Naija Fashionistas: Meet Ngozi Pere-Okorotie the Fashion Designer

Within the fashion industry it would be safe to say that it is the designers who the industry revolves round as it is their designs that are the staple ingredient. A fashion designer's job is to create the concept of their line which represents the ideology of the brand. Meet Ngozi Pere-Okorotie who is the brains between fashion label, Zed-Eye which is a fusion of funky junpsuits, flamboyant shirts and stylish head wraps. Tribal Romance is the theme of Ngozi's collection which is so cool that it caught the eyes of Pride magazine who featured it in their publication. I caught up with London College of Fashion graduate to find out what it is like to be a fashion designer. 

How did you get into the fashion industry?
At the age of six I grew the interest of becoming a designer all due to the influence of my mum. My mother ran a fashion academy so I was always surrounded by fashion in that sense. However a distinct trigger was my mum showing me how to use a measuring tape at age six. This aroused my interest enough for me to practice designing outfits for my dolls and the rest as they say is history.  I have always wanted to own my own label, though I worked freelance for other fashion brands such as All Saints London and Kew by Jigsaw as an illustrator. It wasn’t easy to go solo, but I learnt from all my mistakes and was burnt on the way by different people who were meant to be helping me grow, but I took it and used the positive side and learnt from it. I must say am grateful for it all as it made me strong and determined to make it. So I decided to start my own brand and that’s how Zed-Eye was born.

What made you decide that fashion design was for you?
Well  I have always known it's for me ever since I can remember learning how to talk and have my own imaginative mind as a kid growing up in Nigeria. I have always known that fashion designing was for me; it is what my destiny from God is and I have embodied it by knowing that’s my star.

Tell me what your job consists of.
I am the CEO of Zed-Eye, the clothing brand, I make all the decisions that has to be made regarding the brand. I am very involved and hands on with the manufacturing of the Zed-Eye designs, I research and illustrate my designs, make the samples my self, make my own pattern blocks, and help with the manufacturing of the designs.

How does the fashion scene in Nigeria compare to London?
The fashion scene in Nigeria compared to London is different but not that far apart. The London fashion is in some case more individualised and the freedom of one is not put in a box, while the Nigerian fashion scene is more of a cultural based fashion. Basically we have so much culture to adapt our fashion sense from but speaking for myself I don’t really go with trend, I dress as I feel which is me getting inspiration from both the western world of freedom to be who you want to be and the culture of my mother land Nigeria.

What sort of changes have you seen in the Nigerian fashion industry over the last few years?
I must say I am very proud of the rate at which Nigeria is trying to catch up with the rest of the world when it comes to fashion. On the other hand Nigeria has a lot to learn regarding the fashion industry but one must have hope and pray that the younger generations of designers like myself will help to bring that change and be recognised all over the world for this change, it will be a great and positive thing for the Nigerian fashion industry.

Describe a day in the life of Ngozi Pere-Okorotie.
I try my best to thank God everyday first thing for a great day ahead, then straight to researching and creating as well as producing orders to meet deadlines. Or I might have some fashion styling, or image consultancy, fashion directing to do for magazines or styling for other brands which I do along side running the Zed-Eye design team.

You can check out Ngozi's website here.

You can follow her on Twitter. 

Well that is the last installment of Naija Fashionistas, I hope you have enjoyed reading it as I have certainly enjoyed writing it. I would like to thank all the Naija fashionistas who took part in this series. 

If you missed out on reading the series then you catch up with it here. 

