Being Jumoke…
IT doesn’t get hotter than the Polo club, to make any kind of debut. If it is a fashion debut, it’s even better as the Polo Club in Ikoyi, Lagos is the place to catch the eye of the fashionable crowd.For the latest model in town, Olajumoke Orisaguna, whose grass-to-grace story has inspired Nigerians across the federation and beyond to continue to hope for the best in the face of daunting difficulties; it was a catwalk debut last weekend that will ensure the life of the 27-year-old does not remain the same again.
Swaddling across the makeshift runway in a loose, white catsuit, every doubt in the public mind that the former bread hawker is a natural, was shot to death. The success of the debut is already bearing fruit. This week Layo G., a luxury brand, has already snapped the new model for their lookbook, and she is looking the part in a flared-collar jacket and edgy ankle boots.
Why she rocks
TY Bello, herself once part of a girl pop group turned successful photographer; agrees with CNN that the reason the story of Jumoke has resonated so well with Nigerians is the virtually miraculous nature of the whole thing. According to TY, “everybody has big dreams”.
According to the Layo G brand, “she represents the Layo G woman in so many ways. The strong woman who does not let obstacles thrown her way get her down, but instead hustles to overcome them. We admire strong women who are grinding everyday in their own way. Whether you are a breadseller or a supermodel, a CEO or an executive assistant we here at Layo G believe every woman is a boss”.
As the Jumoke euphoria reaches its peak and tapers, stakeholders have been accused of getting more out of the whole thing than Jumoke herself. This, of course, could not be further from the truth. Life scholarship for two children, a luxurious home, several modeling contracts, continued education and a face that has been etched into the public consciousness- is far more than you can expect to get for simply being yourself.
Modern feminists have also opined she would have been served better if she had been given business skills to turn her business into a billion dollar industry. As the world watches to see what is next, its angst is palpable, with the fear that being a Nigerian model has not exactly what it looks like from the pages of our glossies.
A Nigerian model
Being a model in Nigeria has been different things to different people. Ella is the C.E.O of The Royal Agency, a modeling agency for beauty queens. Shuttling between running her modeling agency and her television job with Silverbird television, she says her participation at beauty pageants also gave her greater opportunities such that she was able to make something out of her participation “I floated my own modeling agency, specifically set up to groom ex beauty queens. Queens signed on to my agency have done commercials for different big brands. It has been a bag of mixed feelings.”
