The good news is we are still known as OKIKI MARINHO even though MORINHO sounds cute LOL. We were featured in Vanguard Allure Sunday Edition Jan 31st, 2016. Our CEO/Creative director was interviewed and she shared some insight into the brand and its vision. Below are the Questions & Answers for your viewing. Enjoy!!!

1. Who is Okiki Marinho? I am a lady who transitioned from a career in Investment banking, then Oil & Gas before becoming a Fashion designer. I am the owner and creative director of my brand (named after me) overseeing a team who make bespoke clothes and fine handcrafted leather handbags.

2.  How did the brand come about? The brand was officially birthed in 2012 when I decided to pursue fashion as a full time job. I had a desire to become a global player in the business of fashion. To be part of the generation that will make Nigeria great through creativity, hard work, perseverance and consistency.

3. Has fashion always been a flare for you or is it something you just came across? From an early age I had shown a keen interest in fashion and I use to look forward to visiting boutiques with my mum. I was always fascinated by women and their varying taste in clothes and was intrigued by how they paired them with accessories. I will say it has always been a flare for me.

4. What challenges do you face in the fashion industry? The challenges we face range from unreliable power supply, to difficulty in employing the right hands for the job. A lot of the youth do not appreciate the gravity of work that is involved in becoming a successful fashion brand. There is a get rich today via little to no hard work attitude going around.

5. Where do you see the Nigerian Fashion Industry in the next 5 years. In the next 5 years I see the fashion industry contributing an even larger revenue to the economy. I see more brands gaining a strong foothold in the global market. Rather than Pop up shops with department stores we would have fashion houses that will represent the country in a more stable arrangement. I believe we would start styling and dressing up more foreign celebrities at major international award shows.

6. What future projects do you have or hope to achieve? We would be teaming up with a couple of fashion influencers to run a couple of campaigns that will increase brand awareness. We also intend on working on projects that give women a voice to speak out on issues such as infertility by demystifying the contents surrounding it.

7. Can you tell us your signature style? My signature style is the Pleated Wrap Dress. It is very good at concealing areas of the female body that we do not necessarily feel comfortable putting on display.

8. What fashion item is essential to you? A watch.

****9. Quote of the day for our readers? There is a Promise ahead, use Faith & Patience to get there.**** (This was omitted in the article but worth sharing).