Udy empowering Afrocentric through sustainable style

The fashion world has experienced a drastic and indelible evolution in the 21st century, and it is evident that Africa has played an essential role in this. The rise of African designers continues to create an exceptional and revolutionary wave in the fashion and design industry.

This has led to a surge of exceptionally talented individuals who have not only expressed African culture’s incredible beauty and diversity but also debunked common perceptions of African fashion and style.

Trailblazers are rising, breaking norms and introducing innovations in the fashion industry. One such person is Uduak Enyie, a fashion designer and ex-beauty queen with a raging passion for African clothing and style. Uduak is set to redefine and revamp the world of fashion in the African scene through sustainable fashion.

She adopts recycled materials yet maintains the African heritage and creativity, which is novel and unconventional.

Uduak Enyie – Founder and Creative Director Styles by Udy

Born and raised in the southern part of Nigeria, Uduak’s love for fashion began at a young age, but it intensified when she launched her career as a model. During that season, she found it difficult to get a stylist who would understand her vision for a unique modern African style – she desired something more and pushed herself to create it, not wait for it.

Styles by Udy was born out of a desire to celebrate and preserve African culture while incorporating the contemporary designs using African prints. In her few years of breaking into the fashion world, Uduak has made a noteworthy impact on Nigeria’s contemporary African design and sustainable fashion scene.
She is well known for her mixed-matched creative designs and unconventional fashion collections that express her vision for African fashion, and she has done this whilst meeting the pressing need for sustainable fashion practices within the industry.

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Uduak passionately combines traditional African patterns and textiles with a modern touch, creating costumes and clothing that are both timeless and on-trend. Each piece tells a story, capturing the beauty of African culture and infusing it with modern elegance.

In her journey to redefining African fashion, Uduak has designed costumes and styled clothing for acclaimed fashion shows and Carnivals in Nigeria, such as FADAN, Calabar Carnival, Uyo Fashion Week,and Heritage Fashion Show, which showcases the diversity and richness of African culture and heritage.

Uduak has collaborated with other top brands including, Orange Culture, Elarose, Yetroselane, Clemas Garments, Our Heritage Clothing, and Freak Vault. This has given her significant exposure, but it does not stop there; she has devised an even better and more creative way to present Africa to the world.

Uduak has attracted industry insiders and fashion enthusiasts thanks to her undeniable passion for unique designs. Her strategic partnerships have allowed her to amplify her message to a wider audience across Africa and beyond.

Uduak envisions a future where African fashion becomes more acceptable and is represented on the global runway and stocked by leading luxury brands . Her quest and commitment to fashion is aesthetically pleasing and sustainable, which has helped her pioneer sustainable practices by utilising recycled materials for bespoke costumes.

Uduak realised the negative environmental impact of the fashion world and decided to take a different approach. With this, she has challenged the status quo and set an amiable standard for others in the industry. This is an idea that most Nigerian fashion designers are yet to incorporate in their brand. She transforms discarded fabrics and brings out the beauty in them.

Another outstanding essence of Styles by Udy is the versatility of the collections, combining different African fabrics that embrace the continent’s diversity. This makes the designs a representation of the elements of African culture.

Lagos is popularly known as the fashion hub of Nigeria; however, Uduak, like many fashion designers rising in various parts of the nation, proves that fashion transcends beyond the borders of this metropolis.

Uduak’s styles also foster the appreciation of African culture among non-Africans, instilling a sense of pride among her Africans globally.

As the fashion industry continues to evolve, African designers such as Uduak testify that African designs transcend the traditional wrappers and oversized shirts and trousers. They prove that the power of creativity and innovation in the industry, particularly in Africa, knows no bounds; in fact, only a fraction has been explored.

The mixture of Ankara fabrics, beads, colours, patterns, motifs and silhouettes with modern textiles creates a vibrant and eclectic fusion that has never been explored in fashion history.

These unique designs are not limited to clothing and costumes; they extend to interior designs, bags, footwear, hats, and jewellery.

For Uduak, African fashion creates an opportunity to enlighten the global market and empower African designers and their communities, placing them at the centre stage of the global runway.

Styles by Udy is an emblem of a new wave of revolution in the fashion world, and Uduak is on a mission to set Africa on the global fashion map.