By all accounts, including his, Emmanuel Okoro, the award-winning Nigerian designer who founded the brand Emmy Kasbit, is soft spoken. He\u2019s the kind of person who requires you to lean in to make out what he\u2019s saying\u2014a sharp contrast to the vibrant colors in the Spring-Summer 2023 collection he showed at Dakar Fashion Week.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo make up for the times I don’t speak out, I just channel that into my work,\u201d Okoro told OkayAfrica. \u201cI want people to see the work and not like me myself. I\u2019m more of a reserved person, I prefer to be indoors, and think about what\u2019s coming next.\u201d<\/p>\n
Okoro’s work does indeed speak for itself. Last year, his Spring-Summer 2022 collection, an homage to the Biafra War, won the inaugural Africa Fashion Up prize, which included mentorship from Balenciaga. The sustainable, Lagos, Nigeria-based brand also recently launched the Emmy Kasbit Initiative that advocates for safe and equitable\u2014including gender equity\u2014working conditions for the artisans and textile workers pivotal to the brand.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing a designer who’s making an impact is much more than designing clothes for money,\u201d Okoro said. \u201cIt’s also about what you’re giving back to society, the causes you\u2019re supporting.\u201d<\/p>\n
In conversation with OkayAfrica Okoro talked about his gender-equity initiative, taking African design to the world stage, and the five essentials he needs to run his brand.<\/p>\n
1.His Partner Daniel Olurin
\nDaniel Olurin runs the operations and business side of the brand. Olurin is \u201cever-present\u201d on all trips, Okoro said, and runs point on all logistics so that the designer can remain more focused on the creative side of things.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can have beautiful clothes being presented on the runway, but it has to sort of relate into the balance of the company\u2019s goals, so I handle that,” Olurin told OkayAfrica. “It\u2019s fun, it\u2019s very interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olurin said enjoying his job is essential to him, and that\u2019s something he and Okoro carry through as a core value.:No matter if it\u2019s a collaboration or an interaction with someone at the atelier. \u201cWe have to make sure that they feel that they are essential to the success of the brand,\u201d Olurin said. Olurin feels gratitude to their cause and to the team that brings Okoro\u2019s masterful vision to life.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmmanuel is a wonderful creative director,\u201d Olurin said. “Being able to see his creative genius being presented into clothes is something we all value so much at the HQ.\u201d<\/p>\n
2.His Measuring Tape
\nWhenever Okoro and his team travels he keeps his tape with him, to best serve his bespoke clients and private consultations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not about to start going to the market in a new city looking for tape,\u201d he said. \u201cEven in Lagos it\u2019s always in my bag. Sometimes I just hang it on my neck\u2014it\u2019s an obsession.\u201d<\/p>\n
3. His Phone
\nOkoro says he\u2019s always on his phone\u2014but, true to his nature, he prefers to text rather than hop on a call.<\/p>\n
\u201cI might forget my passport, but I always have my phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
4. His Passport
\nOkoro calls his passport his \u201cgateway to leaving.\u201d It\u2019s what makes him a global citizen. One description of Emmy Kasbit reads, \u201cexploring topics around culture and the preservation of culture.\u201d The designer\u2019s inspiration draws from nature, exploring, and his African culture.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of our missions is to take African fashion from this stage to the center stage and that has to do with changing people\u2019s perception about African fashion.\u201d<\/p>\n
To carry this out, Okoro works with a team of women weavers from his native Eastern Nigeria in an atelier. The Emmy Kasbit Initiative\u2014 which launched earlier this year to coincide with International Women\u2019s Day\u2014has three core pillars: Eradicating Poverty in Fashion, Sustainability and Cultural Education, and the Enhancement of Liberty.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a whole lot of conversations around sustainability now,\u201d Okoro said. \u201cIt\u2019s not easy to be a sustainable designer, there\u2019s a whole lot of factors surrounding that but you need to be very focused and know what you\u2019re getting into.\u201d<\/p>\n
5. His Laptop
\nOkoro\u2019s laptop is key to keeping up with Zoom calls, sales, and inventory while on the go. Creatively, Okoro uses his laptop to sketch and the Notes app to capture any spontaneous inspirations when they strike, like a beautiful color\u2014like the ones Dakar is known for.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Emmy Kasbit founder Emmanuel Okoro spoke with OkayAfrica about taking African design to the world stage and the five essentials he needs to run his brand.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12963,"featured_media":24271,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,36],"tags":[7,37,38],"class_list":{"0":"post-24274","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fashion","8":"category-lifestyle","9":"tag-apie-project","10":"tag-fashion","11":"tag-lifestyle"},"yoast_head":"\n