You know, as I was sitting for this shoot, the thought suddenly hit me; ‘I am actually here in an Orange Culture piece’. In a sparkling brand owned by the genius, Adebayo Oke-Lawal.

I remember seeing Bayo for the first time over 15 years ago at our event, The Future
Pre-Awards Conference at the Welcome Center. You knew this one was clearly privileged but he was working his ass off like he had never seen money in his life. He was really going hard lifting chairs, attending to guests, running errands. And when I finally found time to speak with him and heard his dreams for his fashion brand and his writing, I said to him: You’re going to be a big star.

For the past decade and more, even as I have worked with him on projects as a fashion editor amongst others, he has walked across the world a world as a multi award winning global fashion brand from Nigeria. He has become an international star.

I thought about the photographer, Adedamola who I think is just a genius. In 2020 when he was in his teens, I saw a photo installation he was doing and I reached out to say: look never stop, you’re going to be huge. Since then he has photographed for Vogue and Rolling Stone, Temi Otedola and Asake, from Capetown to Paris.

I thought about the stylist, Swazzi one of the most multi-talented people I know. I sat with him years ago, listened to the life he’d lived, and the big visions he had - so big he hasn’t even scratched the surface. And I said to him, ‘You are putting in the work. You have no choice but to soar. It’s going to happen’.

Barely 3 years later, and he is the stylist of choice for Nigeria’s biggest Afrobeat stars. I sat in a room in Capetown last year and heard people praise him for the incredible styling for Flavour’s London concert and I could almost burst open with joy.

When I asked a mentee to help me read through the draft of my new book last year when he finished, he said and I quote: “One thing I wondered about is why one of C’s most endearing qualities, his tireless commitment to platforming and surrounding himself with young people, is not particularly emphasised.”

Perhaps nothing gives me more delight than to see a diamond in the rough before anyone does and to reach out to them and say ‘Look it’s going to happen, you’re going to be huge’ and then to actually see it happen.

One of my proudest achievements is the plethora of peers and mentees across the media and entertainment industry who I have been blessed to identify, encourage, make space for, support, incubate and watch take flight.

The other day I was speaking at an event with two of my former assistants who work very closely with me still and I was almost giddy with excitement to say - see this one, he has been with me for 7 years and he now heads communication for this huge brand, and see that one, see that one, 8 years and he now consults for Nigeria’s biggest actress and entertainment talent.

It is a part of that proud achievement that it is almost impossible to find someone who has worked closely with me, lived with me, spent quality time with me whose life doesn’t get transformed in that time. Your life must food forward or ‘I am not doing’. It matters deeply to me that people around me achieve their full potential. Sometimes I have even carried it too far, sending them out of the house because I believed in them so deeply I didn’t want to coddle them or to promote people too fast because I see what they can become. But no matter the growing pains, to see that they end up see them shining, soaring, blooming; that what I saw came to pass - there is no feeling like it in the world.

I maintain deep personal relationships with a vast majority of my alumni. Even if I am loner, and they don’t get to see me as often as they would love, they know that I love them dearly, and I am incredibly proud of them; inspired by them.