by Sophia Afolayan
Connecting with Vanessa Efe was no small feat. Fresh off the Born In The Wild tour with Tems, where she participated in creating some of the looks destined to inspire future popstar aesthetics, Vanessa finally had the chance to respond to my questions—a pursuit truly worth the effort. Enjoy the insights!
Q: Can you share a bit about your journey into the world of styling and what inspired you to pursue this career?
A: In high school, we used to have these young ladies’ professional groups, like an empowerment group, and I used to be the head of the annual fashion shows that we would throw every year. The girls would bring clothes from home, and we would just style outfits for them. I went into undergrad -my degree is in biochemistry and molecular biology – but throughout my four years, I was a part of various styling organisations and even the African Student Union.
We used to have an Africa Night, and there would always be a portion of that night that would be a fashion show, and I was always a stylist for that. After my degree, I was supposed to go to dental school, but I realised that I didn’t have a passion for that at all. I decided to take a chance to see what was available.
I did actually work for about a year in a lab, and I was sure I was not down for this. I thought, ‘If it does not work out, I can always come back.’ It took off from there, and I had really out people who took chances on me – shoutout to a mentor of mine, Aaron Christmon. He really took a chance on me, and I don’t think he understands the impact he has had on my life’s trajectory so far. I interned with him a couple of years ago, and it just kept spiralling into different opportunities in every room I entered. God really did bless me with a lot of amazing people.
(TG Omori at the Headies Awards-styled by Vanessa Efe)
Q: What was your first big break in the industry, and how did it change your career?
A: Back in 2021, after graduation, an opportunity to be in New York came up. Normani, the R&B singer, was performing at the 2022 VMAs, so I was in New York, working on a few things because it was fashion week at the time, and I think the Met as well, so I was out there trying to network, and Aaron let it be known that he needed help.
At that time, he was working with a stylist named Kollin Carter, who was styling Normani for the VMAs performance, and that was my first time at a big award show, backstage working, dressing the dancers, entering a room I didn’t even know I would be in at the beginning of the year. From there, I saw what was possible in the industry. Even now, I don’t think I have touched the surface, but that really planted a seed where I thought, ‘There are huge opportunities that would come from this!’ and it fueled me to this day.
(Dami Hope, styled by Vanessa Efe)
Q: As a member of the African Diaspora, how does that influence your connection to the African fashion industry, and how do you balance global trends with African influences in your work?
A: As a Nigerian who was born and raised in Atlanta, I find it very important for me to be able to mesh both of the worlds, seeing that those are the two worlds that have made me the person that I am today, and I believe that I have been successful in that realm in the past with different clientele.
I have worked with Afrobeat artist Seyi Vibes in the past for his Karma music video, and I put him in these pants by a small Atlanta brand named Sociex Studios. What we were trying to achieve for that video worked very well, and I love that I was able to expose that brand to a big Nigerian artist.
I have also worked with hip-hop artist Latto. I put her in this jacket by a Sierra-Leonean Atlanta designer named Holly Handrow, and so in her Sunday service music video, she wore this Pan-African jacket that was super dope; it was a great element to the video – I think it was different from anything she’s ever worn. I worked on that video with Dunsin Wright, and I believe that we were able to expose that brand to a new audience, and I love that. That definitely encapsulates who I am and the energy that I want to exude as a person who has two worlds of my being.
(Seyi Vibes styled by Vanessa Efe)
Q: What is your favourite part of being a stylist, and what keeps you motivated?
A: Ouu! My favourite part of being a stylist has to be my relationship with my clients. I think it’s less about the clothes and more about how my clients feel at the end of the day. Just being able to have a hand in boosting someone’s self-esteem or their image and how they are portrayed to the public is very fulfilling to me.
What keeps me motivated in my work is definitely God. I pray a lot, and I recommend that. It doesn’t even matter what field you are in, you keep God with you throughout so he guides you, and just making my family proud. I changed the trajectory of my life, and my parents were shaken. I want to be able to prove to them that the decision to change my career goals was worth it, and I believe they have seen the fruit of my labour, so it is motivation and definitely fulfilling.
(Flau’jae styled by Vanessa Efe)
Q: What is it like being a stylist in the African fashion industry? How do you think it’s evolving, and what unique challenges and opportunities have you experienced?
A: Being a stylist in the African fashion industry is to have the upper hand, really, because I feel like it’s easy to tie my background into styling where I feel like I’m a bit more creative, I have more resources, and I understand how to be more of a problem solver because I think that is a big deal, especially as a Nigerian. I think we are just used to having to be very quick on our feet, so styling is more about problem-solving than clothing at the end of the day.
We are in an era where the world is finally seeing Africa for who she is. I think, obviously, because of racism and things of that nature, Africa has been on the back burner, but we are at the stage right now where it is hard to avoid Africans, and I love that for us. I have not had challenges that are out of the norm- I don’t even pray to have any (laughs) – but I am really just taking it one day at a time. I have had plenty of challenges; everything has been a challenge of some sort, but we are overcoming challenges daily.
Also, I’d like to shout out a couple of brands that are breaking into the industry, and I think they’re doing an amazing job. Brands like GVDS, Dye Labs, and Free The Youth are showing a big footprint in the fashion industry right now for Africans.
(Odumodublvck styled by Vanessa Efe)
Q: How do you stay current with fashion trends while maintaining a unique style for your clients?
A: I’m not really a follower of current trends. I’m more of a follower of past trends because fashion is one of those things that evolves but repeats every few years. So, studying what has been done in the past is what I feel helps me as a stylist, and I think my clients understand and appreciate that because it helps them stand out in a world of current trends.
For instance, if we are gonna do Y2K, we will do Y2K to feel like we are in the year 2000 instead of feeling like we are doing Y2K in 2024. It feels more authentic than a costume if that makes sense. It also helps to delve deeper into whatever it is we are trying to achieve.
Q: What advice would you give to someone looking to break into the styling industry?
A: My first advice, and I feel like this is the best advice I can give you, is to pray and ask God for discernment as to whether or not this is where your heart truly lies. I feel like there are many, many ways to break into the fashion industry. You might not want to be a stylist; you might want to be a buyer or a fashion blogger – there are many ways. Strictly for styling, more tangibly, definitely intern.
I believe that personally, there are a few steps that are very necessary to enter into the styling world that my styling peers may or may not agree with, but I have found it very necessary to intern for a couple of years first, assisting a stylist whether as a first or second assistant and that way, you find it easy to get into the lead styling role. You learn things along the way that align you with a strong stylist… it’s not just about having an eye for clothing – you have to figure out how to get the clothing at the end of the day.
So, definitely, for me, the intern to assistant to lead the stylist pipeline is the way to go.
Q: Looking ahead, what goals do you have for your career, and what exciting projects are you working on at the moment?
A: I try not to put too much pressure on myself with goals. Obviously, I have goals in life, but strictly for styling, I try to take the days as they come and appreciate every experience as they present themselves, but I would actually like to do a fashion week run soon. I think that that would be really cool as an experiment, and then I’m currently in Los Angeles and just got off the Born in The Wild tour with Tems, which was super successful – shout out to Dunsin Wright; I am super grateful for this opportunity.
We have a few more things coming up soon, which I’m really excited about. I love working with this team, and I’m really excited about it.