World-renowned, award-winning author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has opened up on why she chooses to wear mostly Nigerian fashion brands, describing it as both a personal and intentional decision.
In an interview with Shade Samagbeyi, the celebrated writer admitted that earlier in her career, she downplayed her love for fashion, hair, and makeup because she felt pressured to be seen as “serious.”
“For some people, liking fashion means you’re not a serious person. So I went through a period of pretending because I wanted to be taken seriously as a writer,” Chimamanda revealed.
She explained that embracing her passion for fashion publicly was a way to empower women in intellectual and political spaces who also love style but feel the need to hide it.
“Part of the reason I started talking about fashion is because many women who are into politics, who have ideas, also like fashion. Why should we pretend?” she asked.
On her decision to champion Nigerian fashion, the 47-year-old said it was a deliberate form of what she calls “fashion nationalism.”
“Choosing to wear mostly Nigerian brands, which I started doing a number of years ago, was something I did intentionally. For me, it is a kind of fashion nationalism,” she explained.
She further disclosed that despite having access to international luxury brands, she prefers to use her platform to showcase homegrown talent.
“I’m fortunate to have this platform, and I’ve gotten to a point where foreign designers would send me clothes. So I thought it was a great opportunity to start wearing Nigerian brands. It’s just a subtle way of showing up for my people,” she said.
