NOTE: Nigeria Fashion Week responds to Vice feature on Nigeria Fashion Week’s alleged “gay fashion scene.”
In behalf of LadybrilleNigeria.com, its affliates and myself as owner, whether people are gay or not within Nigeria’s fashion industry and how they choose to live their personal lives is inconsequential to me or my publication(s). Of significance, however, is the continued pattern and practice of many in the West who are determined to write the African story with the usual negativity. These stories have brainwashed the world and stigmatized an entire continent and its people. In the 21st century this is no longer accepatble.
Further, as an aside, to ignore the contributions that persons within the fashion industry who happen to be gay have made across the globe, would be to ignore what is simply a fact. Nevertheless, to date, I have never seen any Western media call or purport to do a documentary about New York, Milan, Paris, London Fashion Weeks “Gay Fashion Scene.” Nevertheless, that is what happened with Vice Media on African soil.
To get on African soil and attempt to push a political agenda that stains the hard work, resources, time and contributions of all members of Nigeria’s fashion industry professionals is not only of very bad taste; but one that every Nigerian fashion industry professional reading this should be concerned about.
For too long, we have allowed Western media to write and tell our stories. Technology and the digital age has created the democracy needed for us to tell our own stories. Where others try to define or confine us into boxes that they think best fits us, it is our job to challenge, speak out and vehemently, emphatically and firmly oppose/reject such imposed definitions or confinement.
-Uduak Oduok
************
From the producers of Nigeria Fashion Week in response to Vice coverage.
RE: THE GAY FASHION SCENE OF NIGERIA IN THE SEASON FINALE OF VICE’S FASHION WEEK INTERNATIONALE REJOINDER
The above subject matter refers;
Our attention has been drawn to a video documentary produced by the UK based Vice TV using Nigeria Fashion Week as a case study with the intention of giving Nigeria a negative and biased image. We wish to dissociate ourselves from this very untrue portrayal of Nigeria and state categorically that unlike other reputable international media like CNN, REUTERS and others that reported the Nigeria Fashion Week 2011, Vice TV had a malicious and ulterior motive for signifying their interest to come to Nigeria to cover the Nigeria Fashion Week.
Legendary Gold Limited as a vanguard since 1996 in the revolution of the Nigerian fashion industry has continuously used fashion as a veritable platform to promote Nigeria. We reoriented Nigerian designers to look inward to all locally sourced fabrics, accessories and designs in their production line. We reoriented Nigerians to take pride in wearing locally made clothing items. We have taken Nigerian fashion to Paris, Milan, London, New York, Washington DC, Atlanta, Houston, Shanghai, Dubai, Tel Aviv, Stockholm, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Ivory Coast, Senegal just to mention a very few.
The UK based Vice TV was among the international news media that signified their interest to cover the Nigeria Fashion Week 2011. While other international media based their report on the activities of the Nigeria Fashion Week, Vice TV as their name imply ‘Vice’ had an all together different reason for coming to Nigeria. They used the Nigeria Fashion Week as a platform to carry out their possibly long -nursed motives of portraying Nigeria in a bad light.
We do not know the gay person they paraded in the video. He is not directly or indirectly a participant in the Nigeria Fashion Week. Most of the clips in the video were edited out of context in order to achieve their deceitful intentions. The gay tradition is very alien to us; our tradition is very responsible and accepts only normal union between men and women. That we hear today that the ‘same sex’ union is among us is thanks to their country and others. This was further and clearly buttressed by our Senate President, David Mark when he told the western world to keep their aids if it is going to be tied to ‘same sex’ union.
If Vice TV thinks that the negative video report they did on the Nigeria Fashion Week will in anyway encourage’ same sex’ union in Nigeria, they have failed. It is not and it will never be our way of life. Nigeria is an incredibly great country with so much value to add to the rest of the world.
I have decided to comment on this video from Vice TV just to put records straight. Left for me, I would have ignored them because they are not a reputable media organization. If the Nigeria Fashion Week enjoyed very commendable and positive reviews from the World news leaders like CNN, REUTERS and others, who is Vice TV? Their name speaks volumes.
Lexy Mojo Eyes
President/CEO
Nigeria Fashion Week
Founded in 2007, Ladybrille® Magazine is a California based pioneer digital publication demystifying the image of Africans in the west through contemporary African fashion and celebrating the brilliant woman in business and leadership, with an emphasis on the African woman in the diaspora. Our coverage includes stories on capital, access to markets, expertise, hiring and retention, sales, marketing, and promotions.
