thefashionroundtable

Ebuka Has No Stylist + Noble Igwe Breaks Down Nigerian Fashion | S1 E11

• thefashionroundtable • Season 1 • Episode 11

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0:00 | 1:08:22

On this episode of The Fashion Roundtable, we sit down with Ebuka Obi-Uchendu and Noble Igwe for an honest conversation about fashion and personal style.

From movie premiere themes to BBNaija styling, online criticism, men’s fashion, and working with upcoming designers, this episode dives into the realities of fashion in entertainment and media.

____

00:00 – Intro
1:45 – Why Ebuka doesn’t like being called a fashion boy
4:06 – Knowing what he wanted to do
7:58 – Pressure around outfits and public opinion
16:20 – Last time they both repeated an outfit
23:14 – Styling plans for shows like BBNaija
25:51 – How new designers get to style Ebuka and Noble
29:43 – Credit Direct Hype
32:50 – Always wanting to style people
38:50 – Let’s talk about dragging
57:08 – Looking back at old fashion moments 😭
1:00:03 – Men’s fashion (Gbemi’s take)
1:05:29 – Why Ebuka hasn’t started a fashion line
1:07:49 – Outro
1:08:25 – Giveaway 🎁

#Ebuka #NobleIgwe #MensFashion #BBNaija #FashionNigeria #CelebrityStyling #AfricanFashion #TheFashionRoundtable #FashionBusiness #PopCulture

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SPEAKER_05

This episode is brought to you by Credit Direct. Welcome to the fashion round table. My name is Bimi Olaterio Lagbigi, and today is a very special episode because I have two of Nigeria's most stylish men. You can argue in your group chats as your business. They're also my unruly brothers. Please put your hands together for Noble Igwe and Eboka Obi Uchindi.

SPEAKER_04

I wanted to say Chief Noble and Chief Eboka, but I don't know how that would be.

SPEAKER_05

Chief, please keep your chief density titles in your pockets. And did I not just say unruly?

SPEAKER_00

I feel like it's been a while I heard you say your full name.

SPEAKER_05

Really?

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Because it became Baby, you know, Oprah. One word. One name.

SPEAKER_05

What I didn't like or I don't like it. But it's just baby olateru. Who is that? Who called the full name? Did anybody call you Ebuka Obi?

SPEAKER_00

I get a lot of Ebuka Uchendo. Which also annoys me. Who gave me the permission to cut my name? It annoys me a lot.

SPEAKER_04

But when people say, I like the fact that when people say we me, nobody says quit me.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah. Oh, that's nice. Thank you so much. If they say we mean it's me. Unless it's something bad. Then it's not me. It's the other one. Yes, it's the other one. And there's a reason why I brought both of you together for this episode, even though somebody was reluctant to come. But I wonder who. I wonder who. Epoca did not. She was like, I don't like interviews. I don't want to be called a fashion boy. Why don't you like being called, quote unquote, a fashion boy or being identified as a fashion boy?

SPEAKER_00

So I don't have a problem with it. I I I mean, I was intentional in many ways with how I sort of curated my looks over the years. I've always liked to look good. Been in on TV now for 20 years.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, gee! Yes.

SPEAKER_00

It's old. And over that time, there was a progression of me wanting to be seen a certain way. So I can't deny the fact that yes, fashion conversations would always be tied to me. But the issue I have with that label or labeling is that Nigerians tend to make that the only thing you are. Um I've done TV, like I said, for two decades now, but 80-90% of conversations I have, whether it's on a red carpet or whether it's on an interview or comments on my page or one-on-one interactions is always ah, that's your bada. Oh, this is what the way you go wear today. It's always just about the outfits. It's okay to appreciate it, but what happens to your other work? My actual work. Like I was saying of air. Sorry. No pun intended. Um I gave the example of a Pharrell. Yes, Pharrell is a creative director of Louis Vuitton now. But before that, he's always been extremely fashionable. Yeah. But Pharrell was never Pharrell the fashion boy. Pharrell was an artist who dressed well or who looked good. David Beckham is my, has always been my fashion idol for the longest time. I still think he wears the best suits in the world.

SPEAKER_01

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

But you will call David Beckham a footballer and even a businessman before you start calling him a fashion boy. Yeah. It's the reverse here. Here, people love the flash, so the flash becomes your label as against your actual work. So that's usually why I tend to sort of stay away from it.

SPEAKER_01

I get it.

SPEAKER_00

When content creation started becoming a thing, I would get a lot of ah, start doing content now, show us the fashion. I'm like, if I'm ever doing content, it would actually not be fashion. Because that's not who I am. I enjoy it. I've also been told to start clothing labels or clothing lines.

SPEAKER_05

That's a question I was gonna ask you, actually.

SPEAKER_00

Which I don't mind doing, but it's not, I'm not wearing clothes because I want to sell clothes. I'm also not wearing clothes because I like to be a stylist. I just like to wear clothes. So that's why the fashion boy thing, great as it is, is not me. I understand. Or it's not all of me. I understand. It's just a small part of my totally get it. Totally understand.

SPEAKER_05

Now, Noble, you are one of the first people, or should I say the earliest people to make let them know. Oh my god. But you have to let them know. I don't want to. Oh my gosh, you are so proud. No, but let I've tried, but you're one of the first people to actually truly monetize the style influencer role. Let's be honest. Yes. Um, lifestyle content, style content. You've also you've done it all. You've also had um collections, yes, you've had a store, you've done a lot. Um, did you on from the onset know this is what I want to do, or you just kind of fell into it? Because you do a lot, like you said, it's difficult for them to box you in and say noble is one thing.

SPEAKER_04

I didn't I didn't I didn't start to want to be one thing, and I didn't know I was gonna do fashion the way I've done fashion. I grew up in a bar. So um I grew up in a place people thought was a city for trader. And um but I wanted to dress nicely, I was dressing nicely, and people kept picturing me, whether it was Disney style blogs, and people sort of kept sending messages to me when they see me in church, they were like, I wanted to dress me. And um somehow companies or businesses started preaching me to dress the way I love to dress. And I think it was a couple of years ago, maybe like 2000, that I started tries by. Then a couple of years ago, I started culture, and I have to continue to start off to let people dress or style themselves in the way that I think fashion should be. I don't think fashion should be too serious, I don't think fashion should be too uncomfortable. I don't think fashion, every fashion outfit should be professionally photographed. I don't think fashion should feel like costume, like you know, I like fashion to be something that you can really wear out and not something you wear just in front of uh backdrop for the sake of sort of doing fashion. And um, over the years it became a thing. And looking back now, I'm grateful for how far we've come and um for the things that I've done. The first, first, first, first. I was the first brand ambassador for Lagos Fashion and Design Week and it's been 14 years now. Okay, and uh, and I'm proud to still call to what was supposed to be a round table, but I don't know, but oh the shade, the shade, it's okay. But the thing is, like, I've done this for the round table. Epoca has been on Evoca has been on TV for focus, focus has been on TV for 20 years, and um and even in our friendship, I've also have consistently been fashionable. And my friend, my brother, and it's good to sort of have him on this table and being hosted by someone who looks up to us.

SPEAKER_05

What's going on? I was wondering where he was going with this.

SPEAKER_00

I was wondering, you're not serious, but it's interesting what he said there because I remember you know, back in the day before blogs, and I mean, like I guess there was Bella Niger back in the day. They were always there from even when I started. Yeah, um, I was a man of the year on Bella Niger, 2006, by the way.

SPEAKER_01

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00

Um it was a big deal because like it was the year I came into the scene and this style, new style blog, made me man of the year. Yeah, but anyway, the point I was going to when he mentioned about you know, then this day style was sort of the yardstick.