Naija Fashionistas: Meet Ijeoma Ndekwu the Fashion Blogger

I find the experience of blogging very therapeutic, I get to say what I want when I want completely uncensored. Also I get to be part of a huge community of talented bloggers who are not only dedicated but experts on their topic. This community is something which the lovely Bangs and a Bun tapped into when she had an interesting experience with a PR company a couple of weeks ago. Like it or not (and believe me some do not) bloggers are here to stay. We bloggers operate under many circumstances; some blog full time, some do it as a hobby alongside their full time job and some work as journalists during the day and blog in the evening. The blogging community is now so large that it can be sub-divided into subject areas and what I find interesting is the way the different communities behave and are perceived by society (check out The Life of Blogger series that I wrote about the different blogging communities). Out of the pack I would say the fashion bloggers are more prolific, some of them now receive kudos from top fashion brands and been invited to prestigious events and some of them have even been hired as consultants by fashion companies. Ijeoma Ndekwu is a style editor for Bella Naija which is Africa's most prominent blog and she also runs her own blog called Naija Fashion Freak. She took time out to tell me what the fashion blogging scene is like in Nigeria.

How did you get into the fashion industry?
Getting into fashion was more of a natural transition than a conscious one. I was taking a gap year after A Levels and decided to start up a fashion blog called Naija Fashion Freak to channel my passion for fashion into something productive.

What made you decide that fashion blogging was for you?
Writing and fashion comes natural to me and fortunately I absolutely love doing both. There's a certain thrill in writing reviews of designer collections and excitement in discovering fresh talent. But most importantly, fashion is my passion; promoting African talent and also setting a standard for the industry in fashion journalistic writing.

Tell me what your job consists of.
I am the Style Editor of Bella Naija, my job focuses on content provision, content generation and also content quality control- ensuring content is Bella Naija worthy in its writing style and presentation. It is also managing the style page by aligning content to reader sensibilities, and hiring and managing style correspondents and contributors. In addition, building and maintaining beneficial and sustainable relationships with people in the fashion Industry.

How does the fashion scene in Nigeria compare to other cities?
In general, the fashion scene in Nigeria is like every other major city, there's an industry, its professionals and the public made up of fashion enthusiasts who patronise local and international designers. However, when you critically assess it, its a lot less dynamic in comparison; it's void of the high street. All locally produced clothing is still under the umbrella of "designer clothing" and this is one of the reasons why people still favour tailor-made clothes to designers, something that's quite unique to the Nigerian fashion scene. In addition,  the industry although improving rapidly, still needs more professionals, who can consistently deliver quality products and services.

What sort of changes have you seen in the Nigerian fashion industry over the last few years?
There's an enhanced structure in the way the industry operates; from how designers promote and present their brands locally and internationally, to available fashion content, with websites like Bella Naija, Ladybrille, Stylehousefiles and blogs like Shopliquorice. This has contributed in generating more public interest in the industry and patronage.

Describe a day in the life of Ijeoma Ndekwu.
 I am an undergraduate, so my day is a balance of school, Bella Naija work, and my social life. It's lectures, reading, sending and responding to emails on the go (thanks to my Blackberry), and editing and publishing the articles for the day. I don't wake up at a particular time, and I sleep whenever I'm done with all that's on my to-do-list for the day.

You can read Bella Naija here.

You can read Ijeoma's blog here.

Tomorrow I will be featuring fashion designer Ngozi Pere-Okorotie.

Naija Fashionistas: Meet Arieta Mujay the PR Guru

In order to raise the consumer's awareness about a brand there needs to be a lot of hype created about it which makes people want to buy into it. This is the job of a PR who creates and mantains the image of a brand by communicating key messages to the customer. Enter Arieta Mujay who is the PR manager for River Island which is one of the top high street stores in the UK. As well as working with journalists so the fashion brand gets lots of coverage in the press, she is also responsible for getting outfits on the back of celebrities. I caught up with her to find out exactly what it is like being a fashion PR.

How did you get into the fashion industry?
By interning, assisting and working my butt off. Doing whatever I could do for little or no pay for the love of it.

What made you decide that fashion PR was for you?
I kinda feel into PR as I was a window dresser, stylist assistant before PR. I kinda loved the fact that I could work hard behind the scene and meet so many influential people at the same time.

Tell me what your job consists of.
Ensuring that River Island is at the forefront of most fashion conversations in the UK. Getting our product in the right magazines, TV shows and of course the right people.

