After the 18-year-old Somerville native went viral on TikTok for crocheting her prom dress, her dream of becoming a fashion developer is starting to come true.
“It’s flexible. Like you could really create something out of chords”, told MassLive, referring to the power of crocheting clothing. “It’s thoughts- blowing. But, I think that’s why I stand out”.
Just four days before the May graduation at Somerville High School, one of Akinbuwa’s closest associates made the request.
Akinbuwa was aware that she had to wait so long to find a gown. So she made the decision to actually get issues into her own hands.
“The moment he told me, I went to buy fabric for the dress”, Akinbuwa said. “I see people buying their dresses, but I don’t see people making them. I simply made my decision.”
Akinbuwa documented her voyage through fashion in a. The TikTok records her needlework while she is lying on the floor before listening to lots of pink embroidered flowers on an ottoman.
The movie’s information reads “simply going for my dress” while the picture itself reads, “POV: crocheting my graduation costume because it only cost $60 but also cost no sleep for time.”
Akinbuwa’s TikTok has garnered more than 26 million perspectives as of Thursday, June 27. Akinbuwa didn’t realize how much traction the video would actually gain, despite her best efforts to get some.
“To be honest, I did expect it to blow up, but not the way it did,” Akinbuwa said while mentioning the fact that “making your prom dress is very, very unique.”
The enthusiasm for the clothing came from some of Akinbuwa’s style images like Ayra Starr, Cardi B and Zendaya.
Akinbuwa’s costume was primarily inspired by the strapless dress Zendaya wore to the 2023 SAG Awards, which Valentino Haute Couture had designed.
“I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is so fairly. This will really look good in lace,'” she recalled. “But, yes, I crocheted it.”
Akinbuwa spent three terrible time creating the dress, which included two days for the rose and the gown itself. She spent just $60 to obtain the elements, and got a huge reward when she showed up at graduation.
“The room, I was there for like 50 days. I tried to leave, but folks just kept coming in and gushing about me. I was crying.”
This was captured in where one person tells her, “I love your dress”, to which Akinbuwa responds with, “Thank you, I made it”.
Akinbuwa hopes the viral video will “encourage women to also make their graduation dress,” aside from the millions of people who have seen her fashion knowledge.
Akinbuwa, who was 12 years old, picked up crochet as part of her education in Nigeria.
“It’s not only about education, they teach you about skills also,” she said. “Me and my friends, we always crocheted, like every time. However, because it’s “like an old thing like grandma does it too,” people don’t actually do it.
Before settling in Somerville, Akinbuwa and her family relocated to New York City in 2019. Akinbuwa has undoubtedly kept her craft alive and has no intention of stopping.
Later this year, the 18-year-old will study fashion at Framingham State University. Akinbuwa also has her own crochet-forward brand under her native name in Nigeria. She intends to release a new collection in the future that will be influenced by The Garden of Eden as well.