Born in the UK, Kemi Oloyede completed formal education in Lagos and studied Fine Art at the Yaba College of Technology. After graduating, she returned to the UK to study at Greenwich University, graduating in Art Education, followed by a course in Fashion.
Kemi taught art, textile technology and fashion for 21 years, before leaving to set up her own business, the Sew London Project to teach employability and entrepreneurial skills through sewing and upcycling, as well as running arts and crafts workshops for adults and children.
She has won several awards including, The Businesswoman of the Year for the Women’s Empowerment Awards 2017 in Barking and Dagenham. Kemi has featured in the Guardian Newspaper and in Good Housekeeping Magazine in 2020 as well as Jeremy Vine’s BBC Radio Talk Show.
Kemi was commissioned by Helen Pankhurst to create a 100 suffragette sashes in celebration of the 100 Years of the Suffragettes for CARE International. She held a Solo Art Exhibition: Art According to K.E.M.I 2019 and worked on collaborative projects with the East End Women’s Museum using an upcycling workshop for Black History Month 2021 as well as a project to celebrate 100 Years of Becontree Estate by creating a giant artwork.
During the pandemic, Kemi created scrubs for the NHS and lip-reading facemasks for the public. In 2022 she was commissioned by Barking and Dagenham Council to create five 3D giant crowns for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration and 200 decorations for Barking Abbey.
