GOZI: The Global Brand

GOZI: The Global Brand

Gozi is more than a fashion brand; studying in London, living in Japan and still firmly in touch with her Nigerian roots, she is a global ambassador of entrepreneurship. Her label U.Mi-1 supersedes the regular clothing convention; she cleverly infuses her engineering education into the construction of her clothes.


GOZI

Ngozi Ochonogor better known by her brand name, Gozi, is a fashion designer who lived in Japan until she recently moved to London a few months ago. Japan, wow! That’s what I thought. However, the more I learnt about her, the more I realised she was completely different to anyone I’d ever met, after all how many successful fashion designers have you heard of with a Masters degree in software engineering. “All my life I’ve wanted to differentiate myself, I chose software engineering because it sounded cool!” Gozi says before bursting into her contagious laugh. She’s right, in an era where everyone studied law, medicine perhaps even architecture, I.T was virgin territory even more so was software engineering which she studied at Imperial College, UK. “In my first year of University, I realised it wasn’t my calling. I told my mother I wanted to study fashion and she said my father would disapprove. I finished my engineering degree and went on to gain a Masters degree” she says.

However, during her studies she always encountered a problem: shopping. In her mind’s eye she had a specific idea of an outfit she wanted and would trawl the streets of London, looking for a particular style- which of course she never found. This spurred her on to pursue her true calling: fashion. “I enrolled at the Central School of Fashion, a couture school and within a week, I knew this is what I wanted to do,” she says. The world must have conspired for her to achieve her goal; in her first year of fashion school she began retailing ladies wear at a boutique in Paris and by 1995 she had a stall at the famous Portobello market in West London. “When I began selling at Portobello, my father began taking my fashion career seriously. Every Saturday morning I would wake up at 4am and cycle to the market,” she says deep in thought, slightly hunched over and subconsciously twisting her short locks. It’s clear Gozi is an extremely determined woman, her hard work paid off and the brand expanded. She showcased at London Fashion Week, her clothes were stocked at various stalls and stores around London and she was the first ‘upcoming’ designer to ever showcase at Paris Fashion Week, on-schedule (alongside the ‘big brands’).
Once she finished fashion school she decided to move to Japan. “I always thought I was cool, but at fashion school all the Japanese students blew my mind. They combined an array of colours with layering of clothes in mind-boggling ways yet still ever chic, classy and edgy. I loved their style. Apart from the business aspect of production, I’ve always wanted to go to Japan,” she says before bursting into giggles.


U.Mi-1

Leaving London for a holiday Gozi arrived in Japan, she stayed for a few months and fell in love with everything the country had to offer, the lifestyle, the culture, even the food- with the exception of missing her family, friends and fried plantain- she settled. She cites a similarity between Lagos and Kyoto. “When I got there life was slow, one really learns to exercise patience in Japan. Just like Nigeria when it comes to business they love meetings, they can have 10 meetings to conclude on one issue. The city is also just as over populated as Lagos, there’s a lot of traffic and it’s a bustling, thriving city.” In Lagos, due to high rental prices most newlyweds cannot afford their own property. However, in Kyoto, due to lack of space it’s difficult to find accommodation. Gozi says, “Even though the circumstances are completely different, the end results are the same; young couples living with other family members.” Based on these findings, Gozi was inspired to create her latest label U.Mi-1 which stands for ‘You and Me are One.’

“I promised myself not to have any more fashion shows, instead I setup art installations which creates more dialogue and unity.” Gozi says proudly. The U.Mi-1 collection focuses on collaborations with a range of artists from sculptures to screen-printers, she infuses their work charmingly into her designs and it translates beyond a piece of clothing. “The process of creating the pieces with other artists becomes informative. I share my experiences, we educate each other about cultures and that is what usually inspires the collection, the art form of storytelling.” Gozi’s style is unique and her brand is identifiable from the detailing which is often inspired by cubism and architecture. The construction of her clothes seems mechanical; showing off her engineering expertise.


