At just 20 years old, a visionary woman is making a name for herself in fashion as she brings together her love for knitting and her bold heritage.

Shewa Adewusi is the 20-year-old founder of Interwoven Label, a Knitwear clothing business from Manchester.

“I was born in Nigeria and grew up in the UK. I’m Yoruba, so much of my culture is about attention-grabbing designs. We have traditional clothing such as Ankara. 

“Yoruba culture is very bold, which inspires the boldness in my designs.

 “Because I grew up with a Nigerian mum, she loves wearing bright colours, and that kind of influenced me; it’s part of what makes me go for that bright yarn,” says Shewa.

The vibrant colour palettes in Shewa’s designs speak to the rich cultural influence of her Nigerian heritage.

Despite being so young, Shewa had a vibrant vision of what she wanted to create and how she wanted to make women feel in her designs.

“I was looking for inspiration and was inspired by other fibre artists.

“When I first started my business, I decided that I wanted to make something prompted by my love for knitting and crocheting.

“My family encouraged me and told me to start it.

“I first started with bags. I would crochet ribbon together, but I wanted to do more. I knew at the time it was just me thinking too small because I was dealing with imposter syndrome.

“I just wanted people to feel confident and beautiful wearing my pieces, and I wanted it to be colourful and bold.”

“When I’m picking colours, I want the colours to complement our skin colour,” says Shewa.

Her designs are made bespoke to hug the curves of her clients, and she prioritises them feeling empowered by her clothing.

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She inspired hand crocheting and handcrafting at a very young age.

“The first time I developed the hobby or skill of crocheting was in year 7. There was a knitting club, and I joined it, and that’s where it started. I’ve always been a very creative person.

“That’s when I started knitting. I’d go home, get all my materials together and knit little teddy bears,” says Shewa.

A seemingly small moment in secondary school started the trajectory of Shewa’s passion, which would one day be a business.

Along her journey, despite Shewa taking a short break from knitting while in school, it was only a matter of time before she found her love for knitting again.

This is what led to her narrowing down her niche of crocheting.

“It was a hobby that died down, but in lockdown, I started knitting again, then I thought – let me crochet. I had that passion for it.

“I’d knit these leg warmers that I’d wear to school, and people would see them and like them. That’s when I realised people were actually appreciating it. 

After a long year of university, with a long summer ahead of her, Shewa decided to start her business.

Her years of perfecting her skill and craft were now being poured into something she was passionate about sharing with others.

“One of my favourite parts of the process other than creating is the feedback. Seeing people wearing the things I’ve made makes me so happy. 

“Because my clothes are made to measure, hearing it makes people feel comfortable in their body, and makes them feel comfortable on holiday makes me happy,” says Shewa.

She encourages other young women like herself to rebel against their imposter syndrome and pursue their passions.

“I would say to them that they should just start, don’t worry about planning, don’t worry about being perfect and don’t worry about being seen trying. I wish that I’d started sooner,” says Shewa.

Shewa’s designs are more than clothes; they symbolise her heritage, creativity, and courage as a young entrepreneur.