How are you personally staying inspired? For me, personally staying inspired is easy because I live in New York City. I see fashion everywhere. I also find inspiration in my culture; I’m Nigerian. In my culture, people will make clothing out of African fabric with many patterns and designs. You can make a simple pair of pants, but the design will bring it to life. I went to Nigeria in December, and I saw that and I got so much fabric. Ever since then, I’ve been making more and more pieces that I can see myself selling in the future when I’m ready for it.
How is FIDM Fashion Club helping you to stay inspired and connected? Howard University did not have a FIDM Fashion Club, so I decided that it would be a great place for everyone to come together and learn about branding, marketing, as well as creating content, pieces, and everything that involves fashion. Most people in the club are designers, and in the future they want to start their own clothing brand or accessories brand.
What are some activities that you have done with your FIDM Fashion Club? We had a game night, or fashion Q&A, about the history of fashion. Before that, we had a meeting on self-success. It’s about believing in yourself and knowing that what you want to do creatively is all up to you. We’ll discuss in the group chat and come up with a few ideas, but it is really up to the members of the club.
It’s also about finding out everything that makes fashion fun, like the process of ideas coming to life and bringing that to the club. We had a Valentine’s Day fundraiser to raise money for our club, for a fashion show we are hosting in October. We are collaborating with another creative organization on our campus, in Washington, D.C. It is a three-day show and we have about eight designers and 30 models; I’m very excited.
Are there specific brands or personalities you admire who are showing leadership right now? Ever since I was 14, I would wake up everyday excited to get dressed. I didn’t know much about fashion, but more and more I got into watching fashion shows on YouTube or in Vogue runway pictures. Since I’ve gotten older, I’ve been inspired by Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Mugler.
Do you have any advice for other FIDM Fashion Clubs to stay inspired? Delegate, that is key! You want everyone to enjoy it as much as you do, but if you are like me and like to do everything yourself, that is not the best way to do it. You have to have people that you can trust to take on responsibilities.
Tune in to our Instagram Stories @fidmfashionclub to see takeovers from FIDM Fashion Club Presidents.
