Three years ago, Sebastian Adepo, a former banker from Lagos, Nigeria, developed ‘Cross Culture Creative,’ an agency which aims to address gaps in global opportunities for African creatives. In an interview with Vogue, she detailed why her mission is, ‘to turn what we see as common interests across the board into mutually rewarding relationships’.
The world of style is rapidly expanding and national and International fashion weeks are bursting up, casting a new light on a range of talent. Sebastian Adepo’s consulting agency, Cross Culture Creative, is an emerging link for Africa’s budding creative talent, helping to secure African artists with funding for their innovative projects and “bridging the interests of corporations that pursue significant foothold in the African market with the artistic ambitions of Africans.”
Her mission
According to Adepo, her mission is reflective of her personal style to ensure that artists were benefiting from this ‘fresh interest’. The 29-year-old global traveller offers an offbeat, neutral style that is a mix of traditional Nigerian wares and Western trends. Her desire, as is with her brand, is to explore the living testament to the boundless potential of global style.
Currently a London-based entrepreneur, she breaks down her vision for the future of fashion in Africa, what pieces she picks up on her continued travels, and why global marketplaces continue to inspire.
“When it comes to design and textiles, African fashion is the most diverse and one of the most superior. Africans possess an innate awareness of style informed by their culture, their traditional attire and the Western fashion industry. We see this in the street style of the youth and in the creations of designers across the continent.”
Africa’s future in fashion is now
“I foresee in the African fashion industry a realization of its prominence, not just as a source of inspiration to countless Western designers, but also as a self-sufficient ecosystem. Along with better-trained designers creating on the continent in well-equipped ateliers, the future of fashion in Africa will be armed with a coordinated pan-African fashion calendar, and robust fashion publications that inform their readership of the value of contemporary African designs. This in turn will raise the profile of African designers, clothing, and models to a status that befits their worth.”
Adepo adds that with intense market research and an established relationships in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and South Africa, she can provide tailored services to private and public sector enterprises that seek to engage with the African market, particularly through the finance and energy sector. By assessing interests and key drivers, her company aims to ensure that short and long term objectives are aligned with the market position.
Drive to social impact through arts and education
For Adepo, “The Art industry in Africa is a nascent and vibrant establishment, one that houses millions of the continent’s most creative and innovative individuals. Education has proven to be the only sustainable means to realizing and maintaining growth in any emerging market. We believe that the private and public sector are at a unique position to positively influence the direction of African development through intelligent business. Our mission is to turn what we see as common interests across the board into mutually rewarding relationships.”
On personal style
“My mother is the person from whom I inherited my instinct for style. Although she’s more of a numbers woman, when it comes to fashion she becomes this meticulous magician both in contemporary ready-to-wear and in our traditional Yoruba attire. Our traditional outfit is comprised of the iro (the wrapper), the buba (the blouse), the gele (the head-tie) and the ipele (the shawl), sewn in the aso oke fabric, a rich woven textile. In assembling this look, my mother never fails to create a celebration of textures, volume, and silhouette. The gele is my favorite component. It’s a head-wrapped crown with which each woman can adequately inject her personality. It’s regal yet edgy, traditional yet contemporary in free-form.”
Adepo further expresses that, “It’s hard to take a piece of Nigerian traditional attire and disconnect it from the entire look, but if done, there’d be so much to play with. It’s an education. What observing style while traveling has taught me is that I will always favour loose fitting silhouettes over body-con as part of my androgynous style identity, and that colour is not to be feared.
“I really admire the designs of Duro Olowu, who layers prints beautifully. His collections are always very feminine, occasionally dramatic, yet contemporary enough for the modern woman. Ozwald Boateng is another African designer I admire. His tailoring is impeccable, and since I love menswear on women, I can imagine the plethora of ways in which his jackets could be worn over anything, from skinny jeans to a chiffon dress.”
When it comes to packing essentials she detailed that, “I’m the worst packer, and very last-minute, if I might add. But I always pack my Comme des Garçons Converse, my black Proenza Schouler tailored trousers, and two oversize shirts (one is always white). This year, my travel souvenirs were mostly food: charcuterie from Mallorca, Frisino olive oil and Varvaglione primitivo from Palagiano, taralli from Massafra, and Carasau bread from Sardinia. In terms of fashion souvenirs, my favourites acquired in the last few years are a beaded geometric necklace from Oaxaca in primary and secondary colours that lays flat against the collar bone; a purple Longyi, the traditional wrap dress from Burma, that I purchased in 2013; a gray lamb’s wool cardigan that I bought from Oslo a year ago; and finally my favourite vintage jacket—a bold red Yves Saint Laurent Le Smoking with black velvet lapels that I stumbled upon in New York’s East Village.”
The Global Market Space Is the Place
Given her education in the Arts at the Sorbonne and Sotheby’s, Adepo aims to infuse a deep passion for African artistry into her work on social impact. “Markets inspire me very much. Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is one of my favourites. When you’re surrounded by so many hues and textures in metal and in fabric, you feel like you’ve stepped back into the Age of Exploration. What I find curiously interesting is how similar the vocabulary of these markets are across the globe: from Nairobi to Lagos, to Bogotá, to Marrakech, to Mexico City the labour of craftsmanship herein produces this interactive dance between the merchant and the buyer. But the colours are always the same. Beyond trends, this is what inspires and comforts me.”
With contributions from crossculturecreative.com