As far as fashion is concerned, Omashola Kola Oburoh and Ifu Ennada made history on the 14th of March 2020. The BBNaija stars shocked fans and colleagues with their AMVCA 2020 outfits. Initially, some Nigerians, saw it as “awkward” because there were only two cases of coronavirus in the country at the time. But a few weeks later with 40 official cases and one death recorded and growing fears of more unknown cases, they began to appreciate their style on that occasion.
The two celebrities who had their outfits designed by celebrity stylist, Toyin Lawani, set social media on fire. Some hailed them, while some didn’t have nice things to say about their outfit. For instance, a style writer at The Guardian Newspaper, who should have known better, in her piece about the event, wrote that Omashola was the “worst dressed celebrity.” Well everyone is entitled to his or her opinion. But the writer was in a hurry to make a report and didn’t take time to think about it. Anyone who truly understands fashion would know that time inspires style. Fashion simply means a popular or the latest style of clothing, decoration, hair or behavior. And what was the latest fashion around the world when Omashola Ennada wore that outfit? Nose mask! It’s clearly as a result of covid-19 which has claimed thousands of lives. As at the time you are reading this piece, there are over 82.7 million cases worldwide with 1.81 million deaths.
To real fashion enthusiasts they were simply the best. This is a virus that has temporarily stopped Muslims from going to the mosque and Christians from going to the church. It has redefined our way of life and fashion isn’t left out.
While his AMVCA outfit passed a message, he himself gave reason behind it. Sharing pictures of his AMVCA outfit on his Instagram page @Sholzy23, he wrote:
“Corona stay da f@#k away. Fashion can also be a protest/educative not just a statement. Let’s join hands to fight Covid19.”
Ifu Ennada said, “Everything I do is always out there in the public. I’m trying to educate people. To inspire them to stay cautious and stay safe.”
It was symbolic and the timing was perfect. Fashion and symbolism go hand in hand. It’s like bread and butter. On a normal day, they wouldn’t have dressed that way. But given the circumstance, there can’t be a bigger fashion statement.
You can express yourself by what you wear. What he wore was a reminder of the time. A time Nigerians didn’t take the coronavirus seriously. I think they deserve some accolades.