How does the fashion scene in Nigeria compare to London?
The Nigerian fashion scene has come a long way but still has some way to go. The one thing I really love about the fashion scene in the UK is that it's established and you kinda have to make your own way through it as there have been many greats before you and many more to come. In Nigeria on the other hand, very few people actually know what they are talking about therefore there is the opportunity for growth and the chance to be an early adopter, opinion former. I mean Vivienne Westwood may not be calling on me anytime soon to style her collection but Deola Sagoe will. LOL

What sort of changes have you seen in the Nigerian fashion industry over the last few years?
A few designers have made the transistion from being "African designers" to International designers'. designers like Bunmi Koko, Lanre Da Silva and Jewel by Lisa are crossing the boundaries and making things happen. its an amazing time for the Nigerian fashion industry. Also, fashion journalists based back home like Veronica Ebie Odeka from this day actually know what they are talking about.

Describe a day in the life of Arieta Mujay.
Identifying all River Island coverage, meetings, strategise, update myself on all the fashion news, organise shoot for week ahead, gym, food, bed.

You can follow Arieta on Twitter.

Tomorrow I will be featuring Ijeoma Ndekwu who is a fashion blogger for Bella Naija.

Naija Fashionistas: Meet Michele Obi the Pop-up Boutique Queen

Last year I wrote about the growing trend of the pop-up shop; which is basically a brand which sets up shop temporarily at a venue. This can take place anywhere from a nightclub, exhibition or on a high street. Over the last year I have been lucky to see fantastic pop-ups such as Wanderland Boutique in Manchester, Sketchbook magazine on Carnaby Street, The Satorialist at Libertys and Maybelline in Covent Garden. So when Michele Obi told me that she was launching pop-up shops in Nigeria, I was intrigued and quite excited. Us Nigerians love our fashion and we also love a bit of glitter and glamour and there is nothing more glittery and glamorous than going to a pop-up shop for some fun and shopping. Michele Obi is the founder of myfashionlife so she knows a hell of a lot about fashion so she took five minutes to tell me about her new baby, Verve!.

How did you get into the fashion industry?
I started a blog in 2003 called myfashionlife.com and the rest is history as they say. From 2005, myfashionlife started to get quite a bit of press attention and as a result it provided me with lots of opportunity to carve out a career in the industry. In the beginning I did all the writing and covered fashion week, however as the business has grown my role has evolved and now I’m always looking at ways that we can expand and grow. Now I’m currently in Abuja, Nigeria and working on introducing the concept of pop-up boutiques. I’ve set up a company called Verve! which is basically a luxury sample sale and we source unique fashion and lifestyle pieces from top designer brands including, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, Hermes, Lanvin, Christian Louboutin, Valentino, and more. Our events are held at various venues in key central locations within Abuja.

What made you decide that creating fashion pop up stores was for you?
When I visited Abuja, I realised there was a lack of retail therapy. There are boutiques but they are overpriced because the rent and other expenses are so high. I’d always loved the concept of pop up stores...and I had a vision of providing women with a two day sale at which they could network and really enjoy the shopping experience. I held the first sale at a beautiful spa called B-Natural and we had a great response. We treated our customers to cocktails and cupcakes and paid attention to what they wanted. It’s been a success and has allowed me to gain a stronger understanding of the market. 

Tell me what your job consists of.
Networking! Through holding the sales I’ve gained many clients who are more friends than customers and I spend quite a bit of time, finding out what they like and ensuring we stock what they want. We hold the sales every two months. So a month prior to each sale I’m also doing the buying etc. It’s a varied role which I love.

How does the fashion scene in Nigeria compare to London?
It’s totally different. A lot more flamboyant and colourful. Women in Nigeria love to standout whereas in London fashion is more about comfort. It’s a very exciting time for fashion in Nigeria.

