I love this interview on Tayo Shonekan published in the Punch and thought i should share. Tayo Shonekan is a stylist, designer and Chief Executive Officer of AIMAS, a fashion label. She talks about why she decided to focus on designing
Q: Why did you make the switch from styling to designing?
A: I have always done the two side by side; one did not precede the other. Now, I do less of styling and more of designing because I am trying to build my brand. I no longer style as often as I used to.
Q: How did you delve into designing?
A: As a newly-wed expecting my first baby in the United Kingdom, I was home and not working. I wondered what I could do, but I had always been interested in fashion, even though it was not my course of study at the university. I studied manufacturing engineering. I started by designing T-shirts and it became a success.
Q: Why did you move back to Nigeria?
A: Every city has its advantages and disadvantages. People always think the grass is greener on the other side. If you are young, single and want to explore life, you might want to live there. But when you get married and start having children, it is preferable to relocate home. Over there, childcare services are expensive but here in Nigeria, you can have your family around while you manipulate your time. Also, there are more opportunities in Nigeria, even though it is tough. Because the UK and other countries are more developed, start-ups find it difficult to flourish.
Q: What does it require to be a designer?
A: Fashion is not an easy industry. A lot of people just wake up and think they can do fashion. People try it and fall by the way side. Only people who have the passion and talent survive.
Q: Your designs are a fusion of African and western styles…
A: We started by making T-shirts and we added a bit of ankara to it which made it different from what every other person was doing at that time. But for our ready-to-wear line, we do not use ankara. We create our own prints and it has African aesthetics. That is the aesthetics behind the brand. It is modern, fresh, contemporary and we still want people to know that it has an African flair and content to it.
Q: Do your designs convey any particular message?
A: My designs try to show the beauty of the African continent and at the same time pass the message that you do not really have to dress in a traditional mode to show you are African. Anyone in the world can wear our pieces regardless of where they come from.
Q: But people still consider you to be more of a stylist than a designer…
A: That is quite true, because we do not take part in any of the major fashion
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