About Us
Our Philosophy
RENIKEJI means “to see someone just like yourself” in Yoruba. We celebrate the power of jewellery to reflect our inner world and our outer world- Nigeria.
We operate with a fierce loyalty to our home, always studying it with fresh eyes, and we welcome others to see Nigeria through our pieces that combine our soul, our craft, and our materials.
At the heart of our craft is a commitment to materials with resonance, from brass to the gemstones of Nigerian origin. Each piece is crafted by hand, continuing centuries of Nigerian jewelry design and craftsmanship.
We believe belonging can only be gained through an intimate understanding of ourselves and our world. Through our pieces, we share the power of self-knowledge and reverence for the world around us.
Our Symbol
Our Symbol reflects our creative signature: a devotion to all kinds of Nigerian visual culture, geometric/architectural discipline, fluidity, repetition, and amusement.
We took notes from facade decoration across Northern Nigeria, Hausa fabric embroidery, window and gate filigree across Lagos, and patterns on Bida brass work.
Our symbol was designed by Sikemi Bakare.
Materials & Sourcing
We have a generative kinship with all of the materials we use. Discovery is a guiding force.
We choose them for a variety of reasons. We love to continue tradition and also upend norms. We love the tension between the familiar and the novel, and we carry this learned experimentation into all of our choices.
We have played with copper and leather, textiles, chords, bone, and shells. The enduring materials have been beads (of different materials), brass, sterling silver, and gemstones.
Responsible sourcing is central to our ethos. We build intentional partnerships with those who share our values. RENIKEJI is made with recycled silver and responsibly sourced brass. Our gemstones are sourced from within and outside Nigeria, and we are working to improve transparency in our gemstone and virgin silver supply chains.
This value is a long-term commitment to learning and adapting, and to striving for continuous progress.
Our Commitments
We are determined to nurture the next generation of craftspeople in Nigeria. This ideal led to the creation of the Heads and Hands Programme, an initiative that provides free jewellery and creative education to children.
We have provided free basic jewellery training to 115 children to date.
Meet The Designer
Oluwakemi Agbato began RENIKEJI in 2022, as a continuation of lifelong appreciation for the art of wearing jewellery and the craft of making it. Her love for jewellery is a maternal inheritance that was nurtured by frequent trips into her mother’s jewellery box and successive opportunities to learn the craft through personal instruction and formal training.
She is an interdisciplinary designer and cultural researcher. Her jewellery practice is illuminated by the transformative power of paying attention and the necessity of creating jewellery informed by cultural knowledge and interpreting it through her personal lens.