CHANGE

The U.Mi-1 range is currently being sold in stores in Kyoto, Japan. The most popular actors and singers in Japan are regular clients of hers. Having conquered Japan, she decided to move back to London six months ago. “I moved back to Europe to become more central, to be an international brand. I exhibit at trade shows in Paris rather than catwalk shows because it’s simply business.” She says firmly. The few months she has been in London has proved worthwhile, this month (May) her collection will be stocked at Wolfe & Badger, a contemporary store in Notting Hill. By the end of the year expect her U.Mi-1 denim range to be available in Lagos.
Despite her growing brand, fashion to Gozi is just a means by which she can express herself; her real ambition is to bring about change, especially in Nigeria. “If I could I would improve the light and security sectors. I would not hesitate to bring my factory in Japan into Nigeria. We have over 150 million hard working people in Nigeria. I would train and employ therefore creating more jobs in our society.” Gozi is currently manufacturing in Japan, UK and China.

Gozi is clearly on a blazing path of success, her clothes are a reflection of herself: systematic, structured yet incredibly stylish. Beyond her designs what I admire most is her ability to see the beauty in others, she realises that stories and experiences connects us all. The more dialogue is formed, the more educated we become, the more similarities we share...U.Mi-1.

FINAL FOUR


1) If you found out for certain there’s a Heaven and Hell how would you change your life?

As a Christian, I do believe there’s a Heaven and Hell, so my life would remain the same.


2) If you had to name the one thing that frightens you most about growing old, what would it be?

I guess not accomplishing my dreams. Growing old is okay because I believe as long as I am breathing I can do whatever I set my mind to.


3) If you could have any view in the world visible from you bed, what would it be?

The Ocean, I love water.


4) If you could be the house cat of any person on Earth, whose would you choose to be?

I would be God’s, oh wait, He is not a person on Earth. Then I would choose to be my own house cat, I love myself! (Laughs loudly)

'Tis the season to look jolly good

The preparation for the festival of Christmas in Nigeria starts much ahead of its time. The locals pack and shop for the return to their villages, whilst many from "overseas" book their plane tickets to Nigeria way ahead of time. Year after year, Lagos metamorphoses into a thriving, wild, carnival city. New clubs are launched, old bars re-open, everywhere is packed with new faces, fresh styles, and it seems everyone has saved their best attires for the Christmas fiesta. Night after night, I hear about a party that must not be missed and, each night, I find myself contending with the nightmarish wardrobe quandary - what to wear.

The pressure seems to increase tenfold during the two-week Christmas holiday period. As if my life depends on it, I try to look my best. Even if I'm just going to get my car tyre changed, I still ponder over my outfit choice. After all, you never know who you might bump into.

I've wasted many fragments of my life throwing wire hangers at my reflection and head-butting my shoe-boxes in sheer despair. I don't know what it is about Christmas parties that turn me and my girlfriends into frantic fashionistas.

I look forward to my friends who are vacationing from abroad to arrive in Lagos, as they always have the latest and most stylish clothes, and my choice of attires expand into a colourful mélange of material. We cannot wear the same outfit twice during the holiday season and if we do, we make sure it's never ever to the same venue. My wardrobe never seems to have enough dresses, shoes or accessories, and swapping clothes with my friends becomes mandatory to my getting ready routine. (However, if you ever ask me or my friends, we will effortlessly deny this practice.)

Earlier this week, I was having a maxi dress versus mini dress battle: do I go for effortlessly chic or drop dead gorgeous? Less than 30 minutes before my friend was due to arrive and I had not even decided what colour of nail polish to wear because any sane girl knows the importance of matching outfit, shoes and nail varnish! As the trauma unfolded, my best friend called to ask if I remembered what shoes she wore last week and to moan that she had nothing to wear, so she was coming to rummage through my closet.

As I hung up, the phone rang again. This time I heard a thick New York accent. It was my cousin reminding me to return her bangles and sequin top I borrowed, but she also needed my ankle boots and cherry-coloured lip gloss.

