‘Nigerian designers should target the western world market’-Naomi Keshinro

Naomi Keshinro is a UK-based fashion designer behind Kona Signature. A graduate of Business Administration from the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, she later studied fashion at the prestigious London College of Fashion and Newham College where she developed her skills as an illustrator, pattern cutter, garment technologist and a fabric designer.

 In this interview with Kehinde Falode, she talks about her craft and style Signature

YOU are based in the UK, so why are you here?

I'm here because we are having the UNILAG Fashion Week and it is going to be great because it's a platform we will giving equal opportunity to those ...you know how the industry is right now, there are some many creative minds out there that are not having the right platform to showcase their collections and what they are doing. UNILAG Fashion Week is going to be a three-day event and it is an opportunity for up-and-coming designers as well to showcase their collections. So, we are giving them this platform to be able to showcase their brands. And this fashion week came about because I want to launch my collection in Nigeria and then we went about looking for a platform to do it. So, my brand is collaborating with UNILAG to host the fashion week. I will be launching my collection into the Nigerian fashion industry during the fashion week. UK-based Adebayo Jones will be coming on board, some international designers, as well as highly talented and popular home designers.

Why the choice of UNILAG?

Of course Lagos State is the fashion capital of Nigeria and the University of Lagos is the best place to go and one thing I have realised about UNILAG is that they are trend setting. They are always doing a new thing; they are the first University to have its own radio station.

Is it an event restricted to students only?

No it is not! We have a website for it and on the website, we have a lot of people registering to be part of it and to showcase during the fashion week. We want to give equal opportunity to everyone; we want to use models as well and we want to discover models that won't have that opportunity to go for fashion shows as well. We are giving this opportunity to everyone as long as you know that you are creative.

What propelled you to go into fashion?

I have always been fashion-inclined right from school, and when I moved to the UK, I studied fashion. Fashion is my passion and something I have always wanted to do. At the end of the day, you need to have a passion for what you do, otherwise you will quit. It has been a huge and challenging task so far, but because I love it, I keep doing it. Kona Signature started in 2009 and the idea behind it was that I found out that there is a gap to be filled. My collections are motivated towards clothes you can wear to the office. And in the evening, you can change the shoes and earrings, and still fit in perfectly with the same clothes. So, with one pair of dress, you can wear it through the day, dress it down or up with few accessories.

Tell us about your background.

My parents are from Oyo State, Ibadan to be specific. I grew up in Lagos, got my first degree before travelling to the UK to study fashion designing at the London School of Fashion and Newham's College. And I worked in the real estate industry for about five years before starting my outfit in 2009.

What type of fabrics do you like researching with?

I love to research with fabrics that you can wear to the office. I am fussy when it comes to fabrics because it has to be durable; a fabric that when you have a pen ink on it in the office, it is easily washable. On my next collections, I am going to work with a lot of sequence, beaded fabrics and a lot of brocades, because brocade is really huge this season. So far so good, I have been able to work with fabrics that will allow you to fit into every aspect of the day.

How are your collections faring in the UK market?

They are doing quite well. We have about three stores stocking our brand and we sell online as well. We have a website where you can go and buy, and then we ship it to you, although we have not been shipping to Nigeria.

What makes a good clothe?

Being a designer, I know clothes that serious efforts have been put in to make. For me, the fabrics have to be really good; the design must relate to what you are trying to portray, because a good design can actually be destroyed with the colour of the fabric you are working with. So, your designs have to go with your fabrics. A good clothe must be durable, fashionable and must make a statement.

Can you make a comparison between the Nigerian fashion industry and the UK's?

It is a long way to go! To be honest, I have seen things that I'm really impressed with on the catwalk, designs and creativity, but for me, the finishing which makes up the total appearance and look is still not good enough. And trust me, if you don't get your finishing right, you can't get there, because nobody is going to buy your clothes. I think Nigerian designers need to go from couture/made-to-measure. What most Nigerian designers do is that they sew; they are like tailors and people come to them and they take their measurement and they sew. They need to get out of that and start producing for the ready-to-wear market. They need to start having their clothes with tags and with different sizes going into the shops and people will come and pick them up. That's where the money is; we need to be ready for that market so that the western world can come and buy from us. And the good thing about these people is that they want to go with the best and if they find anything that they love, they are ready to patronise you. So, if you have a good collection put together, ready-to-wear that you think is creative and that you think that the finishing is impeccable, they would buy from you. I think it's high time we started doing that. And instead of us buying their clothes, we will take our clothes to them and they will buy as well. Labour is cheap in Nigeria, so, I don't really see why we should not be able to compete with the prices they charge abroad.

What is the thin line between a tailor and a fashion designer?

A tailor is someone that does make-to-measure and takes every detail of the wearer. Tailoring is making something to suit you, but a designer does the creative part of it. When I was in fashion school, we could be in school for a whole week and all we would be doing is drawing. As a designer, it is about your creativity; a lot of designers don't even know how to sew! But they are quite creative and could do a lot of things. A tailor doesn't have to be creative; they make your clothes to suit you. Not all designers are tailors and not all designers can sew.

How do you balance your busy life with that of your responsibility as a mother?

I try to balance it as a mom and that is why I try to have a quality time as much as possible with my family, especially my kids. Now I'm in Nigeria and my kids are abroad. To be honest with you, it has not been easy.

How would you define style?

Style is elegance and I believe women should take pride in themselves. It hurts me when I see beautiful women having big tummy. You don't have to spend a million dollar to look good. Everybody has his or her own style; l love to look good and l always love to make a fashion statement anywhere l go.

Describe your style?

I go with the 50's and 60's women. The 50's and 60's women looked flamboyant and elegant; they take time in dressing, they look beautiful and they are made of this world. Everything for them falls into proportion.