How Art And Fashion Collide For Nigerian Creators Renike Olusanya and Chigozie Obi
Renike Olusanya By Ugonnaora Owoh ·Updated May 23, 2024 < /> The first impression of Renike Olusanya’s >unique >Bawsty, a brand she co-founded with her friend Damilola Onosowobo. The company was created as a means to offer plus-sized women a choice to wear exquisite outfits that make them feel elegant but also sexy. “We thought it was a good way to define a great experience for women,” Olusanya said. Renike Olusanya Bawsty transcends more than fashion inclusivity and business. To Renike, it’s a gift to expand her >Future Awards Africa in 2023. So What. Courtesy of Renike Olusanya Renike Olusanya’s art is vivid, expressive, and intuitive; always elaborating on the essence of blackness or interpreting what it means to be a Black woman. In her world, she brings these women alive, all beautiful, with afro futuristic hair decoding="async" src="https://www.essence.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Bawsty-backless-dress-scaled.jpeg" alt="How Art And Fashion Collide For Nigerian Creators Renike Olusanya and Chigozie Obi" width="400" height="500" />Bawsty Aside from professing her love for Tracee Ellis Ross, her favorite fashion icon, she’s charmed by the design ethos and elegance of the brand Hanifa. She compliments the brand’s knitwear and its inclusive intentions. But she’s very much inspired by her friend Chigozie Obi and credits her for her eagerness to experiment with more clothes. “Chigozie is so free with her >It-girl who understands the socio-construct attached to women’s bodies and what they are wearing in Nigeria. She works diligently to deconstruct and revolutionize that idea in her art by creating works with bold representations of women in cut-offs, crop tops, and patterned pants. “Women are just always criticized, no matter what,” she says. “Whether they are wearing what covers them or not. It’s like there’s no middle ground. So I wish a lot of women would find their creative freedom and find what they’re comfortable with wearing.” She explains here that as a woman she had to go on her own journey of self-discovery and confidence through her clothing choices. Pains, Stain, & Positions. Courtesy of Chigozie Obi Like what she mirrors in her art, herdecoding="async" src="https://www.essence.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/313934858_5872168159469350_4023581653510213491_n.jpeg" alt="How Art And Fashion Collide For Nigerian Creators Renike Olusanya and Chigozie Obi" width="400" height="359" />Chigozie Obi She describes Hermes as one of her favorite fashion brands for their intentionality with their branding and their artistic packaging. “They put a lot of art in their branding and I really like that because I think it’s like a unique way to show up your work and just your art.” Obi mentions that they often commission artists which is something she truly admires. Hanifa, Bawsty, and Nana Ama Studio are favorites of hers too. One bias she’s been unable to grasp is people’s one-sided perspective of what an artist should look like when it comes to their personalrel="tag">african artistsThe post How Art And Fashion Collide For Nigerian Creators Renike Olusanya and Chigozie Obi appeared first on Essence.
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