Celebrity stylist, Ugo Mozie, stormed Lagos over the Easter break for Arise Fashion Week and took part in all the week's festivities. He also got a chance to put Nigeria firmly on the map in an exclusive interview with Forbes magazine.
Ugo Mozie is a stylist, fashion designer and creative director who has worked with celebrities including Jeremy Meeks, Justin Bieber and designers such as Balmain and Vivienne Westwood.
Having moved from Nigeria to LA at the age of 3, Ugo never lost sight of his African roots and is very much plugged into the creative space in Nigeria. In coming back to Nigeria, he is helping shape and define the fashion industry as we know it and impart his wealth of knowledge in the process.
As well as becoming an integral part of the fashion movement, Ugo is also committed to supporting education initiatives and has begun his own non-profit which focuses on empowering the people and giving a voice to the disadvantaged.
Read excerpts from Ugo's interview with Forbes below:
On how working in fashion in Nigeria differs from the rest of the world
The 2009 Arise Fashion Show in New York City was my first glimpse into the the world of African Designers and Fashion. Until then I wasn't exposed to other Africans in Fashion that were making waves and breaking barriers. When I heard about the 2018 Lagos Arise was in the works, I knew it was something I needed to be a part of. I soon after connected with the owner of This Day and Arise, the rest is history.
Weeks later, I was in Lagos helping them structure and execute the groundbreaking show. The experience working in fashion in Nigeria from anywhere else in the world is quite evident and strong. Africa has an astronomical amount of talent. The self taught designers have tailoring and design skills in par with some of the most couture houses in the world. What's missing is the business aspect and exposure to the western fashion markets.
There are roughly 195 million people in Nigeria and with Lagos being one of the centers of Africa, there should be a lot more fashion businesses manufacturing and exporting. I see a huge opportunities in exporting these labels abroad, and know the potential revenue from that will drive the economy.
On his non-profit organisation WANA
I launched the non-profit WANA with my partners to jump start what we call a 'New Africa Movement'. We aim to represent everyone who is ready to take control of the African narrative by empowering our people, giving a voice to the less fortunate, and by creating infrastructure and programs to educate.
After just recently launching, we've built water access for local schools and communities, partnered with childhood development schools like Slum2Sschool to produce sex education programs, curated books and toy drives for the orphanage in Nigeria.
On his favourite Nigerian designers
Some of my favorite Nigerian designers are Bubu Ogisi, Tzar, Orange Culture and Post Imperial.
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