Naija Fashionistas: Meet Ngozi Pere-Okorotie the Fashion Designer

Within the fashion industry it would be safe to say that it is the designers who the industry revolves round as it is their designs that are the staple ingredient. A fashion designer's job is to create the concept of their line which represents the ideology of the brand. Meet Ngozi Pere-Okorotie who is the brains between fashion label, Zed-Eye which is a fusion of funky junpsuits, flamboyant shirts and stylish head wraps. Tribal Romance is the theme of Ngozi's collection which is so cool that it caught the eyes of Pride magazine who featured it in their publication. I caught up with London College of Fashion graduate to find out what it is like to be a fashion designer. 

How did you get into the fashion industry?
At the age of six I grew the interest of becoming a designer all due to the influence of my mum. My mother ran a fashion academy so I was always surrounded by fashion in that sense. However a distinct trigger was my mum showing me how to use a measuring tape at age six. This aroused my interest enough for me to practice designing outfits for my dolls and the rest as they say is history.  I have always wanted to own my own label, though I worked freelance for other fashion brands such as All Saints London and Kew by Jigsaw as an illustrator. It wasn�t easy to go solo, but I learnt from all my mistakes and was burnt on the way by different people who were meant to be helping me grow, but I took it and used the positive side and learnt from it. I must say am grateful for it all as it made me strong and determined to make it. So I decided to start my own brand and that�s how Zed-Eye was born.

What made you decide that fashion design was for you?
Well  I have always known it's for me ever since I can remember learning how to talk and have my own imaginative mind as a kid growing up in Nigeria. I have always known that fashion designing was for me; it is what my destiny from God is and I have embodied it by knowing that�s my star.

Tell me what your job consists of.
I am the CEO of Zed-Eye, the clothing brand, I make all the decisions that has to be made regarding the brand. I am very involved and hands on with the manufacturing of the Zed-Eye designs, I research and illustrate my designs, make the samples my self, make my own pattern blocks, and help with the manufacturing of the designs.

How does the fashion scene in Nigeria compare to London?
The fashion scene in Nigeria compared to London is different but not that far apart. The London fashion is in some case more individualised and the freedom of one is not put in a box, while the Nigerian fashion scene is more of a cultural based fashion. Basically we have so much culture to adapt our fashion sense from but speaking for myself I don�t really go with trend, I dress as I feel which is me getting inspiration from both the western world of freedom to be who you want to be and the culture of my mother land Nigeria.

What sort of changes have you seen in the Nigerian fashion industry over the last few years?
I must say I am very proud of the rate at which Nigeria is trying to catch up with the rest of the world when it comes to fashion. On the other hand Nigeria has a lot to learn regarding the fashion industry but one must have hope and pray that the younger generations of designers like myself will help to bring that change and be recognised all over the world for this change, it will be a great and positive thing for the Nigerian fashion industry.

Describe a day in the life of Ngozi Pere-Okorotie.
I try my best to thank God everyday first thing for a great day ahead, then straight to researching and creating as well as producing orders to meet deadlines. Or I might have some fashion styling, or image consultancy, fashion directing to do for magazines or styling for other brands which I do along side running the Zed-Eye design team.

You can check out Ngozi's website here.

You can follow her on Twitter. 

Well that is the last installment of Naija Fashionistas, I hope you have enjoyed reading it as I have certainly enjoyed writing it. I would like to thank all the Naija fashionistas who took part in this series. 

If you missed out on reading the series then you catch up with it here. 

Grab a Cup of Cocoa Diaries

Entertainment editor by day, blogger by night and a devoted mum and partner, Keysha Davis is certainly juggling a lot of balls. Her blog, The Cocoa Diaries offers the perfect blend of entertainment and pop culture from a Black British perspective. Set up over a year ago, this delightful blog covers entertainment, fashion, beauty, community, film & music. Basically if it's hip and happening you will find it in The Cocoa Diaries.

What made you start blogging?

I was inspired by the work of others. I�ve been an avid reader of blogs for a few years now, and decided to take the plunge and start one of my own.

Describe the concept behind The Cocoa Diaries?

When I first started out there were tonnes of blogs dedicated to entertainment and popular culture, but very few focused specifically on Black British culture. So I decided that that would be my niche. The ethos of The Cocoa Diaries is a celebration of Black British people and culture. It just so happens to coincide with a time when Black artists in the UK are doing particularly well. New artists like VV Brown, Laura Izibor and Shingai from The Noisettes are rightfully receiving lots of plaudits and media attention. And then you have the likes of Dizzee Rascal, who has just secured the No.1 spot and has the fastest selling single this year. That�s a huge accomplishment. Particularly when you consider that he started off as an underground artist. I want to be there to capture all these moments.

How do you think bloggers have made an impact on the media?

Blogs have impacted the media immensely. The speed at which bloggers can get information out to the general public means they have one up on traditional media. Alongside blogging, I am also a magazine journalist and I often use blogs as a port of call, especially when writing entertainment type articles. I do believe the two can co-exist though. I love the honest, subjective nature of blogging, but I also couldn�t survive without well researched, objective journalism.

What do you do when you are not working on your blog?

Running around like a headless chicken, pretty much. I work full time and have a four year old son so I�m one busy, harried and tired lady (who drinks far too much Red Bull). Aside from work stuff, I like to spend time with my fianc� and child - we�re quite a football mad household so there�s often plenty of screaming and shouting at the TV when Arsenal are playing. I also like to read novels, although I really don�t get enough time to do so. And then there�s netball. I�m part of a team and we play in a league, so I spend a couple nights of the week training and competing in matches.

Describe a typical day.

By day I am the entertainment editor for Pride magazine. I spend my day editing pages, writing articles, conducting phone interviews, and fielding calls that range from disgruntled readers who haven�t received their subscription in the post, to young girls who want to become a model. We are a very small team so it�s a very fast paced environment that can get quite crazy and stressful. By night I switch into mummy mode. That means cooking, bathing and bed time story, before usually dozing off myself (laughs).

What are your favourite glossy magazines?

To be honest I don�t read glossies as much as I used to as I�m always on the Internet. I subscribe to Glamour and I buy Grazia and Look occasionally when I fancy a quick read on the train. I occasionally pick up Essence if I like the person on front of the cover, and that�s about it.

Name five blogs that you read religiously.

Madnews, Aliyasking, Harlem Loves, Waltzing Matilda and London Fashion Trends of course.

How do you see The Cocoa Diaries evolving over the next two years?

I�d like to see it evolve into a lifestyle online magazine . So essentially that means more frequent posts, interviews and features. My main issue is time, or lack thereof, so I am hoping to work with an editorial intern over the next few months to get more content out there. Ultimately I�d like to see The Cocoa Diaries recognised as a formidable brand. In my opinion traditional Black British media outlets still don�t fully recognise the benefits of online publishing, so it�s definitely something I�d like to fully explore.