Popular fashion designer, Frank Osodi, speaks about his craft and the Nigerian fashion industry
Q: Asides corsets, what other fashion pieces do you create?
A: I also make bridal, ceremonial and evening wear.
Q: Why did you choose to specialise in womenswear?
A: I think womenswear are more inspiring and challenging. It affords me the opportunity to be creative and work with embellishments or appliques. Menswear is simpler to make. The suits generally look alike and the only distinguishing factor could be just the fabric.
Q: Does that mean you like a lot of challenges?
A: Yes, I do. I like things that pick my brain and make me push my boundaries in terms of fashion. New accessories are manufactured every day and I like to work with them in order to make people look beautiful. I like a lot of motivation in terms of fashion. I am creative.
Q: But you once made menswear
A: Yes, I did and I might take that up again, but from a different angle.
Q: As a fashion authority, how do you stay abreast of trends?
A: I do not know if I keep up with the trthes. I create my trend. I do not have a catalogue that my clients browse through when they come to my office. Whenever I see a fabric, it speaks to me and I make my sketches. Whatever I arrive at is personal and original.
Q: What do designers really mean when they say fabrics speak to them?
A: When a fabric is manufactured, there are artists who work to create some motifs or lines on the fabric. That means the fabric is determined to be used in a certain way. Also, designers are artistic enough to interpret the fabrics when they see them. The way it appeals to them determines what they create with it. However, interpretation differs with every designer and the fabrics.
Q: Which fabrics are you most comfortable with?
A: I work with all sorts of fabric. It is not mostly about me but it depends on what my client wants. But the most challenging would be silk because it is not structured.
Q: What are some of the things you have done to improve the fashion industry in Nigeria?
A: I created the Black, Bold & Jazzy Fashion Show. It was geared towards discovering youths with talents and putting them on the same pedestal with top designers so they can ask questions and understand how the industry works. I also take on apprentices; I was not privileged to be an apprentice under anyone but I think top designers should give room for the younger ones to learn from them. I have also participated in the Port Harcourt International Fashion Week, which is a discovery channel for young designers and models.
Q: Some designers would rather not have plus size women as clients. Does this also apply to you?
A: A size 10 woman in Europe is not the same in Nigeria because most Nigerian women are big. Everyone in the industry understands how this works. My customers are plus size women. If a designer has any challenges working with plus size women, it means he or she has not studied the industry. Most Nigerian women are plus sized and only a few of them are lucky not to be, because they can easily find what they want when they walk into shops.
Q: You started out as a model and make-up artist, have you lost interest in make-up?
A: There are so many make-up artists everywhere. Fashion has taken over and I cannot drag everything along with me.
Q: There appear to be more successful and younger talents in the Nigerian fashion industry. Does this trend bother you?
A: I am one of the blessed designers in Nigeria because a lot of my contemporaries have wound up for one reason or the other. I am unique in what I do and I do not see anyone doing the exact thing I do. Also, the market is quite big and every designer has someone to dress up. Sometimes, we do not keep up with our clients in the North. New talents will still be discovered even in years to come. I am not scared of being irrelevant in anyway.
Q: Are your clients based only in Lagos?
A: No, we have clients all over but we select our clients.
Q: How do you do that?
A: Firstly, we consult for them and work with our own expertise. There are certain procedures and we are not desperate to make clothes for anybody. They have to be patient to go through the sketching process because it is as important as the finished work. After that, we discuss the fee. We also look out for people that can afford our services because do not sew for everyone. We do not supply to any store for people to buy off the rack. We make couture.
Q: But mass production could be lucrative…
A: We do not produce leisure wear. We make ceremonial wear and they are not easy to produce in different sizes. We do not have enough manpower to do that, except if we go to China or Turkey. I enjoy what I do because I like my clothes to be exclusive. A lot of work is required to mass produce a cloth and it loses its appeal in the process. Sometimes, when you take clothes abroad for mass production, they copy it behind your back and produce them when you leave. Often times, they are sold at cheaper prices. That is what obtains in the industry now. The Chinese come to our local markets to look for fabrics to reproduce. They have done same to Austrian lace manufacturers and the government allows them to do that.
Q: Why is the government permissive in this regard?
A: Every government that comes into power chooses what they want to focus on, but none has decided to tackle fake fabrics in the market. Some Nigerians have been deceived and businesses have been destroyed as a result.
Q: What is the most challenging aspect of your business?
A: Getting the right tailors to work with. There are no good schools where tailors are trained in Nigeria and the ones who claim to know the craft are too impatient to learn. I train the tailors I work with. They are not able to create patterns, so I create the patterns myself. At some point, the trend was to hire Senegalese and Cameroonian tailors but the result was the same. Another major challenge is electricity. It affects every business that is into production.
Q: What is your style projection for 2016?
A: I think women will go simpler with fashion, probably because of the economic crunch. They could wear vibrant colours but cut down on accessories.
Q: As a bridal wear designer, will you design your wife’s wedding dress when you are about to get married or contract another designer to do it?
A: I do not know; I will figure it out when I get to that point. It could happen. I like to appreciate other people’s work.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Style is expressing yourself in the best way possible and that means you have to be comfortable. I like to wear shorts when I am at the office.
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