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_00

For you you check, did you make this day style this day? And it became a thing between me and Noble then would be like, Oh my gosh. Most times we're in together or noble is there and I'm not there, and it's like, ah, I win you this time. I want to do it. It was a funny thing, but I guess the point is it's been going on for and it was, like you said, effortless at the time. Yes, we like to dress up, but it was just us being doing what we liked, and you know, the world took paid attention.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, do you ever feel, and this question is for both of you, but I'll start with Ebooker. Do you ever feel pressure when you are maybe going out or stepping out, and you're just like, I just want to be me, but oh my god, they're going to expect me to step it up a notch. Because again, I remember watching Big Brother at home one day, and we're talking about I think what you were going to wear or something like that. And somebody said, But Ebuka has won everything. I'm sure the guy is even tired self. But do you ever feel pressure, like, oh my gosh, whether it's for Big Brother, whether it's just an event, and you're just like, Well, I just want to wear white tea and jeans. But I know that people are expecting more from me.

SPEAKER_00

So, like I said, a lot of what I've done through my life or career has been very intentional. So, with the fashion thing, of course, when I got on TV, um, I've said this a few on several other platforms where it's like if you could think back to guys on television back in the day, it was a gray suit or a black suit. Yeah, that was it for hosting. Nothing memorable, nothing memorable, it was just keep it straight cut and keep it clean. Um, I always felt like that could be different. It took me a while to get there because I never really had a show or a stage where I could now show that off. I mean, on smaller shows like The Spot, for example, on Every Life, I would have fun, but it was more casual. More street style. More street style type thing. Um, but Big Brother gave me that opportunity. So the pressure, if ever, was from me trying to tell people that this is actually not a bad thing. It's very interesting that today a lot of things seem very normal. I was probably one of the first, besides NTA, because NTA is a cultural thing for people to dress in traditional on stage. Think back to all of the shows we had back in the day, all the Nigeria's got talent, whatever it is.

SPEAKER_05

Who wants to be a millionaire, all those things.

SPEAKER_00

Big Brother was one of the first times Nigerians saw a young person dress in traditional on TV. Yeah. And it was considered cool. Akbaras were not cool for a very long time. True. Future Awards, I think it was 2013. I wore a white Akbada. And I remember the conversation. If I wear the Akbada today, they would probably match me and pass. Because it was just a regular white Akbada with a house hour cap.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. I remember.

SPEAKER_00

I saw TV shows talk about it. It was like, oh, this is so this was 2013. It's not even that long ago. So a lot of these things were very intentional on my part. Um, so if there's pressure, it was from me wanting to sort of take a stand on some on certain things. Um, I remember going for an audition once for a TV show that was coming to Nigeria. It was a global franchise. Um, and I went to that audition in a kaftan. And as soon as I walked in, the panel said, Why are you dressed like this? This was in 2012 or 13.

unknown

What?

SPEAKER_00

And I was like, it was a weird question to ask. They were like, We sent you because they sent out these tapes for people to watch of what the show is globally.

SPEAKER_05

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

Um didn't you see what the host wears? You should have come here in a suit. And I said, But we are advancing in Nigeria. Why? And it was an entire back and forth. It got very heated. I ended up not auditioning. I this sounds like a funny story, but it actually happened. I ended up not auditioning because they were so offended by the fact that I dared to not conform to that. And I wasn't even doing it to be rebellious, I just didn't know it was that dramatic. It was the conversation that made me realize, wait, so this is actually really upset about this. Today that won't happen. Because it's like, okay, we're now celebrating our culture and it's a thing now to wear all of these things. And with Big Brother, I because I get that a lot. People saying, Oh, you say there's no pressure, but you do all these things on Big Brother. Big Brother for me is a stage. Big Brother for me is a performance. I'm not an artist, but that is my stage to perform. You don't expect to see Beyonce at an event wearing what she wears on the cowboy catato. She's performing, so she's gonna put up all these theatrics. There's nothing I mean, probably like 90% of the things I wear on Big Brother. I could not wear on a regular day, all the capes and all of these things. But for me, it's a performance, and I do that for that. Um we love it. Yeah, and I mean it's a part of that's become a part of what the show represents. So depression was never because I wanted to make anybody um or what I felt people were expecting anything. It was me wanting to do certain things, make certain statements, and shift certain narratives that I hope has shifted or I think has. Um, but if it's for like a regular event or whatever, I don't know if we'll get into the AMVC. Yeah, yeah, oh, yeah, we're gonna be able to do that. But that is one, that would be one good example that anybody can search and see the kinds of things I wear to the AMVC with all the drama that goes on now. I'm still gonna wear a suit. If I wanted to go through the show. Why not wear trad today? I could wear a trad, you know, but for me, there's an expectation of what you should now do because this is what you do on Big Brother. But it's not, you know, the the pressure has never been from anybody. It's always been what I wanted to wear. Okay. I mean, there's plenty of other stories, but yeah, we'll get into it. No, but what about you?

SPEAKER_04

Do you feel pressure? I don't so I feel like there are different sides to me. Okay. But like I said to you, comfortable being comfortable is the most important. Um pressure at home is usually trauma asking me to dress up first.

SPEAKER_05

Okay.

SPEAKER_04

So she will decide what to wear. Sometimes if she she gets dressed first before me, she will change whatever she wants to wear to sort of match. So maybe the pressure is on trauma at home. So she won't look like your assistant.

SPEAKER_01

That's your wife. Yeah, I get it.

SPEAKER_04

Which I love. Oh, I love. Um, the other one that pressure uh that have made me stop going is the movie premieres.

SPEAKER_05

Okay.

SPEAKER_04

I didn't I don't I still don't like that every movie is what dress co-tained. Like, you know, so something to say, oh, I'm not in the movie. Yeah, I'm not in the movie, and I'm gonna go, like, you know.

SPEAKER_05

I know, but it's it's a form of PR, I guess.

SPEAKER_04

I get it, but the thing that I don't want to go to see a movie and I will have a horse. And I have no, and I have music, like I have a group of musicians behind me playing the drums. So I want to like I want to see a movie. And I want, you know, I want you want to be in the cinema, eat popcorn, relax, not trying to like you know, hold your stomach in or any of those things. We just want to relax. So I kind of feel like that comes, but also for me, I will always dress like nobody. So regardless of like if I go for wedding, people will think, oh, you always look nice. Oh, I like when people say I always smell nice, because you know. Um, but the pressure will come from team divines. For weddings, two way. If I miss the church, I'll wear a suit without tie, I will dress easy, you know. Um, we I mean, we have gone from where we used to wear soup with socks to right now, I can just put my loafers on and just go. But the pressure never really comes because for me, my wife recently told me that she would take all my dilight pants because it feels like that's the wearing. Because it's easy, like comfortable, yeah. It's comfortable. Like put it on, put a t-shirt on, go where you need to go. But yeah, pressure is not a thing.

SPEAKER_05

I always dress like nobody, it's easy, but it's expensive. Do you consider costs or do you consider you know what I want to show up in this designer as a wealth marker?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, I'm grateful for every single person because it's like Evoca said, people who gift me clothes because they think I know how to wear.

SPEAKER_05

Can you people see? Some of you are using your life savings to buy clothes, me while they are dashing them. Oh, yeah, you know, just life not balance.

SPEAKER_04

But the thing is, you know, like you know, uh oh is it is it okay to say shout out? Yes, no. Okay, can I shout out to my designer Reeves? I've been wearing Reeves suits for the longest time. For the longest time. There's I I get a new suit or some couple of suits every week. I get three suits. Every week, every week, yeah. So I wear them three times and I give them out.

SPEAKER_00

Must be nice, isn't it?

