Maryanne Otigba and Chinwendu Obichendu are sisters, lawyers, and visionary entrepreneurs whose shared love for fashion led them to co-found Iyanga Woman, a brand redefining ready-to-wear elegance for the modern African woman.
Maryanne, with a deep appreciation for craftsmanship and an eye for detail, established Akwa Iyanga, a bespoke fashion house celebrated for its sophisticated, custom-made pieces. Her design expertise and creative direction now shape Iyanga Woman, bringing refinement and personalization to ready-to-wear fashion. Her legal background helps structure the brand for long-term growth, ensuring a solid foundation for expansion.
Chinwendu, a strategic thinker with a sharp mind for structure, transitioned from tackling financial crimes at Nigeria’s Apex Bank to the fashion industry with purpose and clarity. She oversees Iyanga Woman’s operations, strategy, and brand vision, driven by her belief that elegance should be accessible and effortless. Passionate about event dressing, she set out to help women find stylish outfits without the stress of custom tailoring.
Together, Maryanne Otigba and Chinwendu Obichendu are building a globally recognized brand that celebrates African women while proving that they can lead in both fashion and enterprise. Their work is rooted in impact, structure, and a shared commitment to making sophistication a staple of everyday style. In our conversation with the incredible sisters, they open up about navigating family and business, transforming creative tension into innovation, and building a brand that tells stories through every stitch.
In a few words, tell us how you decided to work together—not just as sisters, but as business partners.
Our decision to work together stems from shared experiences and mutual support. Growing up, we consistently collaborated, and this synergy naturally extended into our professional lives. With our legal backgrounds, we recognized the benefits of combining our skills to navigate business matters with precision and expertise.
Many business partnerships struggle, but partnerships with family can be even more complex. How do you navigate the intersection of family dynamics and business decisions?
Navigating family dynamics and business decisions requires clear communication, defined roles, and mutual respect. In our partnership, my sister Maryanne’s exceptional people management skills complement my strengths, fostering a harmonious work environment. Her ability to understand and leverage our individual strengths enables efficient decision-making and enhances our business’s overall performance.
What’s one thing about your sister that makes your partnership so powerful?
One thing that makes our partnership so powerful is our complementary strengths and trust in each other’s expertise. My sister Maryanne brings a unique perspective and skill set that perfectly balances mine, allowing us to tackle challenges from multiple angles. Our ability to communicate effectively, respect each other’s opinions, and leverage our individual strengths has been instrumental in driving our shared vision forward. It has enabled us to achieve far more together than we could alone, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with someone I admire and trust.
Maryanne, as someone with a design background, and Chinwendu, with your strategic mind—how do you handle creative differences, and what’s your process for resolution?
Maryanne
I view creative tension as a sign that we’re pushing boundaries. When there’s a difference in perspective, I first make sure I’ve really understood what Chinwendu is trying to achieve strategically. I’ll ask: What’s the core goal here? Then I can align my design ideas not just to look good, but to work to drive the right behavior or emotion. I also bring sketches or prototypes early, so we can visually evaluate directions together rather than argue abstractly.
Chinwendu
I see design not just as aesthetics, but as a vehicle for delivering on our strategic promise. So when Maryanne brings a bold visual direction that challenges what I expected, I pause and consider why it feels risky. Is it misaligned, or just unfamiliar? I’ll share data or audience insights to ground the conversation. If we’re stuck, we test. We’ll put both versions in front of real users or stakeholders to see what resonates.
What does ‘having each other’s backs’ look like in the day-to-day operations of building Iyanga Woman?In our partnership, having each other’s back translates to collaborative support and creative problem-solving. When one of us faces a creative block or challenging day, the other provides complementary expertise, encouragement, and motivation. Our partnership is built on a foundation of trust and reliability, giving us the invaluable feeling of having our own person to rely on; someone who helps us navigate challenges, boosts our morale, and drives us forward.
Chinwendu, your desire to help women access stylish outfits “without the stress of custom tailoring” fueled your decision to co-found this brand. What specific pain points were you hearing from women that sparked this ready-to-wear vision?
My passion for helping women access stylish outfits without stress stemmed from observing a common dilemma at weddings. Many women would express frustration about finding the perfect outfit, particularly when not in an asoebi or even when they were, worrying about limited wearability beyond the event. Recognizing this gap, I saw an opportunity to provide a solution, empowering women to effortlessly find and wear stylish outfits that boost their confidence.
Maryanne, Akwa Iyanga built your reputation in bespoke fashion. How did it feel to expand into ready-to-wear, and what did you have to unlearn or relearn in this transition?
