L’uF (L’Univers de Francine)
Ogounchi Adebola started her fashion career as a tribute to her aunt whose love for crochet was inspiring, ‘I wanted to give a tribute to my late aunt Francine who was fascinated by crochet. That’s even the meaning of my brand name (L’uF stand in French for L’Univers de Francine which means Francine’s Universe). Before passing away she bought a lot of yarn threads and crochet books. Unfortunately, she couldn’t use them. So one day I took the threads and the books she left; I learned from the books and start making stuffs which I was given free to my friends. So people were calling me and were asking for the tops or headbands I have made for this or that person. (I couldn’t even price them). So this is when I decided to turn it as a business. One of my closest friend advice to me showcase at a fashion show, SOB fashion week Benin. And I really like the pressure before the event; the stress behind the scenes; and I also develop Love for work well done. This is what led me to embrace fashion as a career”.
On choosing NSFDW, “I saw the potential; the professionalism and the scope of the event, but especially the opportunities that arise for young designers and new people embracing fashion industry. I was on BellaNaija website when i saw an article from Sharon Ojong’s Vlog: “The biggest Fashion weeks in Africa. So I took a look and I was captivated by NSFDW because that’s what I was looking for”.
For her designs, Adebola gets her materials from different parts of the world like France, Ghana, America and a lot of shops in Africa selling quality yarns. The business of fashion is a big drive for her especially since her family is yet to understand her career choice.
She will be showcasing her “Boldness” collection, a mixed of chic, classy and unique pieces on the NSFDW runway.
Daniella’s Fashion World
For Helen Osung the Creative Director of Daniella’s Fashion World, her love for fashion came naturally and quite early from her childhood days. As she got older, it became clearer what her career choice would be although her biggest fear when starting was the capital and electricity to meet up with client demands but she sailed through.
She describes the distinctiveness that makes her brand stand out as “my creativity, diligence, quality and durability, because those are the major factors that guide our day to day dealings in the fashion industry”.
Muse Couture
Fatoyinbo Olumide Caleb launched Muse Couture because of his love for fashion and how he could use it to express his feelings and emotions of others. His biggest fear starting out was meeting up to the standards set by established and strong emerging designers in the industry.
As an emerging designer, he sees Nigerian Student Fashion & Design Week as a platform to introduce and showcase his designs to the fashion industry.
On his expectations from NSFDW2018, “I’ve been following Nigerian Student Fashion and Design Week for a long time, even before my brand started. I got to know about NSFDW on Instagram three years ago. And since I’ve been following. My expectations this year is this edition is going to be massive and it will also push me beyond my comfort zone”.
For Muse Couture, he draws inspiration from nature and personality; and also defines his collection which he will showcase as “Royalty”.
When asked how to change the opinions of Nigerians in diaspora who believe ‘Made in Nigeria’ products lack quality and how that perception can be changed, he shares “My deepest desire is to have my own fabric production company, where every material for my collection would be designed and produced by me. And before that would become a reality, to make my brand stand out I will ensure that the production of my collections meet the standard of my targeted audience”.
On AFWH/NSFDW Partnership and if given an opportunity to showcase in Houston, Olumide states, “I will take it with joy and gladness and make the most of it. And make sure the international market sees the uniqueness of African fabrics and creativity”.