Ejiro Amos-Tafiri is a fashion designer and owns a wear line. She talks about her passion for fashion in this interview
Q: Why did you decide to go into fashion?
A: I wanted to live my dream. Very early in my life, I knew I wanted to be a fashion designer. Getting into the industry was just following my passion and living my dream.
Q: What was the inspiration at that age?
A: I grew up being a very hands-on person. I was a science student in secondary school but I loved the arts as well. My parents wanted me to be a doctor or an engineer. I took up agricultural science but my teacher was pregnant and did not teach regularly. The home economics class was filled and the only class left was clothing and textiles. On the first day in class, I went on an excursion to the Fashion department, Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos. That was a whole new world opened up for me. At that point I knew I wanted to be a designer, and I was just 14. Two years later, I went back there to study fashion designing.
Q: When did you launch fully?
A: That was from the first year of internship. After my first year, I did my first internship with Zizi Cardow of Zizi Ethnic Clothing, for three months. I did a one-year internship with Tiffany Amber after my second year. After that internship, I went back for my Higher National Diploma and did my youth service with Out of Africa. It is a furniture company owned by Mrs. Bode George, but I ran the fashion aspect. After a few months, I went back to Tiffany Amber as a personal assistant to the creative director.
Q: What challenges did you have as a starter?
A: I had my parents support, even though they weren’t happy with my choices but they paid my fees. It was embarrassing for them to tell someone their child was studying fashion and designing but I applaud them for it. I also lost a national scholarship because of my choice over medicine. Going into the business was also stressful but I did internships and learnt about the business I wanted to get into. Whatever challenges I faced were challenges I chose for myself. I was not blind or just out to enjoy the glamour. When my contract with Tiffany Amber ended and I did not want to renew, I moved back home, cleared out my room and converted it to my office. I was sleeping in my brothers’ room. It was inconvenient for my parents as well but they sucked it up. Right now, the challenges are: staying ahead of the competition; understanding your business; knowing how to handle the expansion plans in order to stay relevant and maintaining the niche you want to carve for yourself. Challenges are unique to different individuals.
Q: How did you eventually create a niche for yourself?
A: If you want something bad enough and you know who you are, and then you would go for it. I knew where I wanted to be in five years. I drew my business plan. I have had more of God’s blessings than I bargained for but apart from that, I focused my energy and effort. I knew exactly what I wanted out of this and it helped.
Q: How do you handle competition in the industry?
A: Competitions are part of life. You have set standards you are measured against and you strive to be better. It is all about knowing who you are and repositioning yourself. I know there are competitions but I do not focus on the competition. I set myself apart from the competition, learn from it, and know what to do to stay ahead of the competition because I have my own goals and aspirations.
Q: What area of the fashion industry are you into?
A: I studied fashion for five years in school so I am an all-rounder. That is what fashion school does to someone. I did not know how to draw earlier but I learnt. I am the creative director of my brand; I create ideas and I am also involved in production. I know how to go about my production techniques and mechanisms. That is the science part of me. People may not realise it, but making clothes is science. I enjoy all parts and I do all of them, even though they can be stressful. There are the artistic parts which involve illustrations and business aspect or merchandising which involved how to present and sell your goods. I have done all those.
Q: What edge would graduates have over people that did short courses on fashion?
A: One cannot possibly compare what one gets from a short course with a five-year course. People who do it may not get as much knowledge as someone who is a full professional. Short courses are good also but it depends on what one wants to get out of it and the capacity of the learner. I can teach, design, curate a fashion museum, draft patterns, illustrate or head a production unit because I am a fashion professional.
Q: Do you have a fashion school?
A: I love to teach and I also take on interns. I have had a lot of requests from people so my fashion school is kicking off at the end of this month.
Q: What part of childhood prepared you for the business?
A: My parents were paramilitary. I started boarding school as a primary school pupil. We were taught to be self-reliant and independent. It also exposed me to a lot of things. We had exchange students from other parts of the country and I learnt from a wide range of experiences. It opened my mind to a lot of other things I could do.
Q: What informs the choice of fabrics you use?
A: Fabrics are just a medium to express what I feel. It depends on my mood, theme, what I am exploring or what I want to express. But I like movements- clothes to move and be comfortable. I use a lot of fluid fabrics to present what I am thinking. I like African fabrics but I do not restrict myself to them. The fabrics we claim are African are not African; but we use them a lot. I could make anything. My brand is Afro-cosmopolitan meaning that I can tell African stories through my pieces.
Q: How do you get inspiration to interpret your stories?
A: The main inspiration comes from God, but cultures also influence it. I like to study people and the social events that surround their lives. Lagos is a huge inspiration also because you find nationals from different cultures coming to live in Lagos. I love to read too and transport myself into other people’s minds.
Q: What would you like to change about the fashion industry?
A: It would be awesome to get some regulation in the industry. There is a Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria, of which I am the Assistant Secretary. It has a bit of structure and we are preaching to people to get registered. It would be nice to get things done properly. Fashion is the next big thing after the movies and music industry. We are the foremost African country, the world is looking to us and we should get our acts together. There should be less hating, more togetherness and more business thinking- real and actual thinking; not seeming to be thinking of business when all we are thinking is just how to put ourselves out there to be celebrated. Fashion is huge business and we could focus on doing this business and touch lives.
Q: Do you make men’s wear too?
A: I make clothes for my brothers. My main passion is female clothing but I am hoping to launch the male line soon. I like to do one thing at a time because I cannot jumble two things together. I want to get the female wear line set up properly. We are four years old now. Maybe in the fifth year we will have male wear line.
Q: Do designers need stylists?
A: A designer creates and a stylist puts looks together. They are different. Designers can style for themselves but they could also have stylists in-house. They could need stylists to help them present their ideas. If a designer is too close to his designs, he may not see how else they could be presented. There is no set rule as to how to do it. It could make the work smoother and more professional if the design house has various arms and can afford the services of a stylist.
Q: How should ladies dress?
A: They should dress how they want to. People are different and are gifted differently. They can express themselves the way they want. But it is good to be decent.
Q: How would you describe style?
A: Style is individual and personal interpretation of anything. It is interpreting what holds your fancy in a way that would impress others or make you happy. Fashion is a way of life, just like culture and it is dynamic. Trend is what is popular at a particular time. I like to dress comfortably and chic. That is part of my mantra- simple, stylish and chic.
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