So I got to work Backstage at the Nigerian Fashion Show!!!

Hanging with stylist Chika and Tokunbo Chiedu, MD Compass Consulting who are the country reps for Design Essentials

Whoop whoop! So I get a call from the Country representatives of Design Essentials asking if I'd like to be part of the hair styling team for the Nigerian Fashion show for 2 days. Would I???? Heck yea!!

I'm not so short after all!

It was kind of a last minute thing for me so I had to (happily) re arrange my schedule so I could help with the prepping of the models the day before the show and then work with them backstage for both days of the show.

DAY BEFORE THE SHOW

So the models were being housed in a hotel somewhere in Victoria Island and I got there with one of my stylists at about 4pm - walked in and felt almost dwarfed by these tall, long limbed, skinny chicks lollll. I'd never seen so many models in one place and it was quite eye opening watching them and listening to them as they interacted with one another and the lady who I assume was their chaperon.

Anyway the look that had been chosen for the models (all 40 of them) was a ponytail with a few variations here and there to prevent everything from being too boring. My assignment was to prep their hair, by placing in ponytails, sleeking everything back and getting them ready for the extensions to be added to their pony tails.

A number of the other stylists working with the team were already there and had started prepping models so I just jumped in and got to work.

When it was about 8pm, we'd gone about 85percent of the way and called it a night. Everything else would be finished tomorrow at the venue (Oriental Hotel)


SHOW TIME - DAY 1
Got to the Oriental bright and early and the backstage madness began lol. First of all, I've read and heard about how models have zero self consciousness and I witnessed it in all its glory. Clothes coming on and off in front of male and female strangers as they got fitted for outfits and changed into the clothes they'd be wearing. I know I would never have been able to be a model hehehehe.

Lead Stylist Frank with one of my Stylists Juliet

Stylist Eva doing her thing

 Anyway, thankfully because we'd been able to prep most of them the day before, styling didn't take too long and we were able to get them ready in time for the show. The few challenges we had were a couple of models who had hair that was barely 2 inches long - this was where creativity had to come into play.

The stage is set

Backstage interviews of the models

I was a little disappointed with whoever was in charge of the models because since the afternoon before when we were prepping their hair, the models had been complaining of being hungry. By noon of the day of the first show, they still hadn't been fed! One of the male models took the chaperon up on it and for a second it looked like there was going to be mutiny in the ranks. He had to be calmed down and the food arrived much later in the day. I felt so bad for them because I cannot imagine being held to hunger for over 24 hours oh!!!!

So the show started and I must say, there were a lot of gorgeous pieces on display from a good number of Nigerian designers. Not just clothing but accessories, shoes and bags and underwear. Speaking of underwear, the minute the models came out for the lingerie showing, you should have seen how everyone started getting excited! All of a sudden all the male hotel staff appeared from God knows where, with big grins on their faces. Honestly! I was just shaking my head.

Notice those WIDE smiles? lol

SHOW TIME DAY 2

Today which was the final day, was supposed to end on a grand note as Agatha Ruiz La Prada was close the show. Sadly it was not meant to be. Apparently the Nigerian Customs had seized her goods and refused to release them so when it was time for her showcase, there were no clothes to be shown!!!

The other designers however showed their stuff and I had to leave early because I had a photoshoot I was working on with Dabs of naijahaircangrow for a wedding fever edition of her magazine Savvy and Chic.

All in all, it was definitely a great experience for me and I got to learn a lot of stuff from the other stylists there and the models themselves.

Till my next post!!