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I work as a  Fashion Consultant.. This for me, sort of spans through being a: Stylist (Personal/Editorial and Advertorial Stylist), Retailer (Zinkata), Consultant/Creative Director for companies and design houses and running and contributing to this website (Zinkata.com).It is a bit of a lot to take on and I struggle on the daily to stay on top of tasks and keep focused.

In my humble opinion, this is what it takes to work as a Fashion Consultant in Lagos.

Define the Scope of your career:  Fashion Consulting spans a wide scope.. You have to decide what areas interests you, what you feel a natural propensity towards, what you want to be defined by, where you want to make a difference.. and chart your directions and actions towards this/it.

Something I do quite often is write out a list of my goals.. look at them really hard and decide on what actions should be slowly but steadily carried out to ensure I am well in the path..What is your goal as a Fashion Consultant? How do you achieve it? What do you do everyday to move on in this??

Early Starts

I wake-up quite early.. Super early most of the day.. I am up for 5.30 at the latest on an ideal day.. My outfit for the day sometimes is pre-planned..depending on how much of an organised week I am having. Sometimes, it suddenly feels wrong and I change my outfit to what my spirit feels like on that day.I usually stop by church for 30mins in the mornings.. It sort of centres me and refreshes me and sort of prepares me for the daily struggles of the day. Lagos is tough..you have to stay positive and upbeat for things to move in the right direction..

I have also learnt that I am at my most creative when my brain is alert and fresh..Early starts also helps with the tough Lagos traffic!!

Consistency

I absolutely love writing and interacting with Zinkata.com readers.. It serves as a great source of self-expression, interaction, bonding with readers, entertaining them and most importantly inspiring them through fashion and articles.. The focus for me here is inspiring women positively, fostering great minds and some sort of female emancipation, entertainment and promoting good feelings…

I try my hardest not to compare my content to that of  the millions of websites out there.. I read other contents from time to time, but I also try to keep mine original and true to the direction I have decided to take. I have also learnt to embrace Nigeria and make the environment and situations work for me.. *Authenticity..

It is challenging.. We have slow internet sometimes, it is getting much better, tough to come up daily with content and keeping it consistent..

You have to keep at it regardless of the challenges.. It takes a dedicated mind and a tenacious spirit..You can do it and so it must be done!Some days, I don’t feel so motivated, the key is to keep putting out content irrespective of how I feel. It may not always be the most impassioned piece, the best outfit or the catchiest phrase..but still it is something..and it  keeps you connected to your readers..

..as well as making sure I am consistently on top of all my other commitments..DO NOT STOP..KEEP MOVING 

Multi-task

My job has many facets.. I must have the ability to multitask..To a great deal. To be on top of the different parts of the job. The goal is to have more staff and people to help out with most of this.. I am slowly building this, but still I have to stay on top of it all and give each different section my attention.. or else it suffers.. You have to master the art of juggling seamlessly..

Education and Research

It is quite a good idea to take as many courses as you can in the areas of fashion you are working in..Keep empowering your mind and harnessing your skills.Keep abreast of what’s going on in the fashion scene in Nigeria, Africa and Globally.For styling and retail duties, you have to have your eyes on what is happening the industry constantly..

An eye on the new lookbooks, what hot designer is doing new things, what pieces would potentially be great for your clients/store or be a great look for an editorial.Read the blogs, fashion magazines and trawl the Social media outlets as often as you can…

I have also come to realise that this can be quite addictive and eat into your productive time.. You would have to do this wisely while sticking to your tasks at hand.

Building Relationships

This is very important. To work effectively as a fashion consultant in Lagos/Nigeria.. You have to build or form a good working relationship with stylists,Editors,PR, Designer/store owners, photographers, models etc. Treat people with respect and dignity.. Build a good reputation and be sure to show your support as much as you can. You have to master the art of “NETWORKING” effectively..

Courage

Working as a Fashion Consultant in Lagos takes a lot of courage and believing in oneself..The creative industry is till in its infancy.. The job roles are still developing and people do not necessarily understand what it means or what it takes.. There can be quite a bit of  generalisation and negativity and you have to be strong and stand within your convictions .. You can’t let the noise deter you!

A love for your culture

To excel as a Fashion Consultant in Lagos, you have to actually have a passion for the country.. Love the people, love our culture and be excited to project it as much as you can.. That way, you are authentically who you are and you can connect with the people and it rings true.. If you keep looking at Nigeria with a distasteful and condescending eye, it would be a bit tough to soar and revel in it..

… and for todays OUTFIT OF THE DAY.. PLEASE SEE PHOTOS BELOW…READ THE CAPTIONS PLEASE

Working as your own boss in the creative industry can be quite tough.. Tough because you have all the time to yourself and it is quite easy to faff around and not utilise your time right.. I try to avoid this by having a to-do list a day before and making sure that I at least go through most of the list before the end of the day.

Stay blessed and keep positive!

Ezinne Chinkata