Young and In Charge: Ayo Shomoye

     It has been a wonderful few months for the blog and I am grateful to everyone that has made it the success it is growing to be. So when the decision was made to take Young and In Charge national in 2013, the first person that came to mind was Ayo. Ayo has been the biggest supporter of the blog and so I couldn't think of a better way to say thank you and happy birthday (its his birthday today), so I decided to make him the very first national YIC and the last YIC for the year. I hope you would enjoy getting to know Ayo like I did, the interview revealed a lot.
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1   Tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Lateef  Ayoola Shomoye, from Ogun State, a muslim, a graduate of the University of  Lagos, second of three children (all boys), fun lover and friend to all who want to be friends with me…

What was growing up like?

Honestly speaking I cant remember much bout my childhood,cos I was mostly shuttling hospitals and all, but I remember the numerous hangouts I and my cousins had, the various family outings… So I’d say growing for me was fun,till my teenage years sha! When I unleashed the rebel in me :D

Tell us a little about your educational background?

I started out at Ade Akodu Memorial Primary School, Surulere, Lagos before proceeding  to Ansar-ud-deen Nursery and Primary School, Surulere, Lagos because my dad wanted us to imbibe the Islamic culture at an early stage...didnt really turnout the way he planned though so I proceeded to Ansar-ud-deen Grammar School, Randle, Lagos for my secondary education (my rebellious phase). After this, I attended the University of Lagos with the initial plan of getting a degree in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management (IRPM) but ended up with educational administration. I am still on the IRPM matter though

So what is El-kay Clothing Co. all about? What does it mean and how did the name come about?

Erm…well that’s a very long story,but to cut it short sha,the name ‘EL-KAY’ initially had to do with the merging of my name and that of my partner at the time (Lateef and Kenny),yes I know it sounds a bit awkward but at the time that’s what we had to work with.

How did you get into it?

The truth is I‘ve always had a passion for arts and fashion, from drawing different designs at the back of my school books (which I always got punished for) so starting up a clothing line was really easy. But of course with guidiance from my mentors O’shady, Roody Monarch and Omo Naija. For me, unofficially I kicked off in 2003 as a solo designer but professionally we started in 2005 and we’v been kicking it ever since.

Breaking into the Fashion industry, especially in Lagos, must have been very difficult, how did you manage to do that?

Ah! It was really tough difficult oo, we had our downs, but thank God for Unilag and the numerous friends, fellowships and organisations we started out with, they really paved way for us in the industry. I cant recall how many calls we’d receive saying we were recommended by one individual or the other… lets just say it pays to be good

What is your typical day like?

Very very busy.

What do you love most about you what you do?

Erm… designing and meeting new people, cant really figure out which I love the most x_x

What’s been your best work ever?

LOL….for now that’s kind of hard to say because all of my works have equally been good.

What are the difficulties involved?

Lack of adequate fabrics especially when it comes to specific colours, insufficient manpower, PHCN wahala…..the list is endless

If you weren't doing this, what would you have been doing?

Guess I’d still be jobhunting or probably working.

Have you ever felt like giving up on El-kay Clothing Co.?

YES…. A lot of times.

Who or what inspires you?

I get a lot of inspiration from my everyday life, walking around the streets of Lagos,talking to people,listening to music and the likes

Considering the level of success you have attained, youths out there would be itching to know how old you are.

Gehn! Gehn!!...i’m really old ooo, I’ll be 26 on the 31^st of December 2012

Asides work, what do you do for fun?

Hangout with friends or watch movies and series

Advice to youths that wish to follow in your footsteps.

Keep your head up and never give up on that dream.

Where do you see yourself and El-kay Clothing Co. five years from now?

By the grace of God we hope to have gone international, competing with all the key players in the industry.

NB: It's usual practice to have pictures of our YIC and their works, the interview was in progress when i decided to use it for today, the pictures would come a little later. Sorry for the inconveniences caused. Dont forget to wish Ayo a happy birthday.