Centennial College finds different ways to honour the experiences and achievements of diverse black communities. One way we do so is by amplifying the voices in the community, and letting them tell their stories the way they want to tell them, sometimes in unusual ways.
Omamoke Oyovwi, who goes by Mamo, came to Centennial College from Nigeria and joined our Fashion Business and Management program. He will be showing off his pan-African collection, Otishe, on March 16 at 2 pm at the Event Centre, Centennial College’s student-run restaurant at Progress Campus. Centennial’s Innovation, Inclusion, Reconciliation and Healing (IIRH) department is helping him put it on. Here’s how Mamo got here, and how Otishe came to be.
Filling in the blanks
For Mamo, fashion was literally in his blood, something he was destined to do.
“My parents, they’re fashion designers,” he says. “So, I was born into it. I studied chemistry back in university, but it could not take out the passion in me for fashion.” It wasn’t long before he was designing his own clothing collections, under his own brand, Mamomania. But even then, he realized there were gaps in his knowledge that he sought to fill.
“I've been a fashion designer for more than eight years, and I've been working on the creative part of fashion: sewing, creating designs, drawing patterns, all that,” Mamo says. “But I realized that I was a bit limited. I needed to know more about the fashion business itself, not just the creative part. So I was searching for schools that could accommodate my needs, and I really loved Canada, because of the diversity here. I didn't want to go to any country where I wouldn't be accepted.”
His journey would bring him to Centennial College’s Fashion Business and Management program, providing him with the opportunity to explore the parts of the industry he didn’t know about.
“There were so many things which I’d never really encountered face to face,” he explains. “We went on field trips, went to manufacturing industries, where we’d see different kinds of machines for production, tester-making, fabric-making, dying and more. I was exposed to all that, when back home, I’d just been buying fabrics without really knowing how they were made. But here I was, able to see those things face to face. And it was really exciting for me.”
Creating Otishe
“When I was back home, I’d create collections every year, and always tell a story with the collection,” Mamo says. “Here, I realized that I haven't made a collection for the past two years, and I'd been looking for an opportunity to do that.”
“I heard about Black History Month, and the idea just came to me that I would love to tell a story about black culture and black history through my craft,” he says. “I realized that I could tell the perfect story with the African clothes that I make about the culture, surviving slavery, and resilience and creativity.” And, it turns out, Centennial College would help him make it happen.
“I proposed it to my professor and she was really excited about it. She introduced me to the IIRC,” he says. “They supported me with $2,000 to fund the project.”
Telling a story
“I'm an African designer with an extensive understanding about African culture,” Mamo says about Otishe, a Nigerian word that means “charm and resilience against effective assaults and violence.”
“I'm designing this collection to tell a tale and to celebrate diversity and inclusiveness here in Canada,” he continues, “and to demonstrate how black culture emphasizes equality, wealth and similarities, not distinction. Also, since Canada is a very diverse place, I really want to hold it on Black History Month by creating this collection and also to convey black distinctiveness via materials, craft and patterns.”
“I picked five different African countries and 15 trendy designs,” he explains. “They’re western designs, but with African prints with African fabrics, to tell a story about diversity here at Centennial College, as well.”
The next part of the journey
Outside of getting a chance to tell an important story, putting the show on is going to serve as an important step in Mamo’s career journey.
“This is going to be my first practical operation here in Canada using what I've learned from the school,” he says. “So I believe that expressing my creative side is going to tell a story about my personality to any firm that I apply to.” And as for where he wants to end up?
“As an African designer that has passion for fashion, I really want to explore fashion and contribute to the fashion industry on the global scene,” he says. “I want to learn more about the fashion industries here in Canada, the USA and other western countries. And with the knowledge and experience I gather, I will be able to restructure my brand “Mamomania” and take it to another level.”
The courage to show yourself
“I was really scared to come up with this,” Mamo admits about Otishe, “because this is a new city, but I had to know what I want, and know what is in me.” This is something he wants to pass on to other students: being brave enough to express the creativity inside you.
“You don't have to suppress what you have, you just have to tell the story of what you can do,” he continues. “We have a lot of people out there that are even more talented than I am, but are scared to actually come out with what they have. They don't really get what they want, because they’re scared to maybe tell the world what they are made of. So my advice to them is to just come out with what they have, and express themselves.”
Centennial made it happen
As for the Otishe collection, the final finishing touches are being put on the March 16 show, something Mamo’s grateful to the College for.
“I graduated from university and I've also gone to fashion school for one year,” he says. “And I didn't get this kind of opportunity. Centennial College actually helped me come up with this great idea, and they encouraged me to come up with my best, so I really appreciate that. And that's why I'm happy to be here.”
By: Anthony Geremia