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By Christy Anyanwu
At the just concluded GTCO Fashion Weekend, Marielle Bobo was one of the experts who took a masterclass on ‘The Changing Landscape of Editorial Imagery’.
The New York-based luminary is a publishing industry veteran with over two decades of fashion, beauty and lifestyle media experience. She is currently the Editor-in-Chief and Senior Vice President, Programming at Ebony Media following its recent pre-launch under a new ownership. Bobo is charged with leading Ebony’s strategic expansion as digital -first brand honouring the core elements of its 75-year legacy – innovative storytelling, compelling imagery, original reporting, and long and short form content creation – through a contemporary lens, fresh perspective, and strong voices.
Marielle Bobo has appeared on various television outlets including Good Morning America, Fox 5 News, Today Show and Entertainment Tonight. Also, Hello Beautiful named her one of the most powerful black women in fashion. In this interview, she opened up on her growing up, career as a fashion and lifestyle journalist, and impression of Nigeria among others. Please enjoy it.
Before Ebony, where were you working?
I was in a lot of places. I worked at different magazines including Glamour. I was their fashion director at Essence magazine; I was also at Ebony as fashion director. I left and I came back. So, I had worked in different fashion magazines in the United States. I began my career as an agent at Wilhelmina Models. I later transitioned to Allure magazine as a market editor, covering accessories and fashion. Then, I joined the style department of Hearst magazine’s Cosmo Girl and went on to lend my expertise in key fashion and beauty editorial roles with Women’s Wear Daily (WWD), Vanity Fair, Self, Glamour, Interactive One, Harper’s Bazaar, OK magazine and AC Brands. The mufti-faced human dynamo – not only possesses editorial experience but also has an impressive repertoire as a creative director and beauty stylist. Her styling work has been in features on Alicia Keys, Chadwick Boseman, Serena Williams, Angela Bassett, Kerry Washington, Zendaya, Denzel Washington, and Mariah Carey.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Brooklyn, New York. My father is from Haiti. My family is from the Caribbean, in Haiti. But I grew up in New York City.
Was it your dream to be a journalist?
Yes, it was my dream to be a journalist. I had wanted to be a fashion editor and a fashion stylist. I went to Howard University in Washington DC. It’s an all-black college and I studied journalism there. When I graduated, I started working in magazines. From there, I just walked my way up over 22/23 years now.
How is it like to be a fashion journalist in the US, do you work with designers?
Yes, I worked with a lot of designers. Big designers and also small designers, and up and coming designers.
I think the most exciting part is meeting young designers and giving them the first chance. I also styled a lot of celebrities for covers including Lisha Peace, Beyonce. In Ebony now, we just did a cover on Black Panther. I know they had a premiere in Nigeria recently to have a shot of the Black Panther movie; but they are not coming out, we just did a couple of shots with them, all of the actors.
Who influenced you growing up?
My mum and grandmother did. My grand mum is 99-years-old. She walks and cooks for herself. She’s the first person that showed me Ebony magazine. I saw Ebony for the first time at my grandmother’s house. She had copies of the magazines way back, 40/50 years old. That was the first time I saw Ebony magazine. When I finally started working at Ebony, she was so proud. No job that I had before mattered to my granny until I went to Ebony. She’s electrified!
Is this your first time in Nigeria?
It is my second time. I was here in 2019. I want to come and stay longer here next time, because I’m only here for a few days. Hopefully, next time I come, I’ll stay here more.
What do you like about Nigeria?
Everything – the food, the culture, the music and the energy. You walk in the streets and there’s just so much going on. The excitement, the energy, you can feel the energy when you come here. There are so many things going on here. There’s nothing like that back in the US.
In the US, there’s this negative perception about Nigeria and I’m sure so many people warned you about coming to Nigeria?
No. Not that I know. I grew up in New York; I have lots of Nigerian friends. New York is very diverse; you have people from everywhere. When I told my friends that I was coming to Nigeria, they said: ‘Oh, I wish I could come’. Also, so many black people in the US are leaving America to come here. I have lots of friends that have moved here. I have Nigerian friends that grew up in America, and they have moved here. Interestingly, we have a lot of black people that want to come back (to Nigeria).
