Centering Enjoyment in the World of Fashion with Solidad Nwakibu
"I think Nigerians are one of the most stylish people...I always had this image of my mom and her friends going out in their brightest, most elaborate dresses just to go to school drop offs."
H: Let’s start off with an introduction!
Hey everyone! My name is Solidad Nwakibu and my pronouns are she/her. I'm based in New York. I work as a fashion stylist and that kind of goes into different buckets like wardrobe styling, editorial styling, and personal styling. Currently, I'm trying to find my niche with that, but at the moment I'm doing a lot of like wardrobe style styling for CEOs and people who are trying to create a brand for themselves- predominantly Black women.
H: I’m really interested in hearing a little bit more about your background.
I was born in Atlanta actually, but my family's originally Nigerian and I grew up in Nigeria up until I was 12. Then I moved to Maryland with my siblings and my dad. I went to college in Atlanta at Spelman and I actually studied biology funny enough. All I knew growing up in an African household, a Nigerian household specifically, was being a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. Everybody around me was a nurse, a doctor, a PT, or a lawyer. There weren't any creatives, so I just went pre-med and I absolutely hated it.
Then I moved to New York and got a job at the Riverside Church in Harlem, doing faith-based fundraising, and then Covid happened so we all got laid off. So I was basically trying to figure out things to do and fill my time. My friend Toyé was an upcoming artist and I was like, ‘Why don't we just plan a shoot?’ So I planned, creative directed, and styled this shoot and I was like, ‘Oh, this is kind of cool. I can do this.’ So literally from that day, I just became a stylist.
G: Does being from both Nigeria and the States influence your styling work or your personal sense of self?
Yes! On my website, I address that. I talk about how my influences in Africa and Nigeria and cities like New York, Maryland, Atlanta, kind of have all fused together to give me this crazy pot of style. I think Nigerians are one of the most stylish people. I always had this image of my mom and her friends going out in their brightest, most elaborate dresses just to go to the market, or church, or even school drop-offs. So, I've always known the importance of presenting really well. Even sometimes being obnoxious about it and being comfortable knowing that you put effort into your look. You're not hiding behind anything and you're just who you are.
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H: Since becoming a stylist and moving to New York, what do you feel like you've learned about yourself?
In the middle of everything I do, I need to be enjoying myself. I need to be having fun. There needs to be enjoyment - whether it's personal life, actually styling somebody, or a project that I'm being put on. The minute I feel otherwise, I have to remove myself. The work is already hard itself. I need to at least be comfortable, enjoying myself, and also just feeling like you care about my presence, and you want me to be here and you're appreciative of me.
Enjoyment. Keyword.
H: What do you think is the unique perspective that you can bring to people for styling? What’s at the core of what you bring to your clients?
I have one client I love working with who’s the CEO of Topicals. She's also a Nigerian woman, which is my dream client across the board. So love her down. But she speaks at a lot of things, most of them formal, and at the core of it we are trying to hone in on being able to be feminine and be sexy with it, but in a way that is still formal. So we work with different silhouettes or cutouts or certain fabrics, the way it hangs on her is what we will focus on. I think that in itself has been a learning experience.
We coined this look as, ‘Business Kitty.’ She's business but sexy. She's young, at the end of the day she's not even 30, so she has to still look like a CEO, but then still look, fresh, young, sexy, so that people give her money, purchase Topicals, or just align with the brand.
G: What does a successful and happy life look like to you?
Well, a lot of people don't know I still work a nine to five. So hopefully, in not too long, I can fully pivot into styling and have a roster of three to five clients that I work with on a regular basis. That’s my next thing and I think I'm definitely on track for that.
G: What would be your advice for someone who's really trying to hone in on their own personal style?
Pinterest. I love aimlessly scrolling on Pinterest and just seeing what catches my eye and creating boards. I think having those visuals and seeing what you think is nice, what you identify with, and what you feel like ‘Oh, like I could see myself in that’ is important. Then, figure out how to translate it to yourself.
H: What are some other places where you feel like you find a lot of joy and inspiration in your life?
I love watching music videos. Current music videos, rap, hip-hop, R&B, pop, just whatever the girls are doing. I like to see what they look like and how people move and express themselves, how they dance, how they're dressed, and what the story in a music video is. I can just sit on my couch and watch YouTube music videos for hours.
G: What is something that you think people need to hear right now?
I just want everybody to get a grip. Just know that life online is a highlight reel of people's lives. It's literally 12 seconds of what they've done in 24 hours.
So I think if we all collectively pushed on that mindset things would feel a little bit better. Having that real grasp of reality and just trying your hardest to not be consumed by what you consume on social media is super vital. It's very hard to do, trust me. Just know that life is so much more than social media.
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