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What was your first ever fashion creation, what inspired it? Did you like it?
Lilifeys’ Fashion:  Hmmm…. my first ever fashion creation was way back in my secondary school, after having sewed dresses for my baby dolls for years, I decided to sew a dress for myself. It was a full length dress with a fullness gathering at the hip. Back then I used to sew with needle and thread (handmade).
(Laughs) It was inspired by nature, the fullness of the vegetation around my village community.  I loved the dress so much; it was like a breakthrough for me, a great feat indeed! Many people complimented on the beauty of the dress and that really boosted my confidence to design and sew clothes for others later.

What has been your challenge as a designer in Africa?
Lilifeys’ Fashion:  Africa as a continent has diverse challenges, and each African country has her own peculiar challenges. Personally as a Nigerian designer, my challenges are replete in Nigeria’s general challenges. First on the list my challenges in NAIJA (local parlance) for Nigeria, is the epileptic power supply, this really affects production and is the major factor of high production rate which affects profitability here as compared to other nations. Secondly, the shortage of skilled manpower. Most of the workers I use are imported from neighboring African countries which at the end of day adds to high cost of productivity.

What does fashion mean to you?
Lilifeys’ Fashion:  Fashion is an art. Fashion is a way of life that is generally accepted by the larger society. Fashion is style, the overall concept of how, and what I decide to put together to achieve a preconceived effect. For instance, I might decide to make my long dress shorter by using a sash or belt to tie round my waist and pull it up and make some gathering round the mid region ….viola, I have a shorter dress. Fashion means creativity to me!

Most unforgettable experience as a designer.
Lilifeys’ Fashion:  I started my fashion designing journey as a self-taught designer and this comes with some element of mediocrity which manifested some time ago when I designed a separates for one of my friends. When she had her fittings, the top had problem at the back, I tried all I could but could not correct the error. I felt really bad, because my friend wanted to wear the outfit badly…. Right there on the spot I decided I must enroll in a professional fashion academy. That was how I ended up in ZARIS FASHION ACADEMY.  It was really an unforgettable experience for me.

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