pagesbyike 6/27/16 pagesbyike 6/27/16

6 Reasons You Should Read Men's Magazines (if you are a woman)

I like reading Ed's magazines because they are very testosterone-y and steely! The general misconception is that they only ever talk about bicep curls, energy bars, cars and girls...which is a little true but you'd be amazed at the great life-hacks you'd find in those glossy minimalist dude-pages. It's definitely less pink and has fewer photographs of handbags (which I find a little underwhelming) but hey. Here are 5 reasons to read guy-magazines:

1. Great gift ideas

Men's magazines are a great resource for gift-ideas for your guy! No easier way to spot trending merchandise than flipping through the pages of a Men's magazine. They have fragrance tabs as well, just like ours, so you can sniff before you buy. Right, it's settled, no more plaid handkerchiefs for his birthday, maybe a 2017 Mercedes C300?

2. Ridiculously easy recipes

While we get those "marinade the plump chicken breast for about 48 hours" type recipes, men get the easiest recipes! A girl needs quick, basic and yummy sometimes. Not every time, ofada stew

3. Jolting inspiration

Get some inspiration from a boy-boss! I just read about a 72 year-old man who climbed Everest, had a heart attack and then ran 7 marathons! Seriously! I'm so going to out-cardio everyone at the gym today.

4. Keeps you in the slang-loop

I was completely done reading an article, when I realized that the word "staff" is used to refer to masculine genies! I did not know that! I was actually wondering why they kept using the word in odd places. Suddenly, when the manager says, "I'd like you to meet the staff", it will be a little weird. Thanks a lot, Men's magazine.

5. Learn new tricks

Apparently, men talk about sex a lot, but you knew that already. Splayed all over the pages are personal accounts, experiences and quite "interesting" stories which could help your sex life (or not) depending on how to like to roll (or not roll). There's probably something in there for everyone though. Choose and pick.

6. Eye Candy (for the single ladies)

What can I say? It also smells like your next boyfriend (fragrance tabs).

Do you read Men's magazines or blogs? Which are your favorite? Who was the last person that inspired you?

pagesbyike 2/14/16 pagesbyike 2/14/16

PGI Feature: Men's Style by Deji Eniola

I met Deji within the first few hours of NYSC camp (you guys have no idea how much treasure i found on those camp grounds- no idea). We were on this ridiculous registration queue from noon until 9pm standing in the sun and then the moon! At about 8.55pm, it began to rain, most people ran for shelter and deserted the ridiculous queue. I looked to my right, saw a plastic chair and lifted it above my head as my make-shift umbrella; to my left was this guy who had grabbed a chair too. We were not kidding here, we were going to be registered no matter what- rain, volcano, avalanche. We stood there and instantly, i knew we'd be friends. He struck me as irrationally resilient and brilliantly resourceful; the perfect fuses for being an entrepreneur! Deji Eniola Osinulu, is the Creative Director of the Nigerian-based Men's bespoke fashion label- Deji Eniola. His brand is frequently sighted on the red carpet, and featured in the 2015 Lagos Fashion and Design Week last October. He has styled some of our favorite celebrities such as TuFace Idibia, M.I Abaga, Christopher Attoh, Dj Spinall, Gideon Okeke.

Here he is; the man behind DE:

Deji, what do you love the most about what you do?

The ability to birth forms and the grace to make something out of nothing

How did you know it had to be fashion?

It was the only thing that didn’t seem it would leave me if every other thing that could leave left. It felt like my ‘Ruth’. It was that thing that puts me in my zone. It was my element. Imagine Kanye telling you “Don’t let me get into my zone” …because there will be no respite for any lyricist challenger against him. *LoL*

How did you learn to design and sew?

Designing is innate for me. It is the only thing I didn’t learn, I definitely had to hone the skill though. However, you know when they say a writer needs to write all the bad stuff out of her system first before getting to the good part? Yeah, I had to design all the ‘rubbish’ out of me first. *Laughs* Then it got to the good part.

With sewing, I took tailoring classes twice actually, once, during my last year in college and also during my NYSC service year on weekends. I started with female outfits. Surprise!

What's your most creative period of the day?

Mornings mostly, probably because i'm still calm enough to be in tune with my mind and spirit. I get ideas and themes at other times of the day too but I find that mornings are most frequent

What's the most unusual inspiration you've ever had?

Colour block! Before the craze started, those words literally floated into my mind. I didn’t understand it to the extent of implementing it. Months later, “colour blocking” swarmed the catwalks and filled the magazine pages.

What’s your creative space like?

I guess by that, you'd be referring to my flat. My studio is quite comfy, and well laid out. I have tried to avoid clutter to give the illusion of more space than it actually has. My bedroom seems to have me more when it comes to designing.

If you could, what would you change about the world of fashion?

Vanity- but on second thought, I'd rather leave it alone, because it forms the basic foundation of the existence and advancement of fashion, although, the indistinct borderline between ‘necessary’ vanity and ‘absurd’ vanity seems to have faded, the inability to define this borderline, is the ample reason why it should just be left alone. There is a saying “Kill all my demons and my Angels might die too”

The most stressful thing about getting a bespoke service is the wait time! How long does it take you to complete a suit?

It takes an average of 21 working days for our half canvassed suits and much longer for the fully canvassed ones. Waiting is an inherent feature of bespoke. You honestly can't rush the process.

Who are your most admired local (and foreign) designers?

I like the Okunoren twins, I like their story and that they have journied on roads that we now tread. I like Paul Smith for starting his business with just 600GBP and also Ozwald Boateng, for being the first designer (to the best of my knowledge) to lend an African identity to a British heritage.

Your most important work equipment?

