In Galway, designer Chidi Ikegwuruka combines African and European fabrics for a stylishly individual look, writes Fiona McCann
CHIDI IKEGWURUKA is carving out her niche in the Irish fashion scene by combining African prints with European fabrics in a style all her own. The Nigerian-born beauty inherited her interest in clothes from her mother, a seamstress in the Igbo region of eastern Nigeria, with whom she studied as an apprentice. "That's what prompted me to go into fashion," says Ikegwuruka, who says she fell in love with fashion at a young age. She had already been making her own outfits, but her arrival in Ireland two years ago prompted her to develop her fashion skills.
"I came into the country as an asylum seeker, and we were not allowed to do anything apart from voluntary work, so in my leisure time I picked up a sewing machine and continued to do what I knew how to do best," she says.
With time on her hands, she began making outfits for her friends and for herself. "It boosted my ego," she says of the satisfaction she got from designing clothes for others.
Her arrival in Ireland also exposed her to new ideas about clothing that she was excited to incorporate into her work. "Coming to Europe, so many ideas came to me." she recalls. "I started to get the local fabrics - linen and chiffon - and mix them with African fabrics. I made outfits for myself and they came out so well that I decided to go into it full time." The clothes she designs incorporate ideas culled from her native Nigeria, adapting them to European, close-fitting styles. She enjoys mixing the different influences in her outfits, resulting in a blend of styles and textures that sets her look apart from the usual high-street fare.
"I get African fabrics and make a fish skirt, and then I go into the shop and get a black blazer jacket and mix the styles," she says. "Then I wrap my hair in a turban and the whole thing comes out really nice. The kind of comments I get when I wear these outfits have prompted me to do it more and more."
The African fabrics she uses are imported through Ikegwuruka's network of contacts in the African community in Ireland. "I get them from our sisters and brothers who travel to Africa," she says. "When I see anyone going to Africa for a visit, I ask: 'Please could you buy me some fabrics while you're there?' "
She currently makes clothes for those who hear about her through word of mouth, but is eager to expand her business once her situation in Ireland is formalised. Ikegwuruka is hoping to further her fashion education. "I plan to study fashion design full-time," she says.
Her ultimate goal, though, is to have her own fashion house in Ireland. "I want to set up a fashion design house where I can train people myself." For now, those interested in checking out Ikegwuruka's styles can go to the Reap the Runway fashion show which takes place at NUI Galway today at 2pm, where she and fashion critic Susannah Usiebemhen will be showcasing their designs. There'll be a second opportunity to take in their pieces at an open-air community concert taking place as part of the first Spirit of Africa Festival in Eyre Square, Galway, tomorrow at 1pm.
Ikegwuruka can be contacted by e-mail at africandesigns@gmail.com or on 087-7843567, and will design to order. "I'll measure you and ask you what you want, how you want it, what length. I should be able to give you a perfect outfit," she says.