What sort of changes have you seen in the Nigerian fashion industry over the last few years?
I’d say that women here are becoming more aware of the more underground designers. They have a real healthy appetite for fashion and the internet has allowed them to feed their addiction.

Describe a day in the life of Michele Obi.
No two days are the same and I love that. I check my emails every morning and have a to-do list that I make sure I get through every day otherwise the work tends to pile up. Sometimes I could be out visiting clients while other days I could be chained to my desk.

You can check out Michele's website here and you can read myfashionlife here.

You can follow her on Twitter here.

Tomorrow I will be featuring PR guru, Arieta Mujay.

Naija Fashionistas: Meet Sola Oyebade the Catwalk King

Sola Oyebade is a man who has certainly seen it all. From his days as a model he has now graduated to producing high calibre fashion shows as well as running model competitions. He is the face behind Mahogany Models, Mahogany Bridal Fashion Show, Top Model of Colour and Fashion's Finest and also produces fashion show around the world such as Lagos Fashion Week and Fashion Diversity. As well as the recipient of two BEFFTA Awards, Sola is totally passionate about the fashion industry which was demonstrated in his dynamic campaign to get the all Black Italian Vogue issue distributed in the UK a few years ago. Currently he is in the midst of activity regarding Top Model of Colour but he took five minutes out for me to discuss what it is like being a Naija Fashionista.

How did you get into the fashion industry?
From a very early age I have always had an avid interest in fashion but being a Nigerian child back in those days it was not seen as the right career path to follow. When I was in secondary school in Nigeria, I use to model and produce shows which we would do at various schools around Lagos. This passion for modelling and show production continued into university where I actually spent more time modelling than a I did in school. After I finished university I returned to the UK and within know time I was desperate and hungry to get back into the fashion industry but I quickly realised that being a person of colour in the 80’s it was going to be hard to break into mainstream fashion and that proved to be the case, so I decided to give up on modelling and instead decided to set up the Mahogany Bridal Fashion Show as there was no such shows in the UK. From there things have just snow balled and mahogany has grown and grown.

What made you decide that producing fashion shows was for you?
I was lucky enough to be involved in producing fashions shows from a very early age and that continued into adult hood. I always knew that once I finished modelling I would remain involved in the fashion industry and the natural progression was to move from modelling to show production. I have always been a great organiser and love seeing my vision come to fruition. In addition particularly in the UK and now in Nigeria and Africa generally I was always concerned at the lack of good high quality shows that were either being produced by black people or for black people.

Tell me what your job consists of. 
When I am first contacted to produce a show or I am doing a show of my own I initially sit down with the team or organiser to ask them what their vision is for the show and they are trying to produce. Working with them I come up with ideas, a concept and a vision for how we would proceed. I work with the client on finding a venue ensuring it has adequate changing rooms that are in the right location to do a good show. I have to check all things that relate to health and safety. Arrange to bring in a production company to discuss and design the set, sound and lightning. I assist in getting artists to perform and do castings for models and I work very closely with the models on the ensuring they can walk properly and teach them the choreography for the show. A major part of my job is producing a show and a production plan which outlines everything that would take place step by step and minute by minute. As executive producer I recruit all of the key managers that would work with me and ensure they head their departments properly and produce what I require to the right standard.  All of this is just the pre production work as on the day of the show I pull everything together and ensure that the show runs perfectly, is on time and at an extremely high standard. Ultimately I can make or break a show and as such I must always be on my game as I must be able to quickly resolve problems seamlessly so that nobody can see any problems we may be having. I am lucky in that I have produced some great shows across the world.

