For women all over the world, it is celebration galore. It’s women’s history month and this Tuesday, women groups are marking the International Women’s Day. It is time to clink glasses for the gains recorded, identify the potentialities, as well as chart a way forward. In this report, Yetunde Oladeinde takes a look at Nigerian women making waves in the Diaspora.
AS you scroll the pages of newspaper, blogs and other social media, you come across all kinds of stories of fraud and other vices linked with those you think should be role models and good ambassadors. Interestingly, there are also some Nigerians who have written and continue to write their names in gold serving as role models to the younger generation.
One of such people is Patti Boulaye. She became a recipient of one of Britain’s highest honours – Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) – a few weeks back. The celebrity who gained international recognition after starring in Lux (a toilet soap) commercials in the 1980s received her medal at the Buckingham Palace.
Apart from Boulaye who has been around for a while, there are a number of Nigerian women who have proved their mettle.
In the pack, you also find Banke Kuku, an award-winning textile designer who fuses traditional west-African and Western-eclectic inspiration to create intricate, unique and luxurious fabrics for interiors, soft furnishings and fashion.
Born in Lagos, Banke moved to the United Kingdom at the age of eight. This cultural fusion heavily influences her bold patterns, resulting in statement prints with captivating impact. Nicknamed the ‘Queen of Colour’, Banke’s prints have been described as ‘exquisite pieces of art’ by one of the world’s most influential trend forecasters, Lidewij Edelkoort.
Kuku recollects: “I have been fascinated with textiles as far back as I can remember. I was knitting at age five. I would always pick the floral dresses and draw patterns on everything with a felt tip pen! So it was a very natural and easy decision for me.
“I chose to study textiles design after school, and I went from Central St Martins to Chelsea College of Art and Design, specialising in woven textiles, and published a book: ‘The Unwoven Threads of Nigeria’, which was an assessment of the state of the Nigerian textiles industry.”
So how did she earn the name Queen of Colour? “I was given the name Queen of Colour whilst working for a fashion house called Jasmine Di Milo, which was a UK-based brand owned by Jasmine Alfayed, who is the daughter of Mohammed Alfayed, former owner of Harrods. The creative director named me the Queen of Colour as I was able to dye fabrics to the exact colour specification.”
In 2014, she was selected from thousands of applicants to win Triumph’s ‘Women in Making’ competition for female creatives. She was selected by a judging panel which included such fashion stalwarts as Roksanda Ilincic and Sophia Webster.
To date, her key inspiration has been the explosion of life and colour in her native west-African tropical rainforest (the Niger Delta), and she has weaved these designs into luxury fabrics and textures to create a unique, striking aesthetic. Her pieces are intense, quirky and elegant. The resultant intrepid designs, through collaborations with fashion houses including Duro Olowu, Jewel by Lisa, Virgos Lounge and Lot78, have been worn by the likes of Michelle Obama, singer Kelis and Catt Sadler.
In the political sphere, Nigerian-born Spanish politician, legal adviser and writer, Helen Mukoro, comes to mind. Last year, the amazon shook the world when she became the first Afro-European to contest for European Presidency in Spain. Interestingly, she launched herself to limelight when she contested as the Mayor of Denia earlier last year on the platform of Union De Todos, a party she founded. She lost the seat by a narrow margin but remained unbowed, as she takes her political ambition to a higher level. “I’m a political icon here in Spain and Europe to the Nigeria/African and Latin American countries. I made history as the first Nigerian-European to run for the seat of Mayor in Spain and Europe and the first African-European immigrant to found and float a political party UNION DE TODOS here in Spain and Europe.”
Mukoro, a writer, legal consultant and forensic expert, was born in Delta State, Nigeria to Mr Anthony Mukoro (the late Director General of the defunct Bendel State Government Treasury’s Cash Office, and Mrs Mary Mukoro & Apkomudjere). Young Mukoro attended Saint Ita’s Girls College, Sapele, Delta State, and as she acquired education and training became a woman of many parts.
