There is something quietly radical about the way Toluwanimi Amusa, founder of Nimizcloset, approaches colour. And as I, Omoyemi Akerele, Founder of Lagos Fashion Week and creative lead at Style House Files observed the collection through the lens of someone who has spent years documenting the trajectory of African fashion, I felt that familiar spark of excitement. In an era where loungewear has become a second skin for millions, most designers have leaned into beige minimalism and safe, desaturated palettes. Toluwanimi, instead, seems to ask a more interesting question: What if comfort could feel electric? What if softness didn’t have to disappear?
Her “Neon Splash Loungewear Collection 2021” lands precisely in that space, balancing loud colour with an unexpectedly gentle visual rhythm. The pieces echo tie-dye culture but carry a new precision and harmony that suggest intention, not nostalgia. As a critic, I have seen many designers attempt this balance, but very few achieve the level of chromatic control Toluwanimi demonstrates here. The results are playful without being juvenile, bold without being abrasive.
In the lookbook, the first set, a long-sleeved crop top paired with fitted shorts holds the eye in a way that feels almost painterly. The neon gradients melt into one another like wet pigment on stretched canvas. Movement seems built into the fabric itself, almost like the colours shift when the body shifts. It is, I think, one of the quiet markers of Toluwanimi’s design intuition: she understands that colour is not decoration but communication. Having reviewed countless collections across global fashion weeks, I can say that this sensitivity to colour is something Omoyemi Akerele often identifies as a hallmark of visionary emerging designers.
The second silhouette, a relaxed tee layered over streamlined cycling shorts, grounds the collection. The softness of the top contrasts with the saturated palette, creating a balance many emerging designers struggle to achieve. There’s a kind of emotional ease to it, the sense that the wearer is allowed to feel beautiful and comfortable at the same time. Very few loungewear collections succeed at that.
From a construction standpoint, the seams are clean, the stretch is forgiving without losing shape, and the fabric choice feels deliberate. Nothing is overdone. Nothing tries too hard. Toluwanimi manages to keep the garments approachable while still nudging the boundaries of what loungewear can look like for women who want colour to reflect their confidence rather than conceal it.
What stands out most, though, is the clarity of vision. Many emerging designers chase trends, but Toluwanimi builds worlds. This is not a one-off experiment in colour; it’s part of a growing signature recognisable across her work at Nimizcloset. The brand’s focus on expressive loungewear for real bodies gives the collection a relevance that reaches beyond aesthetics. As Omoyemi Akerele notes in several of her critical essays, true innovation often emerges from designers who design not for the runway alone but for the realities of everyday women.
If the global market continues to move toward personality-driven comfortwear, as many analysts predict, Toluwanimi is positioned not as a follower but as one of the early architects. “Neon Splash 2021” is not merely vibrant; it is assured. It suggests a designer with a point of view and, perhaps more importantly, the discipline to express it with coherence.
It is always refreshing to encounter a collection that feels like the beginning of something rather than an echo of something familiar. And in this work, Toluwanimi proves she is not just designing clothes. She is designing mood, energy, and a kind of vivid self-permission. As someone who has spent her career championing the evolution of African design, Omoyemi Akerele recognises collections like this as early signals of a designer stepping confidently into her own language.
