MODERN LOVE

Faizah Shafi and Kehinde Akindojuromi rewrote the rules of tradition, marrying their Indian and Nigerian cultures to create a wedding that was original and entirely their own. Arushi Sinha charts their love story

- Arushi Sinha

“WHEN I MET KEHINDE, the last thing I had on my mind was a relationship, but they say things like that work better when you’re not looking,” says Faizah Shafi of when she first met her husband. “It was a stressful, confusing time. During my gap year, I was midway through an intense fashion internship and things were not really going to plan.” Kehinde Akindojuromi, the other half of this stylish couple, has Nigerian roots but calls Newham in North London his hometown, which is where Shafi studied fashion marketing at university. “He would occasionally come help me with my coursework, which is what ultimately got him interested in fashion,” she says.

The couple began their careers in unison, with a stint at designer Samuel Ross’s label A-Cold-Wall*. Cut to summer 2017, and Shafi took up a position as a creative assistant to Ciesay, the founder of cult lifestyle brand PLACES + FACES, via an introduction from Akin dojuromi, who began working there himself two years later. “We spent a majority of our time with one another, which was perfect and worked for us,” says Shafi.