifuga for that effortless luxe.

She’s also been spotted in pieces from Isaleeko From Derin, Lanre Da Silva Ajayi, Huniwrld, and more. These aren’t one-off partnerships, they’re long standing style relationships. Mimi isn’t just a mannequin. She’s a muse. And Nigerian designers are better for it.

Style Pillars: What Makes Mimi Mimi 

If we were to break down Mimi’s style DNA, a few key themes emerge:

• Femininity with substance: There’s a softness to her looks, yes, but never fragility. She’s proof that feminine doesn’t mean weak.
• Movement: Whether it’s wide leg pants or flowing chiffon, her clothes move. She dances through her wardrobe.
• Color confidence: She’s not afraid of light hues, busy prints, or color blocking. In fact, she thrives in them.
• Tradition meets now: From headwraps to lace, Mimi takes cultural elements and reworks them with a modern twist.
• Support for local creatives: She wears her community. Literally. And beautifully.

But let’s not pretend it’s all about aesthetics. Style, after all, is just the surface. What draws people to Mimi, what makes her resonate, is the sense that she’s dressing from the inside out. That her wardrobe is merely an extension of who she is: kind, expressive, and unapologetic.

It’s also no coincidence that she’s emerged as a kind of fashion north star for other Nigerian women. Not just because she looks good (she does), but because she makes us want to look good. She makes style feel fun again. Not aspirational in a distant way, but in a “why not me too?” kind of way.

Her feed isn’t just great for outfit ideas, it’s also full of confidence and grace you can draw from. The way she poses. The way she carries volume and color and sparkle like second skin. There’s something instructive in it all.

If Mimi Onalaja had a style mantra, we think it might be something like: ‘Wear the joy you want to feel.’ She doesn’t dress for the algorithm. She dresses like life is worth celebrating. Every wedding, every panel, every random Tuesday brunch is a reason to show up with care.

In a world where fashion often falls into copycat trends and neutral toned sameness, Mimi reminds us that style is personal. It’s cultural. It’s playful. And above all, it’s expressive. She wears clothes the way some people wear perfume, to linger, to enchant, to say something without speaking.

If there were a fashion crown to be worn, hers would be custom, pastel pink, and probably ruffled.

Long live Nigeria’s fashion princess.

 

 

All photos in this article were sourced from Mimi Onalaja’s official page @mimionalaja on Instagram.