When I travel abroad, I always set aside a shopping budget to visit my favourite clothing stores. At the end of summer, I return to Lagos with a new wardrobe and a smile of satisfaction. That is, until Christmas arrives. My "new" clothes quickly become last season's collection and all my friends who live abroad know it. And to make matters worse, I find myself pacing my bedroom and pulling my hair out; in fact, having a mini-panic attack at the sheer thought of someone else wearing the same outfit as I am! Who knew that a mundane task such as getting dressed could be so stressful?

We pressure ourselves unnecessarily to look stunning over the Christmas season. Most of us probably do this because of the competition. Owing to the high influx of "Janded" babes and "Yankee" guys, Lagos becomes a geopolitical compression of accents, and there are more beautiful ladies and more handsome guys around. Some of us are probably also trying to catch the attention of a potential partner, thus making us think, act and dress erratically. I have seen hem lines of skirts rise and rise to the point where a girl cannot sit down comfortably without constantly having to tug at her excuse for a skirt, as if pulling it down by one centimetre will make any visible difference. I have come across ladies wearing fabulous stilettos but by the end of the night their catwalk struts are reduced to Quasimodo-style limps.

This Christmas, I have decided to focus on comfort. I want to have as much fun as possible, yes, but I don't want the worry of aching feet or clingy dresses that ride up my thighs.

Fadé.O Style

Fade.O

My fashion label: 'Fade.O' aims to personify every individuals' personality, which is a true reflection of their style...FCUK FASHION, long live STYLE!!

Made In London

MADE IN LONDON

Japanese-born, millinery designer Misa Harada, and Portobello Road's most famous vintage boutique owner, Jeff Ihenacho both grew up on council estates in South London. Fadé Ogunro meets up with them to discuss their success and how they avoided Britain's gang culture in the 80s- through fashion.

In a world where interviews with fashion designers and stylists tend to be orchestrated, supervised and manipulated to make the creative look as rarefied as possible, Misa Harada and Jeff Ihenacho are the exceptions- they lack that self-conscious eccentricity which usually makes fashion people hard to relate to …


It is a rainy weekday afternoon in Notting Hill and London is looking its worst. A few weeks before the forthcoming spring/summer '07 fashion shows, every designer is as erratic as the weather, not Harada. She is a gentle, bundle of amiably contained stress.
A dim back alley and a Dickensian stairway give way to a bustling studio which smells of smoke and instant coffee. I am greeted by a petite-woman who offers to take my coat and tries, with the ineptitude of a teenager but rather less cunning, to hide the fag that hangs from her hand. Waving away the smoke and blushingly apologizing, she introduces herself as Misa Harada. The woman whose hats were featured on TV Drama, "Sex in the City," designed Jennifer Aniston's wedding veil and hats for Janet Jackson's touring costumes. Misa Harada Millinery has been featured in national newspapers and international magazines including Vogue, The Face and the cover of iD Magazine.




From rebellious student to international trend-setter, Harada has come a long way since her conservative upbringing in Japan. Born in 1968 in Nagoya, she came to London when she was 18 to attend University. But her newfound freedom and the 80s fashion scene, which married street style and punk music, fueled her creative energy. "What made growing up in London in the 80s so great was the explosion of youth tribes. I dropped out of school and began heavily smoking and pub-crawling. This behaviour was very foreign for the rest of my family to understand," she says. Her mother was a busy model in Japan who was hardly at home. "I was raised by my father," she goes on, "I don't talk about it much but my parents are good admirable people and I hope that I've inherited some of their values."

Harada has certainly inherited qualities from her parents and culture. "Growing up with my mum, the house was filled with a dazzling array of clothes. I was never allowed to try them on, but I always helped [her] to pick an outfit. I guess this is where my first taste for fashion originated. London in the 80s was different," she says, "everybody wanted to show off their individuality and I was captivated by the street culture movements."

