00:00I would say one thing that's definitely missing, and that's something I had to
00:02learn like the hard way, is balancing the creative with the business. If you can't
00:06have a business without having the creativity, you can't also have the
00:10creativity without having the business.
00:18So our new collection is titled Memories of Home and it's pretty much a
00:23combination of my father's memories of home when he attempted a journey in the
00:29early 2000s from Nigeria to Spain, trying to find a better life for us and it's a
00:33quick collection of like that journey combined with my memories of home, pretty
00:38much me moving from Nigeria to the U.S. in 2010. So it's pretty much like both of
00:44those journeys having a conversation and that's also like give birth to the new
00:47collection. I'm not the biggest fan of like making my references literal, so in
00:51a way one of the things we try to do is like find a sort of like a middle ground
00:56between our references and something completely new. So I love the things we
01:01reference where the architecture back in Lagos, based on my memories, you know,
01:05things like texture, things like cracks on the wall, like you know the social nuances
01:10of like things back home, like you know even like calories for example which was a
01:14form of currency prior to like paper bills been introduced in West Africa. So we
01:18pretty much like implemented a lot of this like references and try to balance it with
01:22it, you know, I would say more Western wear and that's, you know, yeah, it's one of many
01:27references I gave away.
01:37This show is actually more, you know, I'm not the biggest fan of a traditional runway,
01:41but unfortunately this show is actually like more similar to a traditional runway
01:46compared to the last show. Although we wanted to bring, you know, continue the same theme,
01:50the same theatrical theme that, you know, that was notorious with, you know, or like
01:55was very obvious in my last show. So in a way like, you know, you know, obviously we're a
01:59small brand with little to no budget, so it can be difficult to like put out
02:03elaborate sets, but I do think this show will definitely like, you know, I hope it
02:08does actually transport people to like a completely different, you know, universe.
02:12And that universe is actually Lagos because that's, you know, that's what I'm trying to
02:15express through the show.
02:16Your father's a designer as well, who will be attending the show, and do you ever pull
02:21any inspiration from the things he's made in the past?
02:23Yeah, it's actually, yeah, he has the best seat in the house for the show. I mean,
02:27and my entire family pretty much, and there's always, there's like a little, a little ego
02:34thing we both have going on of like who's the better designer in the family, but I
02:38definitely copy a lot of his work. I would say, you know, I consider him one of the greatest
02:42designer ever. It's my equivalent of like Raf Simmons and whatnot. And yeah, like, you
02:47know, I do think, you know, a lot of like inspiration comes from our conversation, me
02:51digging through like old images of some of his past pieces, and sort of like try to
02:55bring in more contemporary perspective into all of his old work.
02:58I've always wanted to be an artist, just not a fashion designer. And it's something that,
03:09you know, even until now, like, yes, I, you know, clothing is like my major medium, but
03:14I try to consider myself more of like, you know, a multidisciplinary artist who, you know,
03:19clothing just happens to be one of many materials I use to express, whatever it is. Originally,
03:24I wanted to also be a pilot and an architect, but then I realized I was afraid of heights,
03:28so I can really like, I could really fly a plane, but I currently have exploration, you
03:32know, aspirations of like studying architecture. I think it's something where, where Ed Estate
03:36down the line will function as a design firm, and not just like a fashion house. It's going
03:41to be a combination of us like, you know, combining these two mediums and the architecture side
03:46will be more used towards like providing sustainable opportunities for people in the communities,
03:52in the community I'm from, and the fashion side will be more of the storytelling aspect of it. So
03:56yeah, in a way, like, down the line, the brand looks to find that middle ground between these
04:00two different mediums. We're in the early stages of like, so like, you know, rolling out the more
04:04architectural side of the brand. Obviously, I'm not a licensed architect, so it can be difficult,
04:08although, you know, we've been partnering with people who have, you know, come from that
04:12background. And pretty much the same thing we try to do with clothing, it's like trying to
04:16understand like, you know, our community and the storytelling aspect of it. We're trying to do the same
04:20thing with like, you know, with, you know, providing proper infrastructure for those community. So
04:24what does that look like? That looks like me going into this community, pretty much like,
04:28you know, being a note keeper and sitting everyone down and like, so like, you know,
04:32trying to understand what the problems are together and then coming together with a collective solution.
04:36You know, it's still in the early stages. I don't want to make any creative promise because I do
04:40think in a way it's like, as a black designer, there's a lot of expectations for like, you know,
04:45what you should be giving back to the community. And it's like, if you don't live up to the expectation,
04:49then it's considered a failure. So I don't want to place any like sort of like expectation
04:53whatsoever. But, you know, I would say we do have like, you know, goals and accomplishments
04:57to, you know, provide tangible opportunities back to this community, whether it's like,
05:00you know, implementing a workforce program or providing proper health and sanitation,
05:04or even like, you know, proper education, you know, from the community I'm from. So,
05:09because I also think it does a disservice to like, you know, I like this community,
05:12tell stories about them and actually not provide anything in return. And I've been,
05:16as someone who comes from this community, I know how difficult and frustrating it can
05:20be for your story to always been told, but like, you're still stuck in the same predicament.
05:32My background is pretty much like completely self-taught. So in a way, like I can't,
05:36I don't really know exactly what's happening in the school setting, but although I do work with
05:40and I've interacted with a lot of like incredible designers who've come through like, you know,
05:44the school setting, and I would say one thing that's definitely missing, and that's something
05:47I had to learn like the hard way, is balancing the creative with the business. Because at the
05:51end of the day, it's like, you know, you can't have, you can't have a business without having
05:57the creativity. You can't also have the creativity without having the business. So I would say,
06:01you know, I would say the balance is something that can be quite difficult. And if it's a designer who
06:07wants to focus strictly on the creative, you know, hire someone who is like, or bring someone on board,
06:12who is just as passionate about as about the business side, and pretty much be able to admit
06:17your weakness, I do think that's one of the best ways to operate. Even if you're good at a business
06:21side, you should actually divert that responsibility to someone else, because there's no way you can
06:25actually properly balance both. But the best way you can learn is actually like, going into the
06:30reward and getting your hands dirty, which is what I pretty much did. I would hope this show, you know,
06:35make people realize you just have to like, let the kids be, you know, like, just, you know,
06:39I think in the early stages of like starting a brand, it was quite difficult to have my voice
06:44being heard, because every room I walk into, I was always a baby. And it's, you know, it's one of
06:48those things where you don't get taken seriously as like your counterpart, you know, and on top of
06:52that also being a black person doesn't really, you know, that didn't help much. But I would say like,
06:56you know, I would, I hope that, you know, imprint the show lives behind. It's like, you know,
07:01pretty much the fact that like, you know, you know, let people tell their story, you know,
07:05at the end of the day, it's like all, you know, the only power I have is my truth, which is my story.
07:09And it's like, you know, if you give people the platform to be able to express that power,
07:13then you have a massive table of like, you know, of storytellers that I would say can change what
07:18the future of not just fashion is, but also just like socially or politically. So yes, let the kids
07:23talk, you know, the kids have a lot of talking to their, let them talk.
Comments