By Christy Anyanwu
Ejiro Amos Tafiri is an unassuming personality that entered the fashion industry with the determination to excel beyond Africa.
Her label is sought after by upwardly mobile women who want to stand out in any gathering.
In this interview, she talked about her journey into fashion and lots more.
Who is Ejiro Amos Tafiri?
I find this hard to articulate. I am a complex, simple girl with different sides and interests. I love God passionately. I live to honour and do His will. I am a mum, a daughter, sister and friend to my family. I love my profession. I cherish being blessed with the creative streak to see the world differently and birth new ideas.
What motivated you to go into fashion and what were the challenges at the initial stage and even now?
Well, I discovered fashion as a profession in secondary school unexpectedly during a school excursion. Prior to that, because I excelled academically, I was being groomed to study medicine, but I was also quite creative and made things with my hands. From the discovery, it was a tedious uphill climb. Gaining the acceptance and support of my parents, my family and friends, even teachers, for my new choice of study and profession was very hard. Starting out in the industry from internships to work placement, to striking out on my own, starting my own business and growing it for 13 years now has been no mean feat. Being possessed by the desire to succeed under very unlikely conditions, being introverted, not from an affluent family, not into the social scene, but dedication, passion, resilience and hard work paid off.
What was the reaction of your parents and friends when you told them your desire to sew clothes professionally?
I don’t sew professionally, never have. I wanted to study fashion and work as a trained fashion designer. That was met with a lot of resistance by everybody. My parents flat out refused, after I had conned them and got admitted to study fashion at Yabatech. Because I was so resolute, they soft-pedalled hoping I would get it out of my system and return to my senses and go back to medicine. I got grounded a couple of times, but eventually, slowly but surely, I won them all over by being excellent.
What advice do you have for youths who want to be designers like Ejiro Amos Tafiri?
Be sure it’s your dream, and no one else’s. Dream big, stay focused and give it your very best shot. This journey is not for the faint-hearted, so you will need grit, wits, intuition and your social skills and grace to take you far.
What is your relationship with old friends now that you are a celebrity designer, do you still hang out with them?
Sure. My day ones are still my people; what is life without your people? Really, I do not see the difference. They are on their life’s journey, I am on mine, so why not just honour and enjoy each during our time here on earth?
If you weren’t a designer, what else would you have been?
A medical doctor, a Vet or an architect.
Why medical doctor or Vet?
Because medicine was my actual first love, and being such a bright student, especially in sciences and mathematics, my teachers and parents just always called me “our doctor”. Veterinary medicine, because I somehow thought it would be cool, unique. I could be dressed down in my tees and shorts, working with ranches and all of that. The books I read and TV shows I watched at the time informed those thoughts.
Could you share with us the runway shows you have done as a designer in Nigeria and abroad?
In 2023, there was Africa Fashion Week Brazil, FIMO Togo Fashion Festival. In 2022, FIMO Togo Fashion Festival, March 2022, Uyo Fashion Week, April 2022. For 2021, Lagos Fashion Week, October 2021, Music Fashion Runway, December 2021, Glitz Fashion Week, October 2021, Runway Trybe, September 2021; then
PHFDW (Port Harcourt Fashion and Design Week), November 2021, also FIMO Togo Fashion Festival, February 2021.
2019: Lagos Fashion Week, October 2019, Glitz Fashion Week, October 2019, Inner City Charity Fashion and Exhibition, Port Harcourt, 2019,
Style by Zenith, December 2019, Paris Fashion Week, September 2019.
2018: Lagos Fashion Week, October 2018, Glitz Africa Fashion Week, Ghana, October 2018.
2017: Lagos Fashion Week, October 2017, GTBank Fashion Weekend, November 2017.
2016: Lagos Fashion Week, 2016, International Fashion Showcase, London, 2016, GTBank Fashion Weekend, November 2016, Glitz Africa Fashion Week, Ghana, October 2016.
2015: Lagos Fashion Week, 2015, Glitz Africa Fashion Week, Ghana, October, 2015.
2014: Lagos Fashion and Design Week, 2014, Glitz Fashion Week, October 2014,
PHFDW (Port Harcourt Fashion and Design Week), November 2014, Kenya International Fashion Week, August 2014, Made in Black Street Pop-Up Fashion Show, 2014,
Dakar Fashion Week, July 2014,
MASA Art Fashion Festival, Ivory Coast, 2014.
2013: Lagos Fashion Week, 2013, Malawi Fashion Week, 2013, LFDW: Woven threads exhibition, London 2013.
In 2012, I represented Nigeria at the London Olympics, cultural delegation 2012,
Lagos Fashion Week, October 2012, Arise magazine fashion week, March 2012.
2011: Lagos Fashion Week, October 2011, Arise magazine fashion week, March 2011, USAID Origin of Africa, Mauritius, March 2011.
The post I won support of my parents in fashion by being excellent –Ejiro Amos Tafiri, fashion designer appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.
