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From Christy Anyanwu, London
Osimeogieme Saibu, fondly called Osime by friends and associates, is a remarkable personality and creative powerhouse. She proved to be an outstanding fashion designer as her Phoenix Collection elicited thunderous applause when her models strutted the runway at the recent Africa Fashion Week, London.
Speaking with Sunday Sun, she went down the memory lane about her career, personality and lots more
How do you stand out in the fast-paced world of fashion and design? What makes you tick as a designer?
My parents named me Osimeogieme, which means “God sent me”. At age 16, I received the inspiration that I was going to set up a retail business with the name Simeogieme, even though I wasn’t yet certain what I would trade in. I went on to acquire a B.Sc in Accounting, from the University of Lagos, and an MBA from the University of Buckingham, United Kingdom, among other professional qualifications in IT and Project Management. I’ve spent over 20 years working in the corporate world in London and Lagos for companies like Experian UK, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers, Coca-Cola Hellenic Nigeria and Brita UK. I registered Simeogieme in the UK in 2008 as a fashion company, even though I hadn’t started trading and I continued to design and make dresses as a hobby for many years after. However, I currently run my fashion company while working at a corporate job here in the UK. I have participated in multiple fashion shows in London in 2013 and every year from 2023 till date. I participated in Africa Fashion Week London last August.
You participated at the just concluded AFWL. Tell us about your collection and also your perception about the AFWL platform
My new collection is called the Phoenix Collection. This collection is just to celebrate powerful women – every powerful woman who isn’t just trying to stand alone as a powerful woman but carrying other women along and sharing their strength. I told Queen Ronke Ademiluyi Ogunwusi, the founder of AFWL, that I would honour her with this new collection because she is one powerful woman who has supported Simeogieme’s journey, as well as many other powerful women that I’ve met on my journey, who are now a part of my life. I chose the theme of the Phoenix because the spiritual meaning of the Phoenix centres on rebirth, transformation and resilience. In historical Christian lore, it is adopted as a classical sign of resurrection, eternal life and the triumph of light over darkness. As I conquered my battle with Leukaemia by the power of God, I got inspired to paint a phoenix and design a collection based on it as a representation of powerful women. Queens are powerful women and powerful women are like the phoenix which rises from its ashes. A queen is more than just a title. Any woman who carries herself as a queen possesses unwavering courage. She faces challenges with grace, stands firm in her convictions and remains resilient in the face of adversity. Above all, a queen submits to her king and “the King of kings” and this does not diminish her, instead it elevates her in power. A Queen carries God within her. Like a phoenix, a queen can be reborn from fire. This is what inspired my new collection.
Tell us about your journey into fashion. Beyond the glamour, how challenging is it to run a fashion business in this clime?
I always say fashion is a capital-intensive business. Financial resources are required to create beauty and bring imagination to life. It is not just enough to make clothes and sell them. Work, time and resources have to be put into building a brand that will endure and have its own distinctive identity. When I did my first fashion show in 2013, I didn’t have a plan or enough money to produce the required MOQ for all the designs in my collection, which I only had samples made for. So, I figured out which two designs received the most applause or reaction on the runway and I produced only those two for the market. I didn’t even have a plan for how I would get my stock sold and I didn’t have an ecommerce website. I also had to be careful not to tie down my limited resources in stock that would be slow moving.
However, now, by the grace of God, things are better and I have also become better at predicting the market and customer tastes, so I’m learning to manage production and inventory better. I have more experience and I have several evolving plans based on continuous learning. I’m also focusing on improving or expanding my route to market and trying to maximise multiple channels.
What would you have been doing if you weren’t a fashion designer?
I would have specialised in Revenue Growth Management or worked in Commercial Finance, which I have already done and currently still doing.
What’s the most significant lesson you have learnt about life and how has it shaped you into the person you are today?
I have learnt that we can’t do life without God. We were never meant to do life for self, but to do life for God. What God plans for us, is always far better than we could ever plan for ourselves. We do not always see what’s coming ahead so our plans will always come short. But if we let God plan for us, one who sees the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end, He will always make provisions for that which we cannot see or predict. I am a living testimony of this. God’s love, God’s faithfulness and God’s perfect plan. I have also learnt the importance of discernment, knowing when to act and when to stand still.
How do you think your upbringing and life experiences have influenced your choices and decisions?
I was raised in a Christian home filled with love. My parents loved sacrificially. They are late now. My parents taught me contentment. My parents taught me to pray. My parents taught me forgiveness, not just for others, but to also be able to forgive myself. My parents didn’t expect me to be perfect. They made me feel perfect in spite of my mistakes. They did not hide their imperfections. They made me feel that God loved them no matter what. This mentality enabled me to make room for people’s humanity as well as my own, even while I try to be a better person. As much as they taught me to show love, they taught me the importance of boundaries. My parents taught me discipline and consistency. If they believed in something, they stuck with it unwaveringly. My dad worked in Finance and my mum, though in the civil service, was very entrepreneurial. She was always starting new businesses, just for passion. Fashion was one of the businesses she was into, and I can say I took that from her.
How would you describe your personal style?
I’m not sure I have a very particular style. I’m kind of an eclectic person. A lot depends on my mood and how comfortable I want to feel in the moment. I play with colours a lot because the colour I wear is determined by my mood, and I’m also conscious of the fact that colour could influence our moods too. I have a particular affinity for white clothing or even home décor or beddings, as I find it emotional or spiritually liberating. I like to look ultra glamorous when the occasion calls for it, but I also like casual wear with no makeup every other normal day of life.
Where is your preferred holiday destination and why?
My preferred holiday destination is the first country I visited four months after being discharged from hospital and three weeks after my haematologist told me they could no longer detect Leukaemia in my blood. That’s Croatia. I went alone to Croatia a couple of days to my birthday. I spent a few days there, in a hotel that was literally built on a mountain or hill, and I felt at peace and one with nature there. I was so thankful to be alive. It felt like a spiritual experience. It was beautiful. The next month, I visited the neighbouring Montenegro. Let’s just say, I’ve fallen in love with these Adriatic countries.
What do you love to do when not busy with work?
I do paint, but I do that for Simeogieme. When not busy, I love to dance, go to the spa or watch tv shows/movies. I used to take polo lessons before I got diagnosed with Leukaemia. Even though I was told that horses are very therapeutic, I had to give that up, as I do not need any more physical risks added to my life at this point. So now I only engage in very soft life activities, if I can help it.
