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When he was leaving Nigeria for the U.S., senior Michael Damilola Oyebola’s mother told him, “America really is a land of opportunity, Michael.”

This is a sentiment Oyebola has embodied with the creation of Mida Lifestyle, his street wear clothing brand, identified by its emblematic smiley face.

Oyebola’s artistic abilities were fostered by his uncle in Lagos, Nigeria, his birthplace.

Upon moving to Bronx, New York in 2007, Oyebola was exposed to the New York City fashion scene that, when fused with his art, would give birth to Mida, which comes from the ‘Mi’ in Michael and the ‘Da’ in Damilola, an expression of surprise in Estonian.  

With great ambition, Oyebola plans to propel Mida Lifestyle into a well-known innovative brand, the likes of Supreme and Alife, two New York City urban-style clothing lines. 

“My motto is ‘straight from dirt to a diamond,'” Oyebola said.

He intends to make high quality clothing that is original and makes people happy when they see it.

“Michael has really done a lot to push his brand here at UVM since its creation,” senior Julian Golfarini said. “He has really put blood, sweat and tears into the brand.”

 Golfarini said that he was excited to see where Oyebola will take his company next.

“The Mida line is really fresh . . . I myself own a crew neck and a T-shirt and I like them both,” Golfarini said. “It’s easy to see why the clothes are cool because the founder of the company definitely has swag.”

Oyebola will be selling urban-style tank tops and crop tees at SpringFest 2012. Mida Lifestyle also can be seen when picking up a ticket to SpringFest at Growing Vermont, which is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“A lot of people like Michael’s clothing because it has an urban feel,” senior and a manager of Growing Vermont Sunny Mitchell said. “And they really like the logo, which is this cool smiley face.”

Oyebola also sells his products downtown at a clothing store called Me. 

Check out what Mida Lifestyle has to offer by visiting www.MidaLifestyle.com.