By the age of 20, Harada had worked for several shops on Carnaby St and on Kings Road by day, but at night she slept in the basement or warehouses of the stores. She was making all her decisions without parental guidance or financial support. It says a great deal for her likeability that she, a creative, mild-mannered type, was largely left alone to face tough, inner-city customers. She says, "Styling customers and working under designers, invigorated my artistic side. In Japan, it is very unlikely for a female to drop out of school and support herself. My father thought that without financial support from him, I would run back home, do as he wishes and finish my History degree." Fortunately for her father, she inherited his stubborn streak. Harada was a determined woman, upon deciding art and fashion were her life ambitions, she saved up all the money she had and enrolled herself into college- not just any college- The Royal College of Art; and had her first taste of hatmaking.
Most of her friends at the time were heavily drug or alcohol induced and life was all about raving and misbehaving- all which could be read about in the youth culture bible of the time- The Face or the NME. "I loved The Face and iD magazines as I was growing up; it was so different to Vogue, Japan. It was all about design, youth, freedom and street culture," she adds, "although I spent some tough years rebelling on the streets, I knew I wasn't going to be a failure; it all aided in fine tuning my understanding of youth trends which I try to captivate and translate in my designs." The work ethic of the Japanese community is very strong and you are shunned if you are unsuccessful. Children are given positive reinforcement only when they show drive, determination and ambition to succeed.

In what seemed like an anachronistic business, Harada has successfully redefined headwear fashion for a new global audience. "When I launched my business in the late 1990s, my goal was to break away from the millinery status quo and use eclectic, avant-garde design to woo a younger, more trend-conscious clientele," says Harada. The result? Today, Harada's surprisingly affordable headpieces are the hottest designs that dress the heads of TV stars, sports figures and even members of the Rolling Stones. Harada's designs captures the zeitgeist- she understands street culture and translates them into a
3-D expression you can wear.


The weather begins to brighten, so I seize the opportunity to say my farewells- not before purchasing two fabulous hats from Harada- and head towards Portobello Road, to meet vintage stylist and store-owner, Jeff Ihenacho. The tiny store is a dimly-lit Aladdin's Cave of luxury vintage clothes and second-hand delights. Packed from floor to ceiling with dresses, jackets, corsets, belts, bags, shoes and sunglasses. Pristine clothes and accessories hang from every available space; an Eighties Dior jumper, a Vivienne Westwood brocade jacket, a corset worn by Wendy James, Fifties Louis Vuitton sunglasses, a studded leather jacket and jewel encrusted clogs all command your attention when you enter.





A tall black man, with neat dreads welcomes me with a genuine smile to, "One of a Kind." He is wearing a long, black, tailored Hermes leather coat, a Vivienne Westwood beanie hat, a matching shirt with a suede and silk mix Alexander McQueen, shoulder bag. His is a retro-classic style: Vivienne Westwood- meets YSL- meets Punkyfish! This is Jeff Ihenacho, a very unique man, "When customers come-in, they don't know where to look first," says the sparkly eyed Nigerian-born, man. "So I guide them through the store, find out what they are after and style them myself."

Every item of clothing has a history; everything has to be in pristine condition before it is allowed in the shop. The immaculate condition and variety of goods attracts not only celebrities, but also designers. Tom Ford, Jean Paul Gaultier and Stella McCartney have all visited the boutique, 'to search for inspiration.' However, Ihenacho takes great pleasure in increasing his prices, as he knows designers are looking for ideas for their collection.
He rolls a cigarette and invites me into his other office, a black-tinted 4x4 parked outside the boutique. "I'm a heavy smoker, but never around the clothes, it wouldn't be professional," he goes on, "besides the store is small enough to keep an eye on it from out here." He wisely invested in an in-car security system, which is linked to the shop; he can monitor all his customers' activities from the comfort of his jeep.