“I hold a degree in Social Education, Masters degree in Criminology, Certificate in Criminal Law, Postgraduate Certificate in Tax and Labour Management, a Postgraduate Certificate in Forensic Psychology, a Postgraduate Certificate in Immigration and Domestic Violence, as well as a Diploma Certificate in Agriculture from the College of Agriculture, Anwai, Delta State, Nigeria.”
Mukoro became a naturalised Spanish citizen in September 16, 2013 and gradually gained acceptance in the Spanish society. “I live accordingly here in Spain. I do everything a citizen ought to do, and I thank God for what this country made me become. I grew up here. I learned the ways. I went to school here. And I would absolutely never take security and the defence of this country lightly. I feel a sense of pride in contributing to the national growth of Spain and Nigeria.”
She adds: “I also went to school in Nigeria and worked as a civil servant at the Governor’s Office in Benin City and Asaba when Delta State was created, deployed by the Ministry of Agriculture, before I came to Spain in 1992. To Nigeria and Spain, I say thank you. The heart of the Spanish government and the Spanish community desire to seek among all, the end of social injustice, the Spanish Constitution (article 14), does not tolerate any form of discrimination. I affirm and recognise that immigrants are well treated by the institutions and the country at large, in the same political voice and manner as citizens.”
Mukoro discloses some of the lessons learnt when she contested for the Mayor of Denia last year. “Yes, I contested for the Mayor of Denia on May 24, 2015. The party was less than three months old when I contested. It was a wild ride and I like a challenging experience, I give endless thanks to GOD for giving me the unique opportunity to experience it. Yes, I formed and floated a political party UNION DE TODOS, but members of our political party come from a variety of political traditions internally democratic with different experiences on the strategy and tactics of political action.”
Cat walking and strutting the runway is a skill that our models have perfected over the years. Oluchi Onweagba Orlandi continues to thrill Nigerians and mesmerise her fans. From nothing, she was discovered as a teenager in the M-Net Face of Africa competition in 1998. Her qualification to fame was her talent, beauty, height, physique and a smile that was irresistible.
These opened other doors for her and she got a $159,000 three-year modelling contract with Elite Model Management.
From there, the sky would not be her limit. She made her entrance on the runway in 1998 for designer Marc Bouwer, and then was chosen for cover girl of ‘Nars Cosmetics.’ She did print work for Lancome in 2004, and also catalogue work for Bergdorf Goodman and famous Victoria’s Secret; she also became a member of the elite Victoria’s Secret angels.
Oluchi, relocating to New York City, pursued her career relentlessly and rose to supermodel status in 2002. She was featured in several fashion magazines, to include spotting the covers of Italian Vogue, Marie Claire, ELLE, Nylon, Untold, Surface, Allure and so on. She has also been featured in Forbes Africa, one of the world’s most influential magazines, and also Arise, Destiny, Mania, New African Woman, Flair and so on.
Oluchi did not stop there, she became the face of campaigns for clothing lines such as Gap, Banana Republic, Gianfranco Ferre, Express, and Ann Taylor. She has worked with prominent photographers such as David LaChapelle, Steven Meisel who photographed her for covers of Italian Vogue, Patrick Demarchelier and Nick Knight.
Highlights of her career include her seven straight years work for Victoria’s Secret, a great achievement.
Her catwalk runway experience has been with famous designers such as Giorgio Armani, Chanel, Christian Dior, Gucci, John Galliano, Kenneth Cole, and Tommy Hilfiger, among others.
Oluchi is not just a beauty but a beauty with brains. Asides her modelling career, she volunteers her time working with NGOs such as LEAP Africa and NIPRO. She graduated from New York University with a Bachelor’s degree in Management. Her work takes her across world capitals such as London, Paris, Milan and Tokyo. Oluchi is married to an Italian fashion designer, Luca Orlandi. The couple live in the US with their sons, Ugo and Marco.
