Dr. Tinu Smith is an award-winning Nigerian-based fashion designer and the Chief Executive Officer of Datina Designs Fashion House and Fashion School. With over 30 years of experience in the fashion industry, she has successfully built and sustained a thriving fashion enterprise.
She is the founder of Datina Designs, with fashion retail outlets in Ibadan and Lagos, Nigeria, showcasing her distinctive clothing line under two brand labels—Datina Designs and Tinu Smith. DatinaDesigns delivers Afrocentric ready-to-wear collections to a growing international clientele, with distribution across Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, and the United Kingdom, bridging African heritage with global fashion markets. She is an advocate for sustainable fashion and circular economy .
Dr. Tinu holds a background in Communication and Language Arts and is an alumna of Cornell University, where she studied Women’s Entrepreneurship through a program sponsored by Bank of America. She is also a Goldman Sachs Scholar from the Pan-Atlantic University’s Enterprise Development Centre (Lagos Business School), where she studied Entrepreneurial Management.
Her professional development includes business management training at the Central Bank of Nigeria Enterprise Development Centre, participation in programs by the Development Bank of Nigeria, and selection as one of 200 women across Africa for the African Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative program sponsored by the Global Center for Entrepreneurship. She holds an MBA from the International School of Management, Lagos, Nigeria.
Dr. Tinu has worked on high-impact projects with organizations such as the Mastercard Foundation, Industrial Training Fund, and the United Nations Fashion Impact Fund. She is a passionate advocate for women and youth empowerment, as well as financial and digital inclusion.
She is the lead of She Grows Africa Training and Innovation Hub and has mentored extensively with organizations including Women in Africa, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, Tony Elumelu Foundation, and WIMBIZ. Through her initiatives, she has empowered over 10,000 women with vocational and entrepreneurial skills.
A certified Technical University Trainer and official trainer with the Industrial Training Fund, Dr. Tinu is deeply committed to coaching women-led businesses. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Corporate Mentoring and Coaching Nigeria and a respected thought leader and speaker at business, women, and relationship conferences.
She serves as a Girls and Women Speak Ambassador with International Association for World Peace Advocates in collaboration with the United Nations. She was named Oyo State Woman of the Year (2022) and is a recipient of the 2025 United Nations Fashion Impact Fund.
Dr. Tinu is the convener of the South West Fashion Summit and the founder of Datcore Business Coaching Academy, which supports startup businesses in navigating growth. She is also the founder of She Grows Africa Women’s Cooperative, focused on financial inclusion, and co-founder of She Tech Alliance Africa, advocating for digital inclusion for women. Additionally, she runs Treasures Refuge Foundation, a social enterprise dedicated to mentoring young women.
She is married to Engr. Olubunmi Smith, and they are blessed with two children.
Linkedin:- https://www.linkedin.com/in/atinuke-smith-41354727/
Facebook:- https://www.facebook.com/atinukefadahunsismith
Instagram:- https://www.instagram.com/tinutemi?igsh=MWI5NXA0dTc4OXF1dw==
Email: smithatinuke@gmail.com
Phone : 08161163395