SPEAKER_04

Must be come on, go ahead. But the thing, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So the thing is, like, I know that I don't get a suit every week, trust me.

SPEAKER_05

When is the last time you paid for an outfit? Two weeks ago.

SPEAKER_04

No, okay.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, a Nigerian outfit, not ASOS, not a designer called JZO. Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I saw a jacket I liked. Okay. The truth is with Nigerian designers, I actually offer to pay. I always offer to pay.

SPEAKER_05

But your money, your money is no good here.

SPEAKER_00

I actually always want to pay. But there's a belief that, oh, Abuka just weighs. Well, most times I actually want to pay. Some take it, some don't.

SPEAKER_04

I also pay, but the thing is like even for reefs, what I do is like I buy the fabric. So I don't leave that cost to him. Okay. So I don't think it makes sense for him to like sort of give his, get his workers to work on my outfit, and he's also using his money to buy my fabric. So I buy the fabric, I buy some accessories, and that way I take off that sort of cost. So that burden, yeah. When I joined designers, I like to pay people so that you don't come to my DM to say, I have not tagged you, you've not done this. That's their biggest reason. You've not done that, and all yeah, because I want people to like post and feel like we don't want them to call you out and be like, hey, I side clock.

SPEAKER_05

You know, at least tag something.

SPEAKER_04

But also, I have to also appreciate the people who think that when you wear something from them, it gives them business. And the only way they can say thank you is by gifting. So I've had somebody who I won their clothes, and they did me a big thing by gifting my two daughters and son.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_04

And I felt that was like he didn't he didn't measure them, he didn't measure them, he didn't do anything. He sent it to me, and I'm grateful for that. So if if I play the role of an investor, if I'd help you to sell if I help you to sort of push your fashion forward, I would offer to care.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_04

But if you do me a big solid, if you do me a solid, I also go out of my way to make sure that I do something that makes me feel like it's worth it. I don't just post and tag, I try to like send to my friends, I try to put on a story, I try to tag you as much as I can. So that way it feels like it's a mutual sort of relationship.

SPEAKER_05

I like that. And I like that both of you have experimented with fashion over the years. And whether Nigerian men or women like to um agree or not, I feel like these two guys have shifted the way Nigerian men present themselves in public.

SPEAKER_00

I agree with you.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, because I mean, and and you might not like some of the fashion choices. I've seen people come at Noble for short shorts. Yeah. You like so some men feel like if you're gonna wear shorts, at least let your let it get to your knees or let it get, but nobody's like, no, it's gonna make a at that point that it's gonna it's no longer a short. So so yeah, I I've seen people also criticize, you know, some looks. At the same time, you also see that over the years, men started to take their fashion a bit more seriously, whether or not it is because they actually like the fashion or they like to look good or because they want to make the papers or because they want to make the blogs, because that time it was, oh, an event will happen, and then either that same day or the very next morning, people are scrolling through Bella Ninja whether to for best dress or whether to drag or whether to whatever it is, but yeah, they called me stop before like it was my name for the longest time because when I said that we're wearing tight pants, so they felt like my supposed to laugh because why there's there's tribalism in there, they kicked up in that you know, they call me that so many levels are later so many years after their husbands and their boyfriend started wearing tight pants, so like you know, so I I was I came before the time.

SPEAKER_04

But but before you go for that, also want to do like do a little bit of shout-out to people who also play the role.

SPEAKER_05

You start paying money. No, but I mean like no, that's Dennella Grey. I'm joking, I'm joking.

SPEAKER_04

Yes, Dennella Grey's creative on this table and not mentioned Delaware, and also by not because he makes suits, but Maya Taffo played a huge role in championing male fashion. Yeah, yes, and recently Mikazbit.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Talking about Maya Taffo um and how things back in the day. I don't know if you remember when um Genevieve magazine used to do the pink ball. Yes, and they had the pink ball in 2009, I believe.

SPEAKER_05

You wore pink?

SPEAKER_00

I wore a pink jacket.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, there was a lot of pink.

SPEAKER_00

It was so controversial because the pink ball was for breast cancer.

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_00

A lot of women wear pink dresses. The guys who went the most, they would do be a pink pocket square. Not even the bow tie. Oh, yeah, yes. The bow tie was more like a stretch for you to do. I wore a pink tuxedo with black pants. What year was this? 2009.

SPEAKER_01

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

And black tie and black pocket square. But the pink blazer was so controversial. And there were a few articles on it at the time. There was a whole This Day style page on it as well. Look at where we are now, yes, and what you see at movie premiers at the AMVCA and how basic a pink blazer would look now.

SPEAKER_05

Yes, yeah. It's almost like if you wear a plain blazer and there's like bells and whistles on it or something, then you've not really dressed up. But there were some colors that men would not dare wear. And I get I I understand. But if even since then, you've also worn like a full pink suit, haven't you?

SPEAKER_00

No, uh no.

SPEAKER_05

On the runway.

SPEAKER_00

On the runway, yes. Maybe on the range. For the same pink ball. So there was uh so you can't do pink top. I think I went to about three or four editions of the pink ball. There was one where there was a fashion show and I wore a pink. I mean, they provided the outfits. They had designers they collaborated with, and I wore a full pink of but yeah, but I remember that the first the pink one I said it was controversial. It was in my one of his first. Then he was still sort of between his career and doing fashion on the scene.

SPEAKER_04

One time the editor or Genevieve? Yes, he was he did.

SPEAKER_05

He had Maya look. I mean, from his days as a brand manager of an alcohol brand to now fully transitioning into a fashion house. And then, I mean, his you cannot mention Nigerian men's fashion and not mention Maya Taffo. Yes. Um, so and whether it is suits or whether it is trad, he definitely comes correct. When we talk about trad, there's also so many deco has also, you know, uh yeah, yeah, yeah. Deco is definitely he I don't even know what words use to describe, you know, all the like so how does it work for you? For example, for your shoulders, you've I think the most worn designer or the two most worn designers you've ever worn, and correct me if I'm wrong, are Deko and Mike.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. And then Ugomoya, those three. Ugomoya, yes.

SPEAKER_05

So who I'm coming to that moment. That one, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So how does how does it work? Yes, with the general.

SPEAKER_05

Just say, oh, you reach out to them and say, okay, so this is what we're gonna do. For example, there's a season of Big Brother coming up. We also always know it starts in July. Do you sit down and plan the whole season?

SPEAKER_00

Okay. Um, usually, yes. So the first season I I got to host, I got this call from the company saying, Oh, okay, we have your styling plan. Someone's gonna take you to this store in Johannesburg where you pick out suits. I was like, Yeah. No, it's not good. Um, the first season I did was with um Atafo and Vodi. Okay, yes. Shea Vodi. Um after that, I became more intentional. So, yes, what happens is first of all, I've never had a stylist in my life. Just wanted to put that right because people always I annoys me when I see comments. Ibukayo style. Your stylist. Yes, now it's the one thing I always want to respond to. Ibuka your stylist, they try.

SPEAKER_05

And you're like, what stylist? I've never tagged any stylists.

SPEAKER_00

It's me. I style, I've styled myself my entire career. Um but what happens is yes, social usually starts in July. By May, June, I've started having meetings with everyone. Because it's about, we typically know it's 10 to 12 weeks of the show. So I know how many Sundays there are. I sort of do a chart of who we're where on a certain day. And then I now go and have these creative meetings with a lot of them were very sort of conservative at the start. Like in my, you know, Atafo is more for the gentleman. It's a gentleman. Yeah. I we've dragged each other out of the box now. So with me, we have fun. By the time I go there, you're like, ah, look at these ideas I have, you know. So, yes, we'll go through a creative process and I say, okay, this is what I'm wearing on this day. So we'll know the days that they're gonna happen. Um, I like to sort of mix and match sort of formal and traditional on every other day, every other week. And then I sort of juxtaposed with Deko as well. Deko is the easiest to work with of all these people, by the way. Um, Atafo is very stubborn. He's very stubborn. Uh I've worked a few times with De Giancola. He's also quite good. Not that stubborn. T.I. Nathan is Dejian Collar one person? There are two people, but there's one person who's sort of co-founders, but one person is okay. Um, I think that's colour.

