In recent times, fashion in Nigeria has gone quickly from the need to just wear clothes to protect from the harsh elements of weather to a way of life. A way of life that now brings to life the African in us with the consistent use of the African fabrics in making clothing which symbolize who we are as Africans while keeping the western trend in place.

Decades ago, this was not so. In fact to some extent many viewed anything African or even Nigerian as not good enough hence the slow realization of the goldmine that is resident in the use of African fabrics to create a community of fashion lovers that exist in Africa.

Thanks to the likes of late Mazi Mbonu Ojike who through his campaign caused the federal government to make it compulsory for public servants to wear Nigerian wears to their offices on Fridays; a practice which is still very much in place even today.

Now, there is a continuous rise to what the African fabrics are used for in Nigeria and beyond. International celebrities like Beyonce, Rihanna, Solange Knowles, Gwem Steffani, Alicia Keys and a host of others have been spotted wearing the African prints. Right now, Nigerian fashion designers are tearing down every barrier that tends to rise up as a stumbling block to the use of African fabrics in fashion designing.

Fast rising Nigerian fashion designer Dozzy Nnamdi Obinwanne, owner of Dozzy Couture clothing line which clothes men and a member of the Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria ( FADAN); believes staunchly in not only thinking out of the box with designing clothes using the African fabrics; but ripping the box to shreds with styles and designs that will make even an advocate of western wears consider wearing the African fabrics and designs.

He thinks Nigerian fashion designers should stay true to their identity and heritage by making the most use of the African fabrics as some already do. “I design most of my clothing with the African fabric. I have high regards for fashion designers who don’t and also the western fashion designers but I don’t seek to compete with them. Rather I want every line and detail of my creations to bear the mark of a true African thereby promoting our culture and heritage” he says.

Dozzy Couture has in the spirit of promoting Nigerian fabrics on stylish designs, trained a number of up and coming fashion designers to not only shine through as Africans in their works but also to pay complete attention to details in their designs and sewing. His carefully designed pieces which showcased on the runways of The Nigeria Television Fashion Show(NTFS)2015,The Ankara Fashion Fiesta 2015,Runway FADAN 2015 and others lend credence to this.

He revealed his happiness at the come-back some of the Nigerian regalia worn in the past have made. He is particularly enthusiastic at the return of the “Agbada” and how creative Nigerian fashion designers have made it such that Nigerian musicians like Iyanya, Skales, Don Jazzy and even females now clad it in style.

“The emergence and rise of talented fashion designers in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized and the community of fashion designers that the Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria ( FADAN) is constantly building will rock in a positive way the very foundations of African fashion and put us clearly on the world fashion map” Dozzy says.

www.dozzycouture.com