As Afrobeats artists increasingly parlay musical fame into fashion ventures, creative ownership disputes follow close behind.
Adekunle Gold recently stepped deeper into the design world with the launch of WAVE, a new earring collection under his lifestyle brand, Tuffman. The stainless steel pieces are described on the brand's site as "inspired by can tab," blending industrial aesthetics with a wave-shaped cutout meant to evoke flow and freedom. Available in silver and gold finishes as both hoops and studs, the limited-edition run debuted in early June.
Announcing the collection, Gold wrote: "I've spent most of my life creating things people can hear. This time, I've created something you can wear." He framed the concept as born from a persistent sketch he kept refining.
Within days of the reveal, however, Nigerian creative director and designer Wavythecreative publicly accused the singer of lifting a concept he has been building for over three years. Wavy, who has long used real collected beverage can pull tabs to craft handmade jewelry and accessories, shared timelines, archival photos, old videos, and original designs on social media to substantiate his claims. He also alleged that attempts to contact Gold's team went unanswered and that he was subsequently blocked after commenting under posts promoting the earrings. No formal response from Gold's camp has addressed the specific allegations.
Gold, born and raised in Lagos, has built a career defined by reinvention, moving from graphic design work into songwriting and eventually global Afropop fame. In a recent Glamcult interview, he teased his move into product design: "I have a brand called Tough Man, and I'm designing earrings." That trajectory makes the copying claim especially awkward. The singer's creative background gives him credibility as a designer, but it also raises expectations around originality.
Pull-tab jewelry is hardly new. DIY communities and upcycling creators on platforms like Pinterest and Etsy have fashioned soda can tabs into bracelets, earrings, and necklaces for well over a decade. That broader context complicates Wavythecreative's argument, even as his documented timeline appears to predate Gold's collection by years.
Nigerian social media remains split. Some voices defend the independent designer, pointing to power imbalances that leave small creatives vulnerable. Others argue that a general aesthetic rooted in everyday industrial objects cannot be claimed by any single person. No legal action has been reported by either party. Meanwhile, a pop-up launch event hosted by Ashluxury in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos went ahead as planned, and gold-finish variants are currently listed for pre-order on the Tuffman site, with shipping expected around August 1.
The dispute arrives at a moment when both Gold and his wife, singer Simi, are expanding into consumer products simultaneously. How the accusation resolves, whether through dialogue, legal channels, or simply fading from the news cycle, may say more about creative protection in Nigeria's fashion economy than about any single pair of earrings.
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