Fashion Icon, Sighetu Edubane Edeku, knew what he wanted from life right from childhood. Though his father, a very successful book merchant, wanted his son to go the university and study medicine or law, the little boy had his eyes fixated on fashion.
To get his father off his back, he would later attend the University of Lagos where he studied Geography and Town Planning. Satisfied that he had done half his father’s wish, Sighetu threw himself into his childhood passion-Fashion.
“Fashion is a very big business all over the world. My mum and a few other members of my family were into it. And when I was in the university, I discovered that I was selling clothes to my colleagues on campus. I would go home to collect stuffs and sell to my colleagues in school. After I left school, it was only natural that I would go into fashion business.
“I almost dropped out of the university. But I knew it would to be unfair to my parents to do that. So I had to honour them and complete the course. After that, I went on to do what I had always wanted to do. But I first had to study at the Institute of Textiles.”
But the young blood in him would not allow him to finish the textile course before starting a fashion business. With the benefit of hindsight, Sighetu, in a deep throaty laughter, said he quit because he was too much in a hurry to make money.
Almost three decades on, Sighetu has, to a large extent, established himself as a name to be reckoned with in the burgeoning fashion business in the country. But he is not done just yet, his dream, he confessed to The Nation, in an exclusive interview, is to ensure that his brand is worn in every home in Nigeria.
“My dream is to have my brand in every home in Nigeria. I know it is possible, and I am working toward it.”
Fascinated by the Italian fashion market success story, Sighetu has vowed to maintain the Nigerian identity in his own brand. To start with, he has remained faithful to the meaning of his name, Sighetu, which, according to him, means ‘pathfinder’ in his native language.
As a pathfinder in the fashion business, Sighetu has ensured that, ‘by choice’, everything about him remains African.
He explains: “I am a Nigerian by deliberate choice. So whatever I do comes from the African perspective. The food I eat, the way I dress and the way I live are all from the African perspective.”
While many may look at fashion from the passion perspective, Sighetu confessed that he views it more from the business angle. And he is not surprised that men are gradually taking over a business that was previously dominated by the female folk.
“Men had always been dominant in whatever business. For instance, many people would believe that chefs are predominantly women. But most chefs in big hotels are men. It is the same in the fashion business. Fashion business is a serious one. And it is no surprise that most serious businesses are dominated by men.”
Sighetu is not unaware of the ‘danger’ of working with female models most times. And like a wise man, he said he has successfully drawn the line between pleasure and business. “It is like an entertainer, you need to draw the line. For me, I know the challenges of working with models, I mean female models. Therefore, I need to put my head down and know where to draw the line.”
Interestingly, the last four years have been particularly traumatic for Sighetu. He lost his wife and business partner two years ago. Prior to that, she was sick for about two years, necessitating that he took a break from fashion for about four years.
When his wife was alive, she formed the backbone of the business, especially those that had to do with the models.
“I worked with my partner, that is my wife. We were always together doing videos and photo shoot. In our kind of business, you must have somebody to help you keep your head. My wife did that for me.”
In a painful tone, Sighetu explained his experience of the past four years; “I lost my wife about two years ago. She was ill for about two years, and I had to leave the business because it was no easy to manage. And I had to take a leave to take care of her. But unfortunately, she passed on and I lost my drive.
“For me, it was a double loss. She was my wife and business partner. In the office, we were always brainstorming. And at home, I could wake her up and discuss any idea. When you lose such a person, it reduces your confidence. And more painful was that she the face of the business. After her death, I didn’t feel like going on with the business anymore.”
For him, making a comeback into a business that gave him fame was as difficult as making a primary school pupil write a university examination. But after several pieces of advice and therapy from family members, friends and experts, he is gradually beginning to find his rhythm once again.
While fashion is taking the front burner in his list of priorities once again, Sighetu has also found a new passion in golf. For him, relaxation has no other meaning than reading a book or watching a movie.
“These days, I relax by reading or watching movies. That is what I understand by relaxation. It is my own way of relaxing”, he said.
But he has also added a new passion to his ‘dictionary’ of relaxation. And today, whenever he is not behind his table, penning down a design, reading a book or watching a favourite movie, Sighetu would be at the prestigious Ikoyi Club, Lagos, where is presently taking vigorous lessons in the artful and elitist game of golf.
