When Nora’s Needle founder Nora Agbakhamen gave birth to her second child in 2015, she had a closet full of designer clothes. But newer trends had overtaken them during the time she was pregnant. Nora felt so empty and hers was a case of near, yet so far. Her self-esteem had hit rock bottom.

Determined to regain her self-esteem, she decided the best way to wear her confidence was to make her own clothing; timeless yet elegant dresses that never go out of style. Never again would she be sucked into that vicious cycle of fast fashion. She would break free of the herd. Take charge of her confidence. Represent her African roots.

Armed with a previous knowledge of dressmaking, she immediately converted a space in her small apartment in Lagos, Nigeria, to a sewing studio and began making classic pieces for herself and friends of all sizes, shapes & ages, who in turn referred others to her business. She toiled so hard to meet her customers’ demands and later decided to structure her clothing line and bring in talented artisans.

In January 2016, Nora’s Needle was registered as a business with the vision to be a trans-seasonal confidence booster for the iconic woman!

Our offline business grew through word-of-mouth, and eventually, we had a website and grew to become a global brand featured in InStyle Magazine for New York Fashion Week 2020.

In addition to helping women wear their confidence from Mississippi to Mali, Nora’s Needle also sustains the planet by crafting clothing that withstands the ebs and flows of fashion fads.  

When we set up, our biggest mission was to make you feel phenomenal in iconic African-inspired clothing that is timeless, brings you joy, and represents value and character. And that is still our driving force to date.