How does the fashion scene in Nigeria compare to London?
Fashion in Nigeria is taking off at an enormous rate and shows are taking place literally everyday from small and large and compared to the UK I think there is more money to spend on fashion shows but I do think that it is not always used in the best way and I speak generally here as this is not always the case. As with any new industry there are teething problems but as can expected Nigerians are learning quickly. I have done a few shows in Nigeria as well as attended a number of shows and I think where some shows fall down is the attention to detail, cutting corners and in particular the suppliers over extending themselves and promising to do more than they can actually do. Having recognised this Mahogany productions and events has set up in Nigeria and is working with a number of clients and fashion shows to come up with innovative, creative and high quality shows. Compared to the UK shows in Nigeria generally are much bigger, with bigger audiences and can be extremely generous events covered by TV and the press and everyone seems to want to be at all of the events. There are so many new designers and models being discovered everyday and that means that compared to the London there seems to be  a greater variety in terms of keeping things fresh. When working in Nigeria you must have a lot of patience and be very pushy if you wish to do a great fashion show because people tend to take their time in terms of getting things done compared to London; where I tend to make one phone call and once I have paid the service is delivered and I tend not to have to worry whereas in Nigeria one tends to have check and triple check that what you want would be delivered so I guess it all adds to the excitement of doing a show. The Nigerian fashion industry has a lot to offer and is definitely going to be a place to reckon with over the next few years and I believe that as soon as we develop a top international fashion week then the whole fashion scene in Nigeria would change even more and we will make great strides and increase our reputation on the international scene.

What sort of changes have you seen in the Nigerian fashion industry over the last few years?
It is clearly recognised that as an industry to be involved in both from a creative, lucrative and from a career perspective the Nigerian fashion industry is one that a lot of people want to be involved in. It is amazing to see the number of professional people that have left their professions to become full time in the Nigerian fashion industry. Fashion plays a major role in the everyday life of the average Nigerian and as such it is not surprising that the industry has grown so quickly. It has become more professional with various associations and bodies being set up to regulate the industry, shows are more professional and not just thrown together without any thought and more professionals like myself are being used more and more to produce or event manage such events. I do believe that within the next  5 years we will be on par with south Africa as one of the top fashion countries within Africa.

Describe a day in the life of Sola Oyebade
I wake up in the morning to meet 100’s of email (and I mean 100’s of emails from across the world either asking us how we can work together or be involved in their show by producing it or asking me to be a judge or attend an event. The phone rings continuously throughout the day covering everything you can imagine. During the day I try and deal with the emails, calls as well as production and show plans which can be very tedious but necessary. I get to speak to a wide variety of people on a wide array of topics and issues so my job is enjoyable. I spend time updating the website or writing my blog or doing interviews. As standard this what I do three out of four days but alongside the above I also attend numerous shows and events, work on choreography, judge at shows and work on events. I tend to work a 16 to 18 hour day and I am not complaining as I say I will sleep when I die.

Check out Sola's work on his website.

You can read Sola's blog here.

You can follow him on Twitter.

Tomorrow I will be featuring Michelle Obi who manages a series of pop-up fashion boutiques in Nigeria.

Welcome to Naija Fashionistas

Contrary to Louis Theroux's documentary, Law and Disorder in Lagos which aired last week there is a lot more to Nigeria than poverty and corruption. Africa's most populous nation is home to vibrant cities such as Lagos. Abuja and Port Harcourt. Right now Nigeria is undergoing some sort of mini revolution and the communications industry is booming with sectors such as IT, public relations, media and fashion reaping the benefits. The fashion industry has always been a fascination of mine especially the psychology and sociological impacts on society. Over the last year or so I have seen Nigeria become a real player in the fashion scene and with Lagos Fashion Week an important event on the calender it looks like the country will be known for its style as well as oil. I have decided to celebrate this by featuring five of the most celebrated Nigerian fashionistas who work in different aspects of the industry. Next week I will be featuring Sola Oyebade, the catwalk king who produces fashion shows such as Lagos Fashion Week, Michelle Obi who organises pop-up boutique shops in Nigeria,  PR Guru, Arieta Mujay who works for River Island, Ijeoma Ndekwu who writes for blog, Bella Naija and fashion designer, Ngozi Pere-Okorotie. Tomorrow I will kick off with Sola Oyebade.