MODU DESIGNS: PROUDLY NIGERIAN AND TRUELY AFRICAN

Modupe Idowu, CEO modu, is one engaging beautiful shrewd business artist, whose brand stand at the MTN Lagos Fashion and Design week was a people favorite. A graduate of the OSC training institute, Modupe young brand aptly named MODU is guaranteed to break fashion records, with her fab designs, which she insist is proudly Nigerian.

My name is Modupe Idowu, I own a t-shirt design line called Modu, they are hand printed afro-centric t-shirts embellished with crystals so the brand just tries to promote everything Nigerian and African. We travel aboard and see people wearing, I love New York or I love Paris. I want Africa to also have a sense of pride in their fashion 

 WHAT INSPIRES YOUR DESIGNS?

My tee shirts are inspired by modern and historic trends, for instance, how women used to go to market with basket on their heads. I just try to make it look as catchy and contemporary as possible on my tee, while been proudly Nigerian. So our clothing is proudly Nigerian and truly African. I am inspired by paintings, people going about their daily activities. There is a particular painting I have that was inspired by a client who told me she was from somewhere in Jos, and that in the past, the women used to carry heavy loads on their shoulder with plank and she showed me a picture of it and boom I was inspired. I adapted it and designed a tee with it.

HOW OLD IS YOUR BRAND?

I actually just started, the brand is about six month old, and I got this wonderful opportunity because I went to OSC training institute. They teach us to sew, to bead, to paint on fabric and all sorts of things. I fell in love or am talented in drawing so, I decided to channel my love for drawing into fashion.

 WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO RETRICT YOUR DESIGNS TO NIGERIA MODERN/HISTORIC ART FORMS?

 

When I started, my first painting on a tee shirt wasn’t anything Africa, but I thought to myself, “this is something I haven’t seen before". I wanted to be different/unique and I was aware with the current bloom in the Nigerian fashion industry, there still weren’t any hand printed afro-centric or agro-graffiti t-shirts, though I have see African t-shirts, where pieces of Ankara is used for embellishment.

 

HOW HAS THE RECEPTION BEEN SO FAR?

 

Oh yes! The reception has been quite favorable; I actually have a few bestsellers, because people relate to some of these drawings. For instance, the one am wearing now, is called "Owanbe party" and for sometime time now, it has become fashionable trendy in Nigeria to wear the vintage short version of the "Ero and Buba" so the embellished crystal painting on my t-shirt right now, is of three ladies going for a party, all decked up in their trendy "Oleku" outfits. Also I have some designs, that go back to the Nigerian 70s art, for instance, the Festac 77 masks. I have a couple of designs inspired by that era. There are some designs called "market day" , portraying those days past, where there were specific times assigned when, everyone would gather and sell/batter their wares and fares.

 

 

HOW AFFORADABLE ARE YOUR T.SHIRT?

 

I try to make my brand as affordable as possible, but the cost of a top grade t-shirt also affects and could drive the price higher. Still, my clothing ranges from 3500 naira to 5oo0 naira.

 HOW CAN ONE REACH AND BUY YOUR BRAND?

For now, my brand is mobile. You can reach me on my website www.modu.com.ng , you can reach me on my email adupsin@yahoo.com OR CALL 08120444140. I deliver to anywhere in Lagos within 24hrs and other states within Nigeria with specified time.