FEMI OGBONNIKAN,

Tell us about your background was born on the 23rd of May. I was born in Ibadan. Ibadan, as you know, is a town where people love cultures. Those days, we had the Ibadan zoo, botanical gardens and it was a very lovely place to live in. Ibadan is still a lovely place is still there. My dad was a lecturer at the University of Ibadan, but we moved when he got transferred to Benin. So, I went back to school in Benin, Baptist High School, Benin City. And from Benin City, I moved down to Lagos and I found myself at the University of Lagos. I went there and did my first degree in European Languages. From there, I went to France and attended the Univesite Stendhal Grenobe where I met Madam Le Claire Fashion and I got interested in fashion, because it was my passion. I love fashion. It was there, I met this French woman and I started learning how to make clothes, lovely designs. From there, I became a French-made designer. I lived in Paris for many years before I returned to Nigeria. And when I came back, I started promoting culture and I became a designer who promotes the NigerianAfrican culture. I have a dance troupe and I have a live band. I sing. That is all.

Your dad was a university lecturer, didn’t he object to your interest in fashion?

Well, as I said, I had a master’s degree in International Law and my dad was very happy about that. My dad, of blessed memory, wanted all his children to go to school and even, when I was in school, I chose fashion because I kept telling him what I wanted to do. Initially, my plan was to become a Nigerian Ambassador when I finished school. But I just have passion for fashion and I love what I was doing because I love cloths. When I was young, I loved to do a lot of things, like cutting clothing materials with scissors and designing things. So, I started doing it and I became a designer who promotes culture. When I was in Ibadan, we lived within the same compound with retired Gen David Jemibewon; we were very close and we were family friends. I grew up with his children and we are still friends. We used to dance for him. When we were little, we would come out to do cultural dance. You know, they were promoting cultures culture in those days, and I really loved it and that is why I have a dance troupe and a live band. And my dad got to know, and he was not a difficult person. If he was happy with what you were doing, my dad would let you be, as long as you knew what you were doing.

What inspired you? Just as I told you, it all started when I was young; if you like colours, if you like nature, at times, you would just sit down and put designs together and the designs would come together. And it was that vision to see things and the nature outside, and in front of a beach sometimes. When I am in a front of a beach I get more inspirations and I get a lot of things I want to do. Environment really gives me what to do.

Do you have any fashion outfit?