- Style DNA
- Bespoke · Afrocentric luxury · Engineering precision · Full-look house
- Price range
- £££ (bespoke, POA)
- Best occasions
- Wedding · Owambe · Black tie · Corporate
- Frames it flatters
- Most frames · Broad · Tall · Athletic
- Where to buy
- Official site
History
Tee Apparel was founded in Lagos in April 2011 by Engr. Tony Onyekwelu, who brought an engineering discipline to bespoke clothing and shoemaking. Over the last decade the house has dressed celebrities, corporate clients and upwardly mobile Nigerians, showing repeatedly at Lagos Fashion Week and the Made in Nigeria Shoe Expo.
What I like
What strikes me first is the precision. The agbadas and suits are cut with the kind of structure that holds its shape across a long wedding day. I also respect that they manufacture their own shoes — a full-look house rather than a tailor who sends you elsewhere for footwear.
Who it's for
Men who want one house to handle the entire occasion look — suit or traditional wear, plus shoes — and who value timely delivery and a clean finish as much as design flair.
Who it isn't for
Not for the shopper who wants a quiet, anonymous label. Tee Apparel is proudly Nigerian and visible; if you prefer your tailoring to whisper, look elsewhere.
Favourite pieces
- 01Structured charcoal agbada with terracotta embroidery — the most photographed piece in their lookbook
- 02Bespoke two-piece suit in navy or ivory for groomswear
- 03Handmade leather loafer to complete a full-look order
Things to know
- Founded in 2011; long track record with corporate and celebrity clients.
- Flagship store is in Lekki, Lagos; they deliver globally.
- Best booked well ahead of wedding season; bespoke shoes add lead time.
Seen up close
Editorial detail photography — the construction, cloth and finishing I judge a house on. Tee Apparel's own imagery to follow.
Getting one made
- 01
Decide the silhouette first. Run your height and build through Build Filter™ so you know what to ask Tee Apparel for.
- 02
Brief them properly. How to brief a tailor covers cloth, dates and what to put in writing.
- 03
Commission it. Ask me for an introduction below, or find someone to finish and alter it in the tailor directory.
What to do next
If Tee Apparel looks right for your occasion, ask me before you commission.
Tell me the occasion, the date and your budget bracket. Within 24 hours you get back: two or three houses I would actually approach and why those and not others, the alterations to insist on for your build, a realistic timeline for your date, and a short written brief you can hand to the tailor at the first fitting.
- No fee, no commission, nothing sold here.
- If nobody I trust fits your date or budget, I say so.
- Read by me, answered by me.
Written, not automated
The House Letter — one letter, one occasion
I write it myself, once a month, to the men planning something. No offers, no forwarded press releases, and nothing you cannot unsubscribe from in one click.
Recently sent
- “A stone senator suit to a Park Lane owambe — and the button I should have undone”
- “Cloth that survives a British October wedding”
- “Commissioning for December: the week the good hands stop taking work”
- 01One occasion, worked through — what I wore, what it cost, what I would change.
- 02Houses and tailors I have actually used, with the honest caveats.
- 03Timing warnings before the season closes, so you commission early enough.
If you have a date in the diary, the letter is the cheapest way to avoid the two mistakes almost everyone makes: commissioning too late, and choosing cloth for the photographs rather than the room.