SPEAKER_01

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

Um, T.I. Nathan, I've worked with a few times as well. I've done one or two with Emmy Kasbit. Generally, all but we always have a before with the launch. I know what I'm wearing at the finale already. So that's already done. Because the show is so hectic that I don't want to be thinking about what inside all of that.

SPEAKER_05

Totally get it. Now, my question is how do where does a new designer get a chance to dress a noble or an e book? So, for example, noble, yeah, um, you have your people that you know that even in their sleep they can make you an outfit, like the guy you mentioned, which is that sort of thing. But I'm sure there's people in your DM saying, no, please check me out. Yeah, I can make this, I can make that. How do you decide who to give a chance?

SPEAKER_04

I'm gonna tell you a small story, and I'm not gonna mention the designer. So I had a function in Doha and um I reached out to a friend caller to say, Oh, I saw the suit that you wore. I want to know what I thought I made it for you. So he mentioned the designer, then I went to see the designer and they made the suit and I tried it on, and it didn't feel like I traveled to do her and I tried it on and it didn't feel like it was something I could wear. Then I came back um because he's already made it trying to find a thing where he said I should have done it and made me down. Maybe I should reach it out to them. Maybe I should have just kept towards already working or what supposed to be a collaboration, so it was a situation because I didn't wear it, I hadn't wanted to wait. And he asked me to sort of return and bring back so but it's easy. I'm always willing to work with the people, I'm always willing to talk with people to have an idea, but also tell them from the get-go to say there's certain things I wouldn't do actually. I was having a conversation with my friend someone's and I said, I've never found a cross anybody as a man. So regardless of what the style is, I wouldn't carry it across button. I'm not can sort of shame someone who does that, but um, there are certain things that I don't do. Um I'll I have hairy, so I will wear an um button.

SPEAKER_00

You can't you can't do this in a time.

SPEAKER_04

I can't do it. I have got hair on my back as well, but I I we'll wax it now. Listen, there's why am I that's that's what it's me?

SPEAKER_03

But how to why am I waxing?

SPEAKER_00

Every week.

SPEAKER_03

Is that you can take it? Is it if you like it like that? Oh, laser.

SPEAKER_04

Wait me.

SPEAKER_03

That's it.

SPEAKER_04

But the thing is, like, I'm also open for designers reaching out to say, I have an idea of what we can do together. And I'm willing if you say it, oh, I want you to pay for this, and we can do that together. But the thing is, you have to see fashion from my point of view. And I would love to see you sort of do something that you think it has to be comfortable, like I said, it has to be sort of wearable. I don't do costume fashion, I don't do fashion that like you wear, then you stand behind the backdrop, like I said. It's it's not my style. And and it's funny because it's that's what's running in Nigeria right now, you know. So a man will maybe get a jacket, puts, puts feathers behind, you know, put something on the back, put sequence, you know, um, go to the beach, get carries, gum them all together, use them for pocket screen, then get the lighting right, and people will be in the comment to say what are you talking about?

SPEAKER_03

You are rude, just so you know, you are rude.

SPEAKER_04

I'm just like imagine, you know, and people in the comment and be like, oh my god, killing it, killing, but you can't even wear this to anywhere, and sometimes you are you're sweating, you know, like that's not like you're yes, like you're uncomfortable. I would not ever tread comfort for likes on social media. So I don't want to be that kind of fashion person. But if you're if you're a designer, you're out there, you're young, you think you got my vibe, reach out to me. Don't DM me a book.

SPEAKER_05

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SPEAKER_00

I mean, I I get a lot of that as a lot of those DMs. Um I mean, you you look at someone's page, you know the aesthetic, you kind of know if it works for you or not. It's not really hard to know if this thing is gonna work for you, it's not gonna work for you. But I find that I'm constantly looking out for things. Like I said, I started with two designers on Big Brother, I mentioned them. I found Ugomoya on my own.

SPEAKER_05

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

Hardly anybody had heard that name outside of maybe the fashion space, had ever heard that name.

SPEAKER_05

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

Um, same with TNATA. Tia Nathan won this contest. Uh, there was a fashion contest they used to do once.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, Tianathan, by the way.

SPEAKER_00

At Oriental or something. I can't remember. He won or something. And I remember seeing his collection at like 20, whatever old he was at the time.

SPEAKER_05

I remember it was you know the show I'm talking about.

SPEAKER_00

It used to be this runway competition where they discovered designers.

SPEAKER_05

And um, he was sponsored by Soft Drink. I remember drink, yes. I remember.

SPEAKER_00

And I remember seeing his things, and I just knew that I was gonna like this guy's things, and I reached out to him, and you know, that's where it came from. So most times, giving a chance, everybody's making clothes now. And for women, I guess there's more range to what you can do with guys. A good suit is a good suit. If everybody's making suits, I'm not gonna support you because you're a young suit maker, but if the suit is not a good suit, it's not a good suit. So men are more limited to what we can experiment with, even if we're trying to push the envelope as much as we can now. But the fact is, it has to still look a certain way. Yeah. Um, you can hide, I don't know, this is not me speaking for women, but women, you can hide under ruffles and there can be drama and it works. With men, the drama sort of takes away, like you said, for me. So when it's well done, it's just well done. And a lot of that can be seen without so support is not just because of the fact that you want to support. I get it. Um, it has to be, you know, yeah. So I've I've I'm constantly looking out, honestly, for people who are should try Dukun.

SPEAKER_04

Who's that? Dukun. I've got that name. Yeah. Okay. He's like that who Tianetta aesthetic. Okay.

SPEAKER_05

Okay. I've seen you tweet or mostly tweets. Um, no, we calm down. You it's you saying, Oh, you want to style someone. Yeah, maybe you want and usually a big brother contestant. Maybe the person is fresh out of the house or something like that. Why do you do that?

SPEAKER_04

Uh, sometimes when I watch a TV show or when I see a program, I always feel that someone whose style is having their style.

SPEAKER_05

And if they're opening, you see, let me just say now that there are two types of people in this world. Nobu, for example, yes, will throw the shade with his full chest. Yes. Ebuka, on the other hand, is one of those quiet people who people think, oh my god, he's so quiet. He's not. He's not, he's not. I see, I know where I know it's funny.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, he just basically so any next when next we see, I want to start a bit. It means the person doesn't have no that's not what no.

SPEAKER_05

No, he means that the person has potential and could be better.

SPEAKER_04

The person could like it'd be a lot better. Like from people, the person that I I've worked with that I liked the most was Anto.

SPEAKER_05

Okay.

SPEAKER_04

Uh, because in the house, she didn't really dress. So when she came out, we worked together. Why was it her out of all the people in the house? Um, she wasn't my I would I wasn't a fan of hers when she was in the house. So when she left the house and came out, I was like, hmm, I can see something, and I will be willing to sort of work with her, you know, that kind of thing. So we worked and people liked uh the experiment. Uh recently I styled Power Day for Mother's Day. Um I'm working with um Adese. And I'm also doing something interesting. So this is the first time I'm gonna mention it in public. I don't know when it's gonna come out or anything. But a few weeks ago, I reached out to my friend Ibuka Ubichandi, and I told him that I want to pull some clothes that he's worn on Big Brother, and I want to give it to people who I think uh his height, but I want to style them in and give them the cloud and other things. The whole idea is to make sure I take the clothes from Ibuka and put it on someone else and not be the Ibuka's or whatever they say. So they could be like a dumb man, someone's driver, someone's like, you know, I saw it. You and Danjima did something where you're with a guy called Brand Sugar, but I also reached out to Eboka to say, listen, I want to come take something that people will remember that you're not paying by the way. It's not well.