My eyes! *Laughs*

After all has been done, from design concept to design execution, what determines if it will make the shelves or hit the runway is its appeal! Beauty doesn’t need a second opinion to know if it’s pleasing or not. I stand back and look at it and immediately I know if it will make it or not.

The most challenging part of designing?

Designing for another! To design for someone else, you have to become him, you have to think like him, you have to know what he likes to do, his preferences and tastes. All that factors into the creative process.

What do you love the most about Lagos?

The beauty in its chaos!

What app do you use the most on your phone?

Instagram

What's your favorite game?

Grand Theft Auto, Baby!

Your first thought in the morning?

God. And then more God!

The most alarming incident you've seen on Ikorodu road?

I saw a Toyota Highlander burning right there on the express with no one trying to quench the fire. It just got charred and everyone continued their day!

Lagos Traffic survival kit?

If I'm driving; a chilled bottle of coke, (partly iced), music, air conditioning and interesting company. If I'm not driving-a book.

Can you cook?

Yes, I can. I find pleasure in cooking.

Alright then, what's your most exquisite Deji Eniola-made dish?

Haha, see trap! Well, remove the word “exquisite". That word might be a little tricky! *Laughs* It'll have to be noodles!

Four things i learnt!

1. "Beauty doesn't need a second opinion..."

2. Understand your industry and what makes it tick!

3. "Write out all the rubbish" and then GOLD!

4. Deji came up with Colour block! What?! If he told me then, we would be gazzilionaires right now! Thanks alot, man.

Thank you, Deji for being PGI's February feature! Below are photos from the Deji Eniola Spring collection as seen at the Lagos Fashion and Design Week! Enjoy!

If you are planning your wedding and bae and the groomsmen intend to buy their suits the day before the wedding like most men do, Lol; tell them to check DE out! They can't go wrong!

Contact

Email: de.bespoke@yahoo.com

Phone: +2348169282829

Follow on IG @dejieniola

pagesbyike 11/23/15 pagesbyike 11/23/15

PGI's November Girl: Laju

One toasty warm Saturday afternoon in Lagos and by contrast a windy fall day in Madison, i had the awesome pleasure of chatting with the beautiful and talented Utseoritselaju Omagbitse Joanne (popularly known as Laju) via FaceTime. We have no photos from this event because we both were in Saturday-chill-mode. Pardon us.

Laju is a successful Lagos-based artist who has been sketching and painting for as long as she can remember. Last September, she had her first art exhibition themed: "Woman in Bloom" along with other artists who were involved in this event, which sought to contribute to the discussion on the process of self-actualization for the woman in a typically patriarchal society. It's wonderful knowing people who use their talent and passion to develop and improve their community. It's what we all strive to do. It's what we are all made for.

Let's meet Laju!

Hey, Laju! What's "Laju" short for and what does it mean?

Utseoritselaju which means the work of the Lord is too great

Where are you from?

Warri, Delta State, Nigeria

What is your morning app sequence?

Hmm… Instagram, WhatsApp or iMessage…. Instagram…again.. *laughs*

What do you do?

I'm a banker with Heritage Bank

Describe your art?

My art is mostly acrylics on canvas. I started with charcoal but then again, i love color! Right now though, i paint acrylics on canvas.

Acrylic paintings dry fast and that works for me. Oil paint is beautiful but I'm not that patient. *laughs* I'm thinking about working with charcoal and acrylics.

I work with female subjects, i find them easy to relate to and for now, African females because the color of our skin is just beautiful in real life and on canvas!

How and when did you start painting?

I actually started very young. I remember in primary school, I’d draw match-stick people, then they evolved into box-like images. I was always fascinated by the cartoon images I saw on TV, and wondered why I couldn’t make my drawings look like the cartoons, so i'd trace directly from the TV or from Archie comic books. That really helped. And of course, my art teacher in college, class mates and even family recognized my talent and kept urging me to do better. Over time, I’ve nurtured this skill and improved on my style and techniques

Most interesting muse?

I’d say female mannequins. I fell in love with them recently; the fragility of their posture amazes me. They've opened my mind up to a thousand ideas. Hopefully you’ll get to see what I come up with in my future artworks

What does your creative work space look like?

*laughs* That’s funny because my work space is my bed and the floor of my room…. That’s where the magic happens. Haha. To answer your question, Newpapers on the floor of my bedroom.

What do you do when you have a creative block?

I just stay away from trying to paint or sketch, because the more I try, the more I end up making everything worse…which is deeply depressing, although, sometimes I go online and view thousands of images related to the ideas I had in my head, to come up with something unique. *laughs*. Apart from these two, I just lay in my bed and stare at my ceiling.

But on a more serious note though , what works most times is staying away completely, it helps me cool off and also gives me a different perspective on my work

What are your creative work must-haves?

An old piece of cloth to clean my brushes, my iPad/phone to refer to my saved ideas or the internet for clarification (when I get stuck)

Longest & Shortest time taken to complete a work

Longest, 1 month; Shortest, 4 hours

Default nail polish color

I usually don’t paint my nails *covers face* but if i had to choose, nude or purple

Who is(are) your greatest support system?

Family and close friends. They make me believe in myself

What song describes you at 5.30am?

Don’t wake me up by Chris Brown

I'm more of a 6am person

Quirkiest thing about you?

I like to sleep with the lights on. When I wake up in the middle of the night and there isn't power, I turn on the flashlight of my phone and fall asleep

Favorite cake flavor?

Red velvet

Favorite artist

Joseph Eze, Sara Golish, Nelson Makamo

Most frequent Lagos-traffic purchase?

Plantain chips, Super Yogo! *laughs*