Eva Omaghomi On Her Passion For African Fashion & Building Brand63Africa

A trusted aide to King Charles who went on to advise Idris Elba, Eva Omaghomi now has African fashion in her focus. Charlotte Metcalf meets the woman behind Brand63Africa.

Conversations At Scarfes Bar: Eva Omaghomi

When she arrives, Eva Omaghomi is keen to talk about Brand63Africa, her ‘passion project’ and social enterprise. With a pop-up at Harrods this September, its aim is to connect designers from Africa and the diaspora with global markets, and reshape perceptions of luxury.

First, though, we focus on Omaghomi’s 17 years in the Royal Household. ‘I’d been working as a press officer for Mayor of London Ken Livingstone,’ she explains. ‘I was there when we won the 2012 Olympic bid in 2005 and were hit by the 7/7 bombings. Then, in 2007, I spotted a job in The Guardian to work at Clarence House for the then Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, and Princes William and Harry.’ She landed it.

Omaghomi’s lips are firmly sealed when it comes to the princes, but she has nothing but praise for King Charles: ‘It was such a privilege to work for him as Prince and then King, and I learnt so much about public service. He and Queen Camilla are so energetic and enthusiastic when engaging with the public. I consider the King to be the greatest leader I’ve ever worked with. He always finds a way to address an unmet need.’

She cites the Coronation Food Project, launched on his 75th birthday. The fund helps food banks, community kitchens and charities acquire commercial-grade fridges and freezers to store surplus food from supermarkets, so they don’t need to rely only on canned and dry food.

Caribbean luxury fashion house The Cloth will be at Brand63Africa’s Harrods pop-up this September

Omaghomi also met Nelson Mandela when working with the then Prince Charles, and later was part of the team that accompanied the Prince to Mandela’s funeral in his hometown, Qunu. ‘When the funeral cortège arrived, local people were singing and dancing, both mourning and celebrating his achievements. It was really special.’

It was the King’s coronation that turned Omaghomi into a fashion icon. ‘I’d been in Ghana beforehand and told a designer friend – Nelly Hagan, who founded Duaba Serwa – I needed something to wear. She made me a stunning pink outfit with origami triangles, and I had a Nigerian gele headdress. A photographer snapped me going into Westminster Abbey and by evening I was getting texts from my nephews and nieces saying, “Auntie, you’ve gone viral”. That moment was the kernel of Brand63Africa. People felt such pride seeing African fashion on the global stage.’

While remaining an adviser to the King on community engagement, she eventually left the Royal Household to set up Forster Jones & Associates, a strategic advisory named after her Sierra Leonean grandfather. Clients included Apple Music, which she’d worked with in 2025 on The King’s Music Room, and the IE7 and Akuna Groups, Idris Elba’s media companies.

Omaghomi had already worked with Elba, a friend, on stemming knife crime, having orchestrated the 2024 Youth Opportunity Summit at St James’s Palace with The King’s Trust, which was hosted by the King and attended by the then Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. The summit took place again this year at Buckingham Palace, with Sir Gareth Southgate joining the King. With Elba, Omaghomi is also executive producing a Netflix documentary celebrating the 50th anniversary of the King’s Trust, previously the Prince’s Trust.

When it comes to Brand63Africa, Omaghomi’s enthusiasm is palpable. At its London Fashion Week debut in February, the King visited the stand. ‘Our designers were so thrilled by the exceptional endorsement his presence gave us,’ she says. She is fiercely proud of her designers’ talents and Brand63Africa’s autumn pop-up in Harrods.

‘I’ve been so driven by work, but I’m trying to slow the pace now,’ she says, admitting with a grin to having a partner – though no family yet. ‘I’m learning every day from the first five designers we’ve selected for Brand63Africa, so for now that’s my priority. I’m determined Brand63Africa will bring them the recognition they richly deserve and change the way we view luxury forever.’

In Brief: Eva Omaghomi’s Fast Favourites

Designer For A Big Occasion: Tiffany Amber, a Nigerian designer who combines extreme glamour with comfort. I wore one of her pieces to the King’s Trust anniversary garden party this year.

Best Read: Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It triggers wonderful memories of my time in Nigeria.

Last Meal: Eba and okra soup. I rarely make it, but my late mother used to.

Desert Island Disc: Anything from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, the soundtrack to many moments in my life.

Favourite Artwork: Tutu, sometimes dubbed the Nigerian Mona Lisa, which is one of a series of portraits by Nigerian artist Ben Enwonwu.

Brand63Africa’s autumn pop-up runs now at Harrods, Knightsbridge. For more, visit brand63africa.com