• Temi Otedola, 19, is daughter of energy tycoon Femi Otedola
• Business man Femi is worth an estimated £650million
• Style blogger loves fashion weeks and has interned at Oscar de la Renta
• Threw Moulin Rouge party at One Mayfair for her 18th birthday
• Sister DJ Cuppy celebrated graduation with French Revolution party
Trips to Paris Fashion Week, hobnobbing with Valentino and helping out with styling at Oscar de la Renta – sounds like all the trappings of a celebrity lifestyle.
But it’s all in a day’s work for Lagos-born Temi Otedola, 19, the daughter of one of Nigeria’s richest men. Born in London, she returned to Nigeria for the first seven years of her life before coming back to attend boarding school, and is now settled in the capital.
Temi’s is the youngest daughter of energy tycoon Femi Otedola – worth an estimated £650million.
He was listed as the 16th richest man in Africa by Forbes in 2015, and in Nigeria, where money is measured in dollars, he’s referred to as a billionaire – with a fortune of $1.57billion.
But Temi insists that despite her family’s wealth, her father and mother Nana have never spoiled her or her brother Fewa and two older sisters Florence and Christine, and is determined to prove herself on her own merits.
‘We were brought up knowing all the success and money my father has made is his and we have to work for ourselves,’ Temi told FEMAIL. ‘We’ve definitely had that instilled in us.
‘He might be bluffing but we certainly take him at face value. Anyway, we would not feel very good about ourselves just living off him.’
While her father is currently supporting her as she studies for a degree in art history at University College London, Temi hopes to become independent by making a success of a career in fashion and has set up her own style blog JTO Fashion.
She picks up inspiration by travelling to Paris and Milan for fashion week, listing Balenciaga, Marni and Valentino as her preferred fashion shows, and shares photos of her adventures with her 13,500 Instagram followers.
‘I tend to go out only about twice a month and Cirque and Libertine are my favourite bars in London. But I’d rather go to Paris for the weekend and go to a few shows.
‘My favourite fashion moment was probably last summer when I attended the Valentino Haute Couture show in Rome for three days,’ she recalled. ‘My sister Florence and I were invited.
‘It was an unforgettable trip including a private tour of the Vatican and meeting Mr Valentino himself at dinner the night before the Haute Couture show.
‘It was a completely surreal moment because I’ve absolutely adored his line even before the creative directors Maria Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli were at the helm.
‘We were just talking about the whole experience and the upcoming show and he struck me as being extremely elegant and kind in his manner. He was really, really lovely.’
Another social highlight of recent months was attending the opening night of the opera in Milan as a guest of Bottega Veneta.
‘It was the first time I’d been to the opera and it was incredible, really impressive,’ Temi said.
The teenager was invited with her mother Nana, who cuts an equally stylish figure.
‘I would almost say she’s the reason I got into fashion,’ Temi said. ‘She’s so eccentric and eclectic in her dress sense and she’s even more daring than me.’
Temi’s greatest extravagance is shoes, although not the Louboutins her sister Florence adores. She’s a fan of boots, with one recent indulgence being a pair of £998 Chloé Susanna ankle boots.
Temi was born in London, but her family moved back to Nigeria shortly afterwards. Then, when she was seven, her mother sent Temi and her sister Florence to the King’s School Canterbury where fees are £11,480 for boarders.
She went on to attended the £26,800 a year American School in St John’s Wood London as she wanted to have an American college experience.
Nana now lives full time in Knightsbridge and while Temi has moved to private halls in Bloomsbury to be closer to campus, she returns to her mother’s home every weekend. Femi divides his time between Lagos and London, coming to the UK about once a month.
‘He’s very modest,’ Temi explained. ‘He’s self made and he’s always been very careful with money.
‘He loves his yachts but that’s his only indulgence. He still uses an old pay-as-you-go Nokia phone and he only recently learned how to use an iPad.’
One extravagance that Femi did allow for, however, was a lavish party for his youngest daughter’s 18th birthday.
Temi hired One Mayfair and threw a Moulin Rouge-themed party for 180 guests, which was documented in the society bible Tatler.
‘I thought it would be amazing to recreate 1830s Paris,’ Temi recalled. ‘I went to my Mum and Dad and said, “Please, please can I have a big party”.
‘They thought I was being a bit militant but I saw it as being the one big party of my life.’
Temi’s sister sister Florence, 23, known as DJ Cuppy performed a set – and she’s no stranger to a lavish bash either.
The music lover who has DJ’d at Privé, Jalouse, District, Funky Buddha celebrated her graduation from King’s College, University of London with a degree in business and French, by throwing a party at the ballroom of the five star Mandarin Oriental hotel in Knightsbridge.
The French Revolution themed bash doubled as the UK launch of her compilation album, House of Cuppy.
Temi’s sister dressed as the legendary French queen Marie Antoinette while guests were served a banquet by footmen in traditional 18th century costumes.
‘She was inspired by a recent trip to Versailles,’ Temi explained.
Afterwards, it was on to ski lodge themed Bodo’s Schloss in Knightsbridge where Cuppy took to the decks.
She’s now in New York studying for a masters degree and interning at Jay Z’s label Roc Nation, and is an ambassador for the Nigerian tourist board. Last year she landed a prestigious gig, DJing at the inauguration of Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari.
She’s had to face something of a backlash from commentators in the Nigerian media who’ve said she’s managed to get where she is because of her father’s name.
‘There has been negativity,’ Temi admitted. ‘There always will be. My sister was DJing before I got started with my blog so I was prepared for it.
‘But it just gives me the passion that I have lots more to prove. People will say my blog is only a success because of who my father is, but there is weight behind it. If there’s no substance the name would only get you so far.’
Meanwhile, Temi said that nowadays she’s so focused on her fashion blog and her studies that she doesn’t have much time for partying.
‘From a very young age I knew I wanted to work in the fashion or art industry,’ she explained.
‘I grew up reading personal style blogs but could never fully relate to any of the bloggers, and thought there would be other Nigerians, and even Africans in general who felt the same.
‘So I decided to start my own blog to bridge the gap between Western and Nigerian fashion and hopefully become a worldwide voice for Nigeria.’
Temi blogs about her favourite beauty products and outfits, with clothes from her favourite brands including Emilia Wickstead, a favourite of the Duchess of Cambridge, Rag & Bone and All Saints.
She also likes to shop at boutiques such as One Vintage and Feathers near her family home in Knightsbridge where she returns every weekend, as well as Browns Focus, and Alara Lagos, which stocks brands such as Valentino, Dries Van Noten, Marni.
Temi has also managed to hone her fashion credentials with an internship at Oscar de la Renta on Mount Street two summers ago.
‘It was an amazing experience being able to be so hands-on,’ she said. ‘I dealt with private shopping and bridal appointments, organised the boutique floor, and helped styling incoming collections.
‘It was fascinating to see the ins and outs of their Mount Street flagship. I definitely plan to start doing more brand collaborations that could lead to capsule collections and ambassadorships.’
For now, however she’s working on an new initiative called Afternoon Tea in Ankara to encourage emerging ethnic talent to get ahead in the fashion industry.
