The fashion gameis filled with new clothing lines and designers, with styles and trends thatchange as fast as you can get to the mall.
The challenge isto make your mark and to develop a concept that people will appreciate and wantto wear.
In the spirit ofLevi’s Jeans Company, a young designer, Ife Okwumabua hopes to go beyond thecurrent boundaries of denim.
Using a specialdesign process that involves “crystal paint,” Okwumabua can design anythingfrom your name to sites that describe your city on a pair of jeans.
Designingthrough B2B clothing Company, a small line out of Atlanta, Okwumabua hasdeveloped quite a list of customers since he first started designing a year andhalf ago.
He has designedapparel for Chingy, comedians Scrappy and Shawty and DJ J. Knicks. Okwumabua’swork has also been featured in Neon and the January/February issue of XXLMagazine.
After hisdesigns first caught the eye of a concert promoter in a barbershop in St. Louiswho wanted Okwumabua to design jeans for a local DJ, he has tried to bring hisfashion concepts to Southern.
Okwumabua hopesthat the B2B fashion show during the Springfest Comedy Show will bring thepublic out so he can showcase his talent and aid him in expanding the realms ofwhat people expect from denim.
The next testwill be to have fans connect with his dream.
“My approach tothe design separates me, my concept is to keep art”, Okwumabua said.
Judging from hiscustomers on campus he won’t have a problem.
“I like hisclothes because you can set yourself apart,” said Darnell Parker, an electricalengineering major from Memphis.
After thefashion show, Okwumabua already has plans to design clothes for Lil ‘Jon andother artists.
” I’m trying totake this fashion as far as I can, I feel like this is what I was meant to do.”