SPEAKER_00

So he's not paying, by the way.

SPEAKER_05

Paying, how?

SPEAKER_00

How will you not pay me for my clothes?

SPEAKER_05

What do you want to do with the clothes? Something. Do you have space in your in your house for money?

SPEAKER_00

Have I come to your house to ask you for a closet? No, but he does not ask.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, but I'm just saying it's not bad.

SPEAKER_04

No, this if you remember the the the the kaftan that Ibuka wore for Banky's was it a banky? It was today's wedding.

SPEAKER_05

It was not a kaftan. It was Banky's wedding? Yeah, it was Abbada. It belongs in a museum.

SPEAKER_04

It doesn't change, but for how long are we gonna keep it in a museum? I want to give it to someone.

SPEAKER_05

We need history, it's history.

SPEAKER_04

If we if we had a fashion museum, yeah, that would be absolutely that that's look who made it?

SPEAKER_05

Yes, that's look. I mean, even if you don't have eyes, you can I can draw the Akbada because it was everywhere, and all of a sudden everybody made it in every colour, you know. Because before Agbada was yeah, and all of us, I don't know what he did, I don't know how he put it together.

SPEAKER_04

Yes, but I can't take someone that wants, take something else.

SPEAKER_05

He has what Ebuka wears probably like 500 outfits in the house. But I also give them out.

SPEAKER_04

But I'm trying, so I'm gonna help him give them out, but the thing is, like you were asking, is I'll love to style like now. My thing is putting women in men's suits.

SPEAKER_05

Okay, yeah. I mean that's a good I mean, I mean, that's a whole vibe. That's cool.

SPEAKER_04

So that's what I'm doing now. So I'm working with that deserve, but like I said, um okay. Samantha's birthday is coming up on the 14th of May. She's asked me to put her in a suit.

SPEAKER_00

Who's Samantha?

SPEAKER_04

Samantha Binka.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, yes, I mean, and it will it will work. She's tall, she's pretty, she's cool. She has this, you know, she's over there with her head, trying not to try not to bust. She's so cool. Yeah, no, but she's really cool. Um and I think you'll be it'll be a good one.

SPEAKER_04

Yes, and maybe sometime it becomes wife too. Okay. At some point. Cynthia, Cynthia is shy though.

SPEAKER_00

No, but she's sorry, finish what you're saying.

SPEAKER_04

I like I like to post Cynthia is cool, but very shy. She's very shy, but I think she would she would drive a look. Like you think, like talking to talking to you about it right now, I'm excited about it.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

And I'm waiting for her to come back after summer.

SPEAKER_05

Okay.

SPEAKER_04

But let her go for a holiday, eat whatever she wants to eat, then when she comes back after summer again. So eat whatever he wants to eat, but when you come back, then I'll put her. So, yeah, so that's the reason why I look for people to style. And um I'm also styling collar motorshaw for Big Brother.

SPEAKER_05

Does he need styling though? Because isn't his nickname, Mr. Kakop?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, you know that's but you know, so he we we are trying to try differ something different, and we're trying to find if Nigerians will like what we'll come up with. And yeah, I'm excited about that. Okay. And maybe one day you beg me to style you.

SPEAKER_05

I'm sorry, wait, what? You are you talking about me?

SPEAKER_00

Maybe husbands never needed styling.

SPEAKER_05

So don't say that. There's a history of me being dragged from time to time. Because Nigerians don't like what I've put on, or they've put me in a in a conservative box. So, I mean, I've been dragged a couple, I think two of the most noticeable, or should I say notable ones was I attended someone's wedding and I was showing cleavage and the internet shut down. Oh, because they put into conservative.

SPEAKER_04

Like what you were saying, how they expected maybe so like maybe today.

SPEAKER_05

I still I'm gonna dig up that photo for this episode and I'll put it up. I'll be like, what was the problem? It's everywhere now. But not from a lot of cleavage, though.

SPEAKER_00

There's nobody and then there was an AMVCA looking just you know, so it's it shouldn't be yeah.

SPEAKER_05

They don't know what they hated it so much with so much vim. And speaking of dragging, let's go back to you.

SPEAKER_00

So yes, did he drag you?

SPEAKER_05

No, he had so let's let's break it down. So you had 360 noobs, yes, which was like a style blog, style website, style, you know, you would post you know, looks that more lifestyle, post looks that you like for. No, it was style VT. There was this AMVCA. I wore a red dress and uh took a picture. This was before people were doing like those photo shoots and all that. It was a phone picture. My makeup artist did my makeup. I took the picture. It was a nice red dress, had nice shabba. It was nice. So I thought style VT. No, next thing I wake up the next day, AMVC is over the weekend, and then on Monday, I receive a Google Alert and I click on it. And Emmy Collins had written this thing about the looks that he hated from AMVCA. And next and my picture was the, you know where they use your picture as the headline. And I remember calling Noble and cursing him out, like, what the hell? Are we not supposed to be friends? How can somebody how can you own a blog and they are cursing your friend, and they even use me as front page of people that did not like the outfits? I was like, and who the hell is this person anyway? Who made him the authority? You made a few silk shirts back in the day, and all of a sudden, it's true, and all of a sudden we will not hear about it again.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, a few silk shirts.

SPEAKER_05

Do you do you own some of the shirts?

SPEAKER_00

You own the colors were very high.

SPEAKER_05

Okay, so where are those shirts now?

SPEAKER_00

You know, my I remember there was an error.

SPEAKER_05

Listen, you know, my own beef is eternal, eternal. I don't want to forgive. I'm joking.

SPEAKER_04

I'm sorry, but I'll put it on Samantha. I kind of feel I didn't approve this. It must have been Samantha was not there.

SPEAKER_05

Samantha was not there. Okay, it was not evolved. I was just like, are you joking?

SPEAKER_04

What the heck? Maybe I'm sorry, but that's not the topic you want to talk about dragging.

SPEAKER_05

Because we're gonna talk about we're talking about fashion, we're talking about so, but yeah. So what has as starvite is still on? Yes, we're 12 years this year, by the way. Congratulations. Are you guys still dragging people?

SPEAKER_04

Yes, not dragging. So kind of feel like the reason why starvite is needed is because when we I mean we can sit at this podcast and pretend not to see what is happening. Um, I might not be a gatekeeper, but fashion in Nigeria is going down the grain.

SPEAKER_05

Right now, yeah, right now. Why would you say that?

SPEAKER_04

Uh because to a lot of people, people sort of look at price. Um, I should be or it should be dresses that be measured by cost, yeah, and not necessarily how they look.

SPEAKER_05

How it looks, how good it looks like.

SPEAKER_04

So you see content creators are wedding saying, So tell me how much you spent.

SPEAKER_05

Yes, how much I spent to attend my friend's wedding.

