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By Christian Agadibe
Brendance and Crusader Limited, the firm behind the Inferno Runway Reality Fashion Show has challenged what it described as false claims regarding Joel Namso Thomas, clarifying that Joel/GIMS’s Brooklyn Fashion Week opportunity was secured through Inferno Runway and not Uyo Fashion Week.
In a statement signed by the Creator of Inferno Runway/FE TV HUB and Executive Producer, Mr and Miss Nigeria International, Brendan Nsikak, and made available to Sunday Sun, in response to recent public statements and media reports regarding Joel Namso Thomas of GIM’S Exclusive, the firms said Inferno Runway is an FETV HUB original fashion reality competition produced in partnership with Brendance and Crusader Limited.
The firm stated that it was purely mischievous to attribute Joel/GIMS’s international fashion opportunities to Uyo Fashion Week and the Arise Runway Show, and to even claim that he was “discovered” on that platform and subsequently received invitations to New York Fashion Week and Brooklyn Fashion Week.
The statement read in part: “While Inferno Runway respects every platform working to support fashion talent in Akwa Ibom State, those statements are inaccurate and misleading to the extent that they suggest Uyo Fashion Week originated, produced, secured, or caused Joel/GIMS’s Brooklyn Fashion Week pathway.
“The documented public record is clear: Joel Namso Thomas emerged as the winner of the inaugural season of Inferno Runway, created by Bob Cal and FE TV HUB. As winner of Inferno Runway, Joel secured a coveted opportunity to showcase at 2025 Brooklyn Fashion Week. THISDAY and Leadership both reported that Joel’s Brooklyn Fashion Week opportunity came through his Inferno Runway victory. Fashion Week Brooklyn’s own official event listing also identifies GIM Exclusive as “winner of Inferno Runway – Africa by FE TV HUB.”
“Therefore, any statement suggesting that Uyo Fashion Week launched, produced, or caused Joel/GIMS’s Brooklyn Fashion Week opportunity is not supported by the public record.
“Inferno Runway acknowledges that Joel/GIMS may have participated in or showcased on Uyo Fashion Week platforms. However, participation in a local runway event is different from securing the international fashion pathway that brought Joel/GIMS to Brooklyn Fashion Week.
“Correct attribution matters to the producers, partners, sponsors, government stakeholders, and creative institutions that invested in building a real international pathway for Nigerian fashion designers.
“We celebrate every platform that supports Akwa Ibom talent, but the truth must remain clear. Joel Namso Thomas earned his Brooklyn Fashion Week opportunity as the winner of Inferno Runway. That pathway was created through Inferno Runway and FE TV HUB, in partnership with Brendance and Crusader Ltd. We will not allow that documented achievement to be erased, repackaged, or reassigned in sponsor, media, or government narratives.”
Brendance and Crusader, the Nigerian production and management partner connected to Inferno Runway, also affirmed that the platform was built to create measurable outcomes for Nigerian designers, including international visibility, fashion-week access, and global entertainment distribution.
Inferno Runway and Brendance and Crusader, therefore, appealed to all media outlets, partners, sponsors, and public stakeholders to correct any statement that suggests that Uyo Fashion Week discovered Joel/GIMS in a manner that implies original discovery or career creation; Uyo Fashion Week launched Joel/GIMS to Brooklyn Fashion Week or New York Fashion Week; Joel/GIMS’s Brooklyn Fashion Week opportunity was caused by Uyo Fashion Week or the Arise Runway Show and that Uyo Fashion Week produced Joel/GIMS as an international success story without acknowledging Inferno Runway.
