Chimamanda Adichie Reveals Why She Wear Mostly Nigerian Fashion Brands [Video]

Celebrated writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has opened up about why she now chooses to wear mostly Nigerian fashion brands.

Speaking in an interview with YouTuber Shade Samagbeyi, Chimamanda Adichie admitted that in the early years of her career, she deliberately kept her love for style, makeup, and hair under wraps.

She explained that she felt the need to tone down her interest in fashion so she could be taken seriously as a writer.

The writer said, “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.

“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?”

Adichie said she eventually made a conscious decision to embrace her passion openly, hoping it would encourage other women who feel pressured to downplay their interests.

“I was also tired of pretending that I wasn’t interested in fashion, when in fact I was. I’m interested in hair and makeup, so I thought that if I talked about it publicly, other women like me would feel they didn’t have to pretend,” she said.

The 47-year-old novelist added that her decision to wear Nigerian designers was both personal and intentional because it was a way of practicing “fashion nationalism,” using her influence to promote homegrown talent.

She said, “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.

“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.”

Watch the video below:

KanyiDaily recalls that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie recently celebrated the success of her latest novel, “Dream Count”, which rose to the number one spot on Amazon UK just days after its release.