SPEAKER_04

Exactly. And you know, some of these outfits are not things they can wear beyond the wedding day. And I don't personally think that is style. And uh the likes of Star VT was created to be able to help society stay in line and do what is right. We might not know everything, but it's something that we know very well how to do is fashion. And uh, I've seen a lot of musical videos or maybe like fashion shows. We are able sort of you know, you know how somebody said something that was funny. Someone said, if you want to be a dog during fashion week, dress like a mad person. Just like a mad person. That's true, and uh that shouldn't be you know, like every couple was saying about when he wore battery, it was white about that with actually white embroidery at that point in time, but it was so a classic look. But if you wear that, you look too normal, normal, too decent, not stylish. But that is actually what real style is, and people like Star Vity do not drag, but we need to teach people how to dress better. There's a lot of people who I think can dress better. There's a lot of people who have this design where the flat is, you know, that kind of thing. I've seen women force themselves into it and it does not look comfortable. I mean, you're trying to keep the pants up, you know, like not because it's a good design. That's the look, but I don't think it's for everybody. Yeah, so the same can be said about so many things that dresses that shouldn't have a cutout. You get what I'm saying? Like a man, like you know, I'm not trying to say there's nothing wrong with big stomach, you didn't kill anybody, but like a man, they have a cutout on the side, their stomach is hanging out everywhere, yeah. The flap is hanging out for the side.

SPEAKER_05

Hey, but this is the era of body positivity.

SPEAKER_04

No, but the thing is, I mean, there are people who are also eating that event you're attending, like people are eating and your stomach is hanging, this would be a health actor.

SPEAKER_03

That is fat phobic. No, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_05

No, but we we live in a very sensitive world now, and there are some things. Can we be honest? There are some things where it's like if you say it doesn't fit the person's body shape or or whatever, it's like, oh, you're being fat phobic or you're being this, this, or there's a name for everything. Meanwhile, it's like, look, but this outfit does not, you are wearing a corset, but your waist is not agreeing. Yes. It's not for you. Yes, that's what I'm saying. Because you can coss it all you want, but there's no waste to cosset. And it's not, do you understand?

SPEAKER_00

So it's like I I like I his point, I get. I guess maybe I would present it differently is very. There's a confusion of being fashionable as being viral. So there's a social media angle to this, right? Virality is confused for being the achievement. Um and there's also I know Noble has had some of these arguments on Twitter, I've seen it a few times about what about what um the difference between being fashionable and being stylish. And a lot of Nigerians are fashionable or want to be fashionable or toe the line of being fashionable, which is more being on trend, what's in, corsets are in, um tabbies are in, whatever it is, you know, you're wearing those those things that are currently seen as fashionable. Um, so you're kind of on trend. You look expensive, maybe, sometimes tacky, but you're on trend. Not enough people in Nigeria are stylish, but people don't want to hear that. Being stylish is you know Coleman Domingo, for example.

SPEAKER_01

Absolutely, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

He takes risks, but you see him and you know, okay, this is Coleman Domingo. You he he's not over the top with anything, unless he's the med gala, which says you should be over the top. He goes to the Oscars, he's still very clean-cut, yeah, but he stands out in an interesting way. It could be just one accessory that he threw on that makes everything look different. But here, being stylish is almost seen as being as playing safe. But that is the person's identity. This is who this person is. I was giving the example earlier of a Lisa Follow, for example, who you see Lisa, you know Lisa's aesthetic. Lisa is extremely stylish. But I can assure you, go back 10-15 years on any best dressed women in Nigeria of 2021. You won't see her name that you go back to any time. But if you go to Lisa's page, you don't even need to know her, just go to her page and you see that she's a stylish woman, but she would never make those lists because Nigeria is were very fashionable.

SPEAKER_03

In a one direction, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

If you're not over the top, who are individuality?

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, if you're not over the top, they don't think that you are stylish and it's very maximalist as opposed to minimalist. Very maximalist. And another thing that people do, which I didn't I didn't learn about it until much later, was that people would if the fastest way, one of the fastest ways to become popular is either to be fooling on social media, meaning you are quarreling or doing some nonsense on social media, or act as acting the fool, or through style or through fashion. Yeah, and so it's oh, number one, in some cases, some go as far as you know, getting their bodies done, whatever it's because they are preparing for this new era, yeah. And then to, you know, hire a stylist or basically create or dress up, dress up, dress up, and then pay blogs to post. At first, I thought, oh, the blogs were just appreciating their clubs. They really like the clocks. And then it was later that was I was told they pay. I was like, stop it, stop it. So you've gone to pay to blogs to post you every now and then, and then once I was told, and I said and I said um understand, and I said spotting it, like, aha. Yeah, now I understand what's going on here.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it hurts me that Nigeria doesn't. I don't want to generalize, but the the the scene here almost doesn't appreciate individual style.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

You mentioned Denola Grey, for example. Yes, he can be over the top sometimes, but you know Denola's has a style.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Is not gonna wear something because everybody now worries. He's still gonna be Denola.

SPEAKER_05

He's gonna wear what fits him.

SPEAKER_00

Pushed the envelope and did his thing. Today, it has to be. I don't want to keep going back to the MVCA because the MVC is amazing. And I love what the NVCA is doing. Yes. I mean, last year TikTok went ballistic, and it wasn't even Nigerians who were shouting out. So there are people who do the MVC and do it, right? But it has now become this place where everybody wants to be the loudest. Everyone wants to be talked about. Same thing with uh movie premiers. Yeah, all of these things have become so just maximalist, like you said. If it's the louder, the more costume to be, I guess. Scarish. Yeah, yes. I keep saying the last time we said one of my best dressed people was um Ephra Iwara. I don't know if you remember, he wore this black toxic that was sort of cropped on a double lapel. Yeah, beautiful, clean look. I mean, a few people appreciated it, but you still find out what the tilt is is towards the, you know, the so much, like cape.

SPEAKER_05

If you don't have a cape, if you don't have skulls, if you don't have shinshine, if you don't have cowries, if you don't have all sorts of I don't know who used cowries.

SPEAKER_00

I'm just saying like we've always been fashionable. Look at our mothers from back in the day. You know, we we have it in us. There's a reason why the rest of the continent is even trying to do what we are doing with the Ashuebis and all of that. But there has to be it, we have to start introducing, I don't know, some individuals.

SPEAKER_05

So before the AMVCA proper, they do a series of events, yeah. And there's a traditional night. It has now become power. I think that's amazing, yes, where she dressed like it was like she wore, yeah. Loved it, yes, yeah, loved it so much.

SPEAKER_04

That's really I loved Aqua Ugu's wedding. Yes, that was really cool. Like it was really interesting.

SPEAKER_00

I remember not too long after that. I think you wore Bubba Rappa to like a wedding or something. I remember. Oh, yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_05

I was I was tired of corsets for goodness sake.

SPEAKER_00

I'm not saying and I don't want people to think that we're saying that being simple is what it should be. Because I mentioned Denola Grey as well. Lisa Follower is not simple. Yeah, she would wear 200 colors on her body, but you can still see that it's her. Yeah, you know, so it's not about dressing down, it's about just finding a balance. A balance. Samantha was saying earlier, and I guess that's a very valid point. Maybe that's where we should give people some leverage. That's to be fair, style is not something that you necessarily have in your 20s. Okay. And maybe early 30s. Because you have what is your style at 27? Do you really know what your style is? You might know what you're comfortable with. Some people are lucky enough, like a denala, for example. Knew what works. There are people who are doing it in their 20s and kind of found their lane. But it's it's okay in your 20s to be finding out what you are. But as you go along, you should be able to have seen, okay, this is what works for me. This is what I'd like to wear. These are the kind of things I love or I look good in. And then you start identifying with those things, and it becomes your style. As against this, just everybody's on one train, everybody at Ashwebis are the same fabric, but it's supposed to be you now expressing that in yourself. Yourself. But everybody looks male and female, just the same thing.

SPEAKER_05

It's almost like if there is no corset cinching, plenty, plenty shine, shine, plenty, plenty of breast showing, yeah, you know, to the point of almost being um what's the word I'm looking for here? Like just that's some outfits. I'm just like, why did you even bother? Like, why like there's just too much going on?

