Hi Folks,
This weekend was a great experience for me; I couldn’t keep up with all the events on my schedule as time didn’t permit. It was a dilemma deciding which event to choose over which besides the time factor.
Prince Sam Anwuzia of ZAFAA Global Awards had called me weeks back to invite me for the his class’ reunion slated for Saturday 29th June, on one side Abim Anifalaje had invited me for his mum’s exclusive birthday party. Oby Okeke of Robert Taylor Media had also sