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| TOPE |
These past few
weeks have been awesome for me. I must confess it has been quite overwhelming and
I would like to express my gratitude, firstly to you for reading and to all
those who have accepted my invitations for exclusive interviews.
There is the
saying that no man is an island, that is, every man needs someone.
In the world
of fashion, a digest to the above statement can be clearly envisioned through COLLABORATIONs.
Collaborations
in the fashion industry has always been a big deal. Collaborations between Artists,
Musicians, interior designers, name any field you can think of, the have all
collaborated at some point in time.
Let me go straight
to the point because I can see myself drifting to an academic writing pattern
if I don’t pause now.
Today, I share
with you my conversation with the elegant, stunning, gorgeous, astonishing
damsel- Tope. With a smile that
makes the sun even brighter and an angelic look that should grace every
billboard in Africa, she stands. She is the CEO of MaiBecca, an uprising female
fashion house in Nigeria. WOODIN a
home name when you talk of Ankara prints production, just recently collaborated
with MaiBecca.
I was happy
to pick her brain on how she made it happen and the experience as the new kid
already dinning with the big leagues.
INTERVIEW
ASK: Merhabah!!
Thank you for accepting this interview.
Can we know the
beautiful face behind the MAIBECCA
success story?
The
face behind MAIBECCA is Tope Becky Owolabi
ASK: What is MAIBECCA about and what is the goal as
the new rave of the town?
MAIBECCA
is a female fashion house. Our goal is to make anyone in a MAIBECCA piece look simply stylish
and feel good about themselves.
ASK: Who was
your first designed piece for?
My
first design was when I was in fashion school. I made it for myself. I called
it the Wasp Godet Dress
ASK: Who
bought your first marketable piece?
A
friend of mine bought my first marketable piece. She saw the Wasp
Godet dress. I made and she asked that I make one for her. I think I made
it for 3500. lol
ASK: How
affordable are MAIBECCA outfits?
It
depends on what the clients order is. So, I’ll say from N10,000 upwards. Pretty
affordable yeah?
ASK: Congrats
on your partnership with WOODIN.
That is a big leap for your brand and we are happy for you.
How did you
get the collaboration and what was it like?
I
got a call from the marketing manager that she heard that I had gone into
fashion full time and wanted me to make some pieces for the WOODIN in store narrowcasting.
Prior to this, I used to work for VLISCO Nigeria, the parent company of
Woodin.
So,
I sketched out some designs, we reviewed them and selected the designs that was
preferred and got to work. Although the time frame was short, we did everything
in our power to meet the deadline for the shoot.
There
were 9 outfits in all and Kola Osalusi handled the
photography, Omalicha handled the makeup and the outfits were styled by Nine Eight Couture.
ASK: Working
with a power house like WOODIN known for sophisticated production and Ankara
prints manufacturing. How was your experience with them?
It
was a very great experience for us. I mean, we are still growing as a brand and
it was really encouraging that a brand like WOODIN was willing to collaborate
with us. Of course, there are future collaborations. We are presently working
on something, it’ll be out before the end of August.
We
also plan to launch a collection for our ready to wear brand in August – MAIFACTORY.
ASK: What was
the theme of the project?
The theme for the collection was “The Woodin Woman”. The WOODIN woman is
confident enough to show off her WOODIN print into every staple of her wardrobe and rock it
stylishly.
ASK: Wow!!!
That is
impressive and we hope to see more of such collaborations both locally and
internationally, in the future.
Before we
close the curtain, here is a teaser.
You are from
Ibadan, the largest city-state in Africa right? YES!!!
In your local
dialect, can you tell me something to lookout for as a tourist visiting Ibadan?
 |
| Amala |
In
Yoruba? That will be difficult but let me try: Omo Ibadan ni mi. We
make the best Amala in the world. Lol
Contact
MAIBECCA
☎ : +2348073491847 :
info.maibecca@gmail.com.
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