Her passion as a designer started at a tender age. Being the daughter of the late Flora Nwapa, popularly known as the Mother of Modern African Literature, she saw the dexterity and passion her mum had towards arts. This captured her interest growing up and also influenced her to follow her passion in fashion.
Though a qualified lawyer, Amede Nzeribe pursued her dreams and today she’s one of the top Nigerian designers who infuse African fabrics and Adire to make outstanding outfits.
Talking with Sunday Sun recently, she went down memory lane and gave an overview of her life as a designer.
What are the most interesting things about you?
My name is Amede Nzeribe. I am married, with children, two girls and a boy. I grew up in Enugu. I schooled in Enugu. I attended University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus. I studied law, but I didn’t practise. I started studying for my fashion business while I was in my third year studying law. It’s always been my passion, it’s always been my dream to be a fashion designer. I started designing ready-to-wear clothes, started selling to customers while in the university. Actually, made-in-Nigeria clothes weren’t in vogue then.
I knew I wasn’t going to sell to students. I was selling to working-class ladies. I had my label, Amede, and I had it with a tag, “Proudly made in Nigeria.” It was going on quite well and at a point made-in-Nigeria garment was going well really. I remember an incident, when somebody saw what my sister was wearing, she asked where she got it. “It’s my sister’s design,” she said. The lady was working at a bank then. I sent the clothes to her, I went there actually. The dress fit perfectly and she was happy, until she saw the tag and said, no, I don’t wear made-in-Nigeria. It was quite disappointing, but I wasn’t discouraged. After Law School, I was torn between practising law, which I really didn’t want to, or exploring my fashion business. It was really a confusing time. I couldn’t make up my mind because designers weren’t really respected then, it was more or less like: “A lawyer, you now want to be a tailor?” So, I thought of it this way, what would I enjoy doing? I knew I would enjoy my passion, which was fashion designing. I pictured myself waking up on Monday morning and looking forward to that day, compared to practising law, which was something I wasn’t really looking forward to. I took that plunge in 2021. I decided to formalise it. Printed complimentary cards, registered a company and started from there. When people ask me what I do, I tell them I’m a fashion designer. It has continued till date. I don’t regret it. I have not done anything else apart from being a fashion designer. I’m not practising law, I never did. I enjoy what I’m doing and I enjoy it up to this day. Following your passion is a very fulfilling thing to do. It actually affects every aspect of your life, being a wife, mother, every other aspect, you are more grounded and more fulfilled.
As a lawyer, how did your parents and siblings feel, knowing you were turning to a designer, commonly known as tailor?
My mum is late. She was a writer, Flora Nwapa. I actually could say I watched my mum write her books. That was her passion. Although I’m not inclined to writing, going by the way she went, she followed her passion and I followed my passion as a fashion designer. My mum was okay with it. What she said then was; why don’t you choose a course study and whatever you want to do after that you can go ahead? She was supportive. I started my designs using different fabrics. Adire was something I stumbled onto. I remember going to Akerele in Surulere. I saw a lot of Adire dyers, but my problem was that they kept repeating the same designs and it was kind of boring. A particular seller said I should give them a sketch, and we discussed the colour, because it’s not all colours that can go together on one cloth. I did that and I started making dresses out of those ones and I saw that people were more interested in them. As I progressed, I noticed that people were buying the ones that had my fabric design, that was how I found a niche and I decided to do Adire and nothing more. Anytime I branch out using other fabrics or even Adire that is not designed by me, it takes time to sell. Now, I have exclusively Adire ready-to-wear attire.
Any challenge whatsoever?
In any business there’s always a challenge, but you take them in your stride, especially with the skilled labourers like the dyers and tailors, and the economic climate is not easy. We have these challenges: you just go with them. When you are doing what you love, you tend to overlook those things or just endure them.
Tailoring as a law student, what were your classmates’ reactions?
I wasn’t selling to my classmates, I was selling to working class ladies. The law campus was in Enugu. I was depending on my relations based in Enugu, Abuja, Port Harcourt and spread it around. I had an auntie working in an oil company then and my sister who was working in Lagos and her friends were my clientele. I was selling to women much older than me at a point in time and those people were the people who could afford what I was selling and who needed clothing like that.
What’s your kind of design?
When I first started, I was doing more corporate wears and suits. After Law School, I got married and got into boubous, kaftans and more easy wears.
What would be your advice for young people who want to come into fashion?
You must be really interested in fashion.
You are not doing it because your friends are doing it, but because you are good at it. It is something you have to be patient with, it is not about the glam that comes with it. More or less you must be ready to endure all the obstacles that come with it. Be consistent. Just be you. Don’t look at what other people are doing; there must be one kind of originality in you. Try to find that and stick to it.
Have you ever felt bad that you did not practise as a lawyer?
Not at all. I never really wanted to study law. I was arts-inclined. I thought about it. Among all the arts courses, I chose law, thinking if fashion didn’t go well with me I could still go into the law profession, probably corporate law. I didn’t really like to practise law. Right from when I was six or seven years old, I always wanted to be a designer.
At that tender age of six, who talked you into fashion?
I come from a pretty fashionable family, my mum, my dad are very fashionable, so I was drawn to fashion by my family.