Akwa Iyanga was deeply personal for me; it was about heritage, craftsmanship, and storytelling through bespoke fashion. Every piece was an intimate dialogue with the client, a one-of-one. So, moving into ready-to-wear felt both exhilarating and unsettling at first.
What I had to unlearn was the idea that meaning only comes from exclusivity. I used to think: if it’s not custom, can it still carry soul? But what I’ve relearned and this has been humbling is that impact scales differently. With ready-to-wear, you’re not tailoring to one body, but to a broader identity, a collective experience. And that’s powerful in its own right.I had to adapt my process shift from slow, artisanal pacing to designing systems, thinking in collections, not just garments. But I held onto what mattered: integrity in fabric, narrative in design, and that emotional spark when someone wears something and feels seen.
So, it wasn’t about abandoning bespoke but evolving its values into a new form. It’s been a growth arc personally, creatively, and as a businesswoman.
Many African fashion brands struggle with the “local vs. global” tension. How are you positioning Iyanga Woman to celebrate African women while also speaking to women globally?
Our designs seamlessly blend our rich indigenous heritage with modern global trends, reflecting the evolving landscape of African fashion. By fusing traditional elements with contemporary styles, we aim to tell the authentic story of the African woman, showcasing her beauty, elegance, and cultural identity to the world.
Let’s talk about your debut collection, Soul Sisters. What story were you trying to tell through these pieces?
Soul Sisters was a love letter to the women who raised me, stood beside me, challenged me, and helped me find my voice. It wasn’t just about fashion, it was about kinship. Choosing family. The invisible threads that hold us together when life gets loud or lonely. We didn’t just want people to wear the clothes we wanted them to feel seen in them.
What’s one myth about the fashion industry that you’re actively working to dispel through how you run Iyanga Woman?
One myth I’m constantly pushing against is that fashion is inherently exclusive, that it’s only for a certain body, income level, or cultural lens. That idea that style is a club you need permission to enter? I reject it.
With Iyangá Woman we’re saying: you already belong. Your story, your shape, your roots they’re not things to edit out, they’re the blueprint. We design with intention for real lives, not just runway moments. That means inclusive sizing, price points that respect craftsmanship and accessibility, and narratives that center on underrepresented voices.
And more than that, we’re working to dispel the myth that you have to compromise cultural authenticity to be globally relevant. We believe you can honor your heritage without being boxed in by it. Our pieces carry African soul, but they’re not costumes, they’re conversation. They move between worlds, just like the women who wear them.
So, through every collection, campaign, and collaboration, we’re widening the table. Because style shouldn’t be a gate it should be a mirror.
If you could collaborate with any woman—living or historical—on a collection or campaign, who would it be, and what would you create together?
If I could collaborate with any woman, it would be Miriam Makeba. Her voice was more than music; it was protest, pride, and poetry. She carried her culture on global stages unapologetically, and to me, that’s the heart of what fashion should do too.
I imagine we’d create a collection called ‘Unmuted’ a celebration of voice, visibility, and resistance. Each piece would draw from the textures of her life bold Ankara prints paired with soft silks to represent the balance of strength and grace. Structured collars, almost regal, inspired by the stage looks she wore with such quiet power. And hand embroidered lyrics fragments of her songs woven into hems and linings like hidden prayers.
It wouldn’t just be a fashion line. It would be a visual archive, a wearable anthem. Something that invites the wearer to take up space, speak truth, and honor where they come from.
Miriam reminded the world that culture is not a costume, its identity, its legacy. I’d be honored to design alongside that kind of fire.
For the women in our Her Network community who are building their own dreams, what’s the most important lesson you’ve learned about partnership so far?
For us, the most important lesson about partnership is the value of collaboration and mutual understanding. As a brand that thrives on storytelling and emotional connection, I’ve learned that true partnerships are built on shared values, trust, and a deep understanding of each other’s vision. Whether it’s with clients, suppliers, or team members, fostering meaningful relationships has been key to our growth and success. We would encourage the women in Her Network to prioritize building partnerships that uplift and inspire, and to always stay true to their own unique voice and vision.
If Iyanga Woman could be remembered for changing one thing about how women experience fashion or how they see themselves, what would that be?
We envision Iyanga women as unapologetically confident, effortlessly elegant, and driven to succeed. They’re women who defy categorization, embracing their individuality with poise and sophistication. Above all, they’re goal-oriented, inspiring others with their strength and resilience.
| Connect with Maryanne Otigba & Chinwendu Obichendu |
| Maryanne Otigba – @Fine_Wyne |
| Chinwendu Obichendu – @Ada_Onyeoma |
| Iyanga Woman – @Iyanga_woman |
