To those who know me and those who don’t, Hi Sweetie! Welcome to a new dispensation.

Your favourite Sweet Girl is back at it again. I’m writing a lifestyle column for a magazine; by all indications, I’m truly living in my Carrie Bradshaw era. If you don’t get this reference, stay tuned to this column, and I’ll tell you all about my Carrie obsession much later as we get to know each other. All you need to know for now is that Carrie is a writer who LOVES love, loves fashion and lives in the bustling city of New York. Everything rings true for me, but in my case, we’re in bitter-sweet Lagos, Nigeria.

Before we get into all the fun stuff, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Eki Ogunbor, and I’m the Lifestyle Editor at Large at THEWILL DOWNTOWN. I’m truly excited to share a piece of my life with you in this little community we’re going to build together, and I’m hoping you’ll join me.

Eki Ogunbor

When I’m not at my little collapsable desk at home, typing out my thoughts or keeping up with pop culture, movies and TV shows, I’m on the streets of the gram (Instagram), sharing highlights of my lovely life with my Instafam and posting photos and videos of various things, like my outfits and “doings” around Lagos such as social events, restaurant dates and a lot of wellness content as well. If I see anything at all that might improve your quality of life, best believe I’m going to share it. But one thing I absolutely love to share (and have been sharing for over 10 years now) is my personal style. Since July 2012, I’ve shared photos and videos of my personal style and fashion choices by way of blogging. It started with my first blog, The Chameleon Blogger website and morphed into my page on Instagram: @ekiogunbor.

With this platform, I’ve had the opportunity to work with many amazing brands like MAC Cosmetics, ATAFO, Andrea Iyamah, Martini, Lancôme, to name a few. I also won an award for fashion writer/Editor of the year in 2018 for my work at BellaNaija Style. I’ve worked in fashion retail at Xclamations (a womenswear brand based in Lagos) and modelled for curvy/plus-size fashion brands like Mabello Clothier. Over the years, I’ve met amazing people and spoken at events like Social Media Week (Africa NXT), The Richer Woman and a few others. KISARA, my fashion brand, was also launched in 2017 and has consistently been present at the Lagos Leather Fair for three years. In May 2023, I launched a platform called FashionVerse Africa to spotlight and celebrate African creatives in fashion, making strides in various industries across the world.

Eki Ogunbor Africa Nxt 2023 BellaNaija Style

I’ve never been fully prepared for any of the opportunities that life has brought my way, but I’ve always been open to the challenges, and I’ve always been committed to doing my best at each phase of my life. And this new phase with THEWILL DOWNTOWN is no exception.

Joining the team, I knew I’d want my first article to be an introduction telling you a little about myself while sharing lessons from my past and hopes for my future. To help with this, I decided to go back to my first Editor’s note in 2017 for the launch of the BellaNaijaStyle.com website, one of my biggest achievements in the world of African fashion today. Talking about how I come up with my outfits and style choices, I wrote;

“The internet, my immediate environment, my African culture and just how I felt on any given day were ingredients that spiced up how I wanted to look, feel and live in my own originality. Which is what I think people really want – to live in their own truth and be accepted.”

Eki Ogunbor Africa Nxt 2023 BellaNaija Style 1

That last sentence is something I still believe today more than ever. We all want to live our truth and be authentic in a way that preserves our joy, but we also crave love and acceptance. As this new year begins, I hope that you see the beauty in yourself, live your truth and, most importantly, love and accept yourself first before craving this from others. And as you start this new journey with me, it is also my prayer that you appreciate my authenticity with this new column and love what I create here. To more money, less problems; cheers to new beginnings in 2024.