SPEAKER_04

Wait a minute, let's ask it. Because do you think people are gonna watch this episode and feel like these are two old people trying to get cube? Yes, you know what that's their business.

SPEAKER_00

I've gotten that before. Where it's like, oh now, because you you know the game, again.

SPEAKER_05

No, but I think that you know what? People who like to age shame and say certain things. I'm not going to look at life or dress like I'm 22. I was 22 in 2000 and God knows long. I didn't. Yes, you know. No, but we're all over 40. So there's a certain sense of knowing yourself and knowing what works for you. I think for most people, by the time we get to, I'm still younger than both of you, by the way. By the time you get to a certain age, I am you are you not older than me? But let me finish your statement, please. So, but whatever. My point is, like, you know yourself to a certain extent. You know what, I mean, hopefully, some people still don't know. Bless their hearts. You know what works for you, you know what doesn't work for you, and you know, you know, by God's grace, you're able to even afford it.

SPEAKER_04

By the way, happy 50th birthday in advance women.

SPEAKER_05

To who?

SPEAKER_00

Maybe that is not there.

SPEAKER_05

I still have at least eight years before I get to 50, please. By God's grace, we'll all get there. Amen. You know, but I'm just saying, like, so you can't expect us to look at life through the through the lenses of a 21-year-old. It's not possible. And then also when we're 21 and a 21-year-old in 2026, it's the the world is totally different. You know, we didn't have cell phones shoved in our faces at that age. So, you know, I kind of feel for young people sometimes because it's like, oh, they grew up in this era of pressure. You have to look a certain way. Oh, or like if someone is deciding, oh, they want to be a content creator and they are worried about their aesthetic, and they are worried, but you can be a content creator at wherever, whatever point in life that you are in. You don't have to, you know, drape yourself in designer. Some of you are out there, yeah? No, some of you are out there borrowing clothes or you know, borrowing money to buy clothes. Exactly, or owing or doing all sorts of nonsense because you want to look a certain way or present a certain way on socials, and you really don't have to it's very interesting that you brought up that borrowing and I know maybe off our phone, but I turned on my phone. What are you doing?

SPEAKER_00

I GPT'd okay the difference between fashionable and stylish. Thank you. Okay, so fashionable is about trends, yeah, it's a reflection of what is popular. The focus with fashionable is the clothes, and it's the source is driven by designers and labels. Stylish is a personal expression, an internal sense of what looks good. The focus is the person wearing the clothes, and the source is personality driven. So fashionable focus clothes, stylish focus person. Um, and I think that it goes back to what we're saying. It's more about how you express yourself in clothes, as against what you're wearing. And I think a lot of what we're doing is showing up in the clothes being the clothes being the focus, as against your personal expression of, you know. So it's I guess that also makes sense in it, might take a while for people to get there, but you should actually walk towards getting there because that's when you've finally become that. Ah, this is uh uh that's where you can actually wear a t-shirt and jeans and just be like, ah, you look so good.

SPEAKER_05

You know, some people dress, they're just wearing the simplest things, yeah. But you can just carry it.

SPEAKER_00

I I really, I really wish we would get there where it becomes less about the no, sorry, the noise and the or who you are wearing, and who you're wearing and all of that.

SPEAKER_05

I I feel like it comes from being comfortable within yourself. If you are a person who is not comfortable with yourself, then you are forever going to want to prove a point as every time you dress up because you want people to see you a certain way. But if you are like this is me and you're going to accept me the way I am, whether you like it or not, then you know. But so I think, yes, like all sorts of things, but and you know, experiments, but at the same time, just be like you said, it's about comfort. That's one of the first things that you said. I think this was a nice conversation. I even went off script, but I love it.

SPEAKER_00

And just to be clear, I I I think it's possible to be fashionable and still be look still look good.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Um, I don't think we're not telling anybody to suddenly throw away that. No, no, no.

SPEAKER_05

I mean, you can throw in a trend or two.

SPEAKER_00

There are people who are trendy, yeah, who you could say, uh, okay, I that this might be controversial. So not me not controversial, it's a stretch. There are people who think Lewis Hamilton is stylish. I think he's fashionable. He does these things now where he arrives at the F1 race and he has this amazing jacket on with a headromal. Lovely. But I think he's fashionable. Because he's if it to be honest, it actually looks forced. Yeah, but but I I don't think it's terrible. Yeah. I mean, that the why it would look forced is because certain things are not him. Yeah. But generally, I don't think it's a terrible thing. It's also this thing this a lot of um athletes do now when they are going to have a basketball game. They have this tunnel of work where they wear all of these outfits. Now there are some people you watch, they're like, okay, this person is actually, but a lot of them are wearing labels because their stylist just put it on there.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

It's not a terrible thing. My point being, it can work if it's not always over the top. The Lewis Hamilton one now, there are certain things you can tell, okay, this was a little too much. Yeah. We don't know what the point here was. But generally, I would call him a fashionable guy.

SPEAKER_05

Speaking of that, have you ever looked back at some pictures in your life?

SPEAKER_00

Oh, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_05

Oh, God. Can you remember a particular look?

SPEAKER_00

Um can I remember? A lot of them are all of this echo hotel things back in the day, where it was more the concert space back then. You would wear a denim with whatever jackets. I mean, there was an era of where clothes were really fitted. Yeah. It looks weird now. I was wondering what was the point of all of this.

SPEAKER_05

I mean, I understand trends back in the day. You know, we've we've seen jeans go from straight to bootcut to uh skinny. You know, remember when guys used to wear the red skinny jeans or pink skinny jeans or pink t-shirts. Very odd, like that guy that used to that's that his song Windeck.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, or something.

SPEAKER_05

You know, we've all we've gone through some questionable, even makeup. Sometimes I'm like, ah, what were you thinking? Like, have you looked at some looks and you're like now?

SPEAKER_04

Wow. I kind of feel like the only I mean there are a couple of looks that I love, but I can't I don't like what I wore to Banke's wedding. Why? Because I had traveled. Was it trad or was it the white suits? Okay, the white wedding. With the suit, the white wedding in South Africa. So I had to travel before the dinner sent it, and I felt like it was. Oh, yeah, you wasn't. I didn't try it on, I didn't feel it. And every time I see a picture from that wedding, you're angry. I'm angry myself because I could have done better, like in that sort of thing. So I ended up driving like Jack.

SPEAKER_05

Is it now 10 years this year? Almost.

SPEAKER_04

2017. It's when it starts next year, okay.

SPEAKER_00

You know, so every time I see But I think it was also maybe 2017 was things that started evolving. But a lot of the earlier things existed at a time when fitting wasn't understood fully, I think, by Nigerian designers. The few people who understood fittings were super expensive. The Dollar Cigos back then, which is why it'll get hard to do anything for you at the time. Now we're at a point where people now really understand okay, this shoulder of this jacket needs to come down. Sometimes one, two stitches here and that changes everything. But back then, you liked something, it was made, or you just bought it off the rack. And you just wear it that way.

SPEAKER_04

I think also there's one look people are trying to make me hate, which is the way I watch suit, I wore a shirt, I wore a short or a squirt, like a short shirt. Short shorts with a jacket.

SPEAKER_03

Every time at the back fashion, people bring up that image. Listen, baby. Like this you, I wanted to put that image and say, listen, you can never make me look hate this look.

SPEAKER_00

Because my not like what's your opinion on it?

SPEAKER_05

I mean, I think maybe it's the way you were standing. There's you have a way you stand sometimes.

SPEAKER_03

Someone be afraid, so you say that's a semi-bull legged.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, so maybe that's what it is. But you know what? I I feel like look, we're allowed to experience.