Ihenacho arrived in London in the 80s as a teenager, from his home in Lagos, intending to take a few years out before he returned to University. Like Harada, he too was quickly drawn to the individuality of designers like Vivienne Westwood and Ossie Clark. He developed a love of fashion and styling from his mother, who sold jewelry and clothes to her friends in Nigeria. "I've always been a mummy's boy, so much so, I was nicknamed her 'handbag.' It was my job to collect money from all her customers and in doing so, I learnt the foundations of running a business: cultivating long term relationships with clients, maintaining high quality products and regulating prices for advantageous purchasing deals." Unfortunately, Ihenacho's dear inspiration, his mother, passed away in his mid-twenties. She too was a collector of vintage designer clothing and left most of her clothes and accessories to him. He set up a stall in Portobello Road and began selling his mother's antique fortunes. This was all in an attempt to generate extra income for his large family. "Money was tight when I was growing up," he says quietly, "luckily my father always supported me. He encouraged any idea I had and pushed me to realize them.
"Although I was living in South London, most of my adolescent years were spent trawling through market stalls and charity shops. I find unusual, enchanting clothes at auctions or jumble sales." Ihenacho has been collecting vintage for 12 years and has finely tuned his taste to include Vivienne Westwood circa late 60s and 70s, Pucci and Dior. Having over-loaded his original Portobello stall with luxuries from car boot sales, markets, auctions and clothing fairs all over the world, Ihenacho opened his aptly named store, 'One of a Kind' in 1997. And now, he is the secret wardrobe weapon of the likes of Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and most recently, Lindsay Lohan. Proof, if needed of his celebrity popularity is in the shop itself, where the walls are smothered in photographs of his well-known clients. Who knew mummy's little runner-boy would grow into an international business man, with impeccable style.




So, what attributes do the designer Misa Harada, and stylist Jeff Ihenacho, share except fashion?


They have both shared, at some point in their past, a sense of hopelessness. Misa lived in Croydon, Jeff in Streatham- both on council estates. They both endured miserable and terrifying years, where their future was uncertain and they were encouraged to find themselves and to invest in their interests. Growing up in the drug, sex and rock n roll era is perhaps not too dissimilar to today's youth culture of drugs, sex, and rap music.

"My father has always been my back bone," says Harada. "I never wanted to disappoint him or my younger siblings. In my culture, you are only respected if you make an honourable name for yourself. However, I was fortunate enough to gain success thorough rebelling." The youth today do not seem to be tapping into their creative talents, they are encouraged instead from gang culture and the media that the way to receive respect and 'rep' (represent) on the streets is through violence and guns. Does the problem stem from lack of parental support or specifically, a father-figure who is traditionally the provider of guidance in the family?

Perhaps the difference in the cultures of which both Harada and Ihenacho originated, plays a role in their entrepreneurial tendencies and thirst for success. The work ethic in both the Japanese and Nigerian community differs in terms of value. "The education system in Nigeria is very strict, you had to pass all the exams at school otherwise you would not move into the next year. You would have to repeat the entire year, and your classmates would tease you," says Ihenacho. Educational unintelligence is not an option in these cultures; after all, 'knowledge is power,' (Francis Bacon) is it not?
Although both Harada and Ihenacho discovered their talents and realised their dreams through fashion, this cannot be applicable to everybody. The point however is, as youths they valued and practiced the work ethics of their culture, integrated it into their personal development within London's community. Coupled with solid family upbringing, who valued education and ambition, Harada and Ihenacho arrived at success.

As far-fetched as it may seem, perhaps the beginning of the solution to the issues surrounding the youth today lies amongst parenting and culture. It is about ensuring that parents are given the foundation and education needed to raise a child, not only the physical aspects, but the disciplinary skills inclusive. I believe Britain's youth culture can ameliorate with time- we just have to instill a culture which eschews negative, destructive behaviour. We need to act more collectively as a community and take responsibility for our youths' dreams and offer them more opportunities for success.

Misa Harada and Jeff Ihenacho may not be household names but their different love and approach to fashion, propelled their entrepreneurial skills and transformed them into respected artists of their trade. After all, they both emerged from South London estates and have achieved global recognition within the fashion circle: They are the personification of hard work, ambition and perseverance-The question is: will today's youth be able to enforce these positive characteristics?

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