Yemi Alade’s Yem Beauty Launch dressed in Aisoben, Where Music, Makeup and Nigerian Craft Meet

Ayodeji Ake

When a touring performer builds a beauty line, the market expects a quick cash-in and a noisy campaign. Yemi Alade took the slower, more disciplined route. Her new beauty brand, Yem Beauty, launched after years in development, with Alade openly admitting the process demanded multiple re-shoots and obsessive refinement to get the visuals and product story tight. That is not sentiment, it is operational rigour, and it is exactly how serious brands are built. 
For the launch campaign, the wardrobe strategy matched the brief. Nigerian womenswear label Aisoben delivered custom looks that frame Alade’s signature energy without drowning it in costume. This is a smart alignment: a beauty campaign must sell texture, colour payoff, and confidence, and the clothing has to support those deliverables, not compete with them.

Start with the product, because that is the core asset. Yem Beauty positions itself around inclusivity and wear-tested performance, the kind of promise you only make if you are ready for customers to hold you to it. The brand’s official storefront pushes bold lip products and kits, with shades marketed as suitable across skin tones, and the message is clear: this is built for impact and longevity, not vanity gifting.  A key early hero product is Nairobi, widely reported as the debut lipstick release tied to the brand’s entry into the cosmetics space. 

Now look at the clothes. In the campaign images, Alade wears a saturated red custom piece that reads like a masterstroke in movement-led glamour. It is essentially a shirt-dress reimagined with volume and intention: a soft collar and button front for structure, generous sleeves that catch light as she moves, a cinched waist that keeps the silhouette controlled, and a high slit that turns a simple step into a statement. The fabric pools into a trailing hem, which is exactly the kind of detail that photographs well and signals luxury without begging for attention. In plain terms, it is a commercial look with editorial payoff.

That is where Aisoben’s brand DNA shows by Aisosa F
Enodunmwenben. Aisoben has built its identity around slow fashion, ethical craftsmanship, and custom occasionwear with finishing that prioritises longevity.  The label’s positioning has been consistent in press features too, with an emphasis on personalised pieces and deliberate construction rather than fast-turn trend copies.  That kind of discipline matters in a beauty campaign, because the camera will expose weak tailoring the same way it exposes patchy foundation.

Yemi Alade is the right face for this kind of joined-up brand thinking. She is not just a hitmaker, she is one of Africa’s most recognisable live performers, known for high-intensity stage delivery and a career that has travelled across borders.  Her rise from winning the Peak Talent Show to becoming a pan-African pop force is well documented, and her global positioning has only expanded in recent years, including major award recognition and international nominations.  In that context, Yem Beauty reads less like a side hustle and more like brand extension with product logic: a performer who needs lipstick that lasts under lights decides to build one, then backs it with a campaign that looks premium.

The bigger win here is ecosystem value. Celebrity beauty brands often import their campaign identity wholesale. Alade did the opposite, she kept the visual language rooted, then elevated it through Nigerian craftsmanship. Pairing Yem Beauty with Aisoben’s custom wardrobe is not just styling, it is business development. It cross-pollinates audiences, strengthens local luxury credibility, and proves that Nigerian fashion houses can deliver campaign-grade work that meets global content standards.