SPEAKER_04

People have tried so hard to make me hate it, but I still love it.

SPEAKER_00

What do you think of what do you think of men's fashion in Nigeria now? I know I because I feel like we're sounding very cynical.

SPEAKER_01

No, no, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_00

Um but I also find that there's a lot of over the topness going on because it's like, okay, men can now we're really doing more from you looking out, looking in.

SPEAKER_05

It's definitely getting better. It's definitely, I mean, from 10 years ago, from 15 years ago, like you said, especially for people who appear on camera, for example, men. Uh, I remember there was this experiment that they did a few years ago. This is not Nigeria, by the way, but this newscaster, a man, wore the same suit every day for a year. And the lady beside him, I think, repeated a dress and they they focused on her.

SPEAKER_00

The one time.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, because it was almost like we're not paying attention to you, but people are paying more attention. And what I like is there's this explosion of not just suits, not just trad, but streetwear. Only problem is that some of you, what you are you are creating is too hot. Yeah, it's too hot now. Yeah, like I'm like, it's it's too thick. Like, come on.

SPEAKER_00

And the thing is, you can still make those things with that aesthetic, but with lighter fabric if you know what you're doing.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, so I I like the explosion of streetwear. I I really, you know, and I know that they are they are mixing it with all sorts of things, you know. Black Americans, especially the foundational ones, are fighting on social media that people are jacking their style, they're jacking their this, they're jacking at that. But you know what? You can make a t-shirt and incorporate some stuff in it, whether it's that only thing I don't like is that they can name a t-shirt now, the Ebukati. And then just because they sold a strip of of Ashoki on top, it is now 500,000. Why? I'm just giving an example. Like once they give them a little bit again in the country is so so therefore I should buy t-shirts for 500,000. I mean, you are I mean, you are you're talking to the woman, like I was just saying with you guys off camera about there was a time when all my life all I wore were loutons, but I did not have any um what they call it now. I did not have anybody to take care of then. Like I don't have any, I didn't have any responsibility. I think it would be ridiculous now for me to not spend all my money on lubes. There's a time that that's what I used to wear, and but now I'm just like, look, there's school fees, there's this, I have projects to finance. I have so many. I didn't have there's no Gomesoka shoes then. There was nothing, but now I will think twice. I mean, if you if you got it, no problem. And you want to wear the Ebuka shirts for 500,000 naira because they put uh ashaoki on the sleeve.

SPEAKER_04

I had that conversation with someone where I was telling him that the reason why he isn't selling a lot of kaftans is because of his price point. It was too high. Yes, I was telling him that people want clothes that they can buy a few more so they can change. So if we do, if we buy one kaftan at 600k, the most you can buy in one store is probably one or another. But if your kaftan is at 200k, depending on the fabric, you can buy three hundredk, and even buy like eight, so that way they can always come back to get more because the way the love things happen in Nigeria. So for the t-shirt one, I've seen a t-shirt being sold maybe like 500k just t-shirts, yeah. You know that's sort of like even though I told I went to a store today and I told them the reason why their t-shirts are moving off the rack is because of the price because people want to get t-shirts. I mean, most of the t shirts are being produced in China with all the respect right now, and you bring them in, you want to sell them, you want to make all the profit from selling one. When you can have people buy a couple of t-shirts so they can change and also say they come back. So I don't sort of subscribe to such fashion. I feel like fashion to most people should be affordable.

SPEAKER_05

I was gonna say also, but that I've also seen in cases where I was also thinking cases where fashion brands start out affordable. Whether I think for me, maybe more of women's fashion, they start out affordable. You know, you get to oh, this is nice, this is nice, you get a few pieces here and there, and then in 18 months, all of a sudden the clothes are becoming 500k, 600k. Because somebody has won it. Sister, what happened now?

SPEAKER_04

Like an artist won't do something from the collection.

SPEAKER_05

But so are we all ending the same as the artist? Like it, it's it's wild to me, and I'm just and then and unfortunately, once a lot of people are copycats. Oh my god, this important person has won your dress. Oh my goodness, I want to be seen in that dress. Oh, I want is used as a wealth marker now. Oh, I'm I'm I'm among. I'm among because I'm wearing this thing. But they just told you the most smaller dress at 800k, but you wore it and the sleeve tall. Sis, what are you doing? Like, no, it's true now. Let's be honest here. And you know, me, I'm the sort of person now who wears my stuff. I I it's not about how expensive it is. Do I like it? And if I like it, is it comfortable? Okay, great. I'm and I have clothes from 10 years ago, 12 years ago, and I still wear, and you cannot come and share. I'm too grown for you to come and shame me based off of what I'm wearing because I've rerocked my outfits and not serious. Yeah, is that your new thing? Now, what should you say?

SPEAKER_03

I have three children, so listen.

SPEAKER_05

But why haven't you started a line or something? Um, noble has even done that.

SPEAKER_00

You why I I've had very interesting conversations over the years. Um, first of all, I would um if I ever do anything, I have to be ready to wear. I'm not doing come and measure. Um, but I also uh bother about the fact that we don't have distribution channels in Nigeria. The kind of money I want to eat from fashion is not like Rihanna money.

SPEAKER_05

But wait now, but you know that people even beyond Nigeria will buy if you release something.

SPEAKER_00

Where are they buying it from?

unknown

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00

Websites now. It's not me that we'll be answering that website. No, no, no, no, no. I'm just kidding. My point is at the time when I had one of the most intense conversations, the distribution conversation is what sort of put me off of it. There's um I was I wasn't interested in opening a store.

SPEAKER_01

Mm-hmm. Right?

SPEAKER_00

And at the time, the website, you know, all of that was just The logistics of it all just confused me. And I let it go. I might come back to it now with it with different eyes. But when I talk about distribution, it's the fact that going back to Rihanna, she has a brand. She sits down in her house. Sephora is Sephora is talking. Like we don't have that sort of system here where, you know, even in like South Africa, for example, they have a Woolworths. Yeah. Where you can launch this thing and have a deal with warworths, and you are just sitting in your house.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

It's unfair for a creator to have to bother about distribution and all of the design. Yeah, you have to be everything, yeah. Unfortunately. And I just the things I'm doing, I mean this kind of business needs that kind of attention. So it's something I probably will go back to. Now that I mean the online space is interesting, if you know shipping and all of that works, then why not?

SPEAKER_05

But I feel like people will definitely, it's something that people would buy.

SPEAKER_04

Um people will buy or find yourself a Samantha.

SPEAKER_05

What did you say?

SPEAKER_04

Oh, yeah, you should get himself a Samantha.

SPEAKER_05

Okay. I mean, all right. I want to say thank you guys for stopping by. So this was fun. Yes, it was to be locked dance party. This was fun. Thank you so much for coming. I think that these are conversations we should continue to have because there's so much more to Nigerian fashion than just aesthetics. And that's the reason why the show was um uh started in the first place. So, from my from the bottom of my heart, say thank you again to my guests, Novo and Evoca, for coming.

SPEAKER_00

And please dress well to MVCO. Don't listen to us.

SPEAKER_05

Nobody says you should not dress.

SPEAKER_00

TikTok will uh TikTok has started carrying them now. So they want to. This year is going to be worst.

SPEAKER_05

Oh, I know. Yes, it will be worst.

SPEAKER_00

I just recognize it again and slap it, say it will be on the red carpet. The clouds that people got from all of these Americans. Are you going? I don't know. We'll see.

SPEAKER_05

You will go.

SPEAKER_00

I was nominated last year, so that's why I went. Yeah. This year, I mean, it's the year of this year's right. Yeah, we'll see when when the time comes. But it's just all of this what social media has become brought with it now. I know that this year is going to be quite the show.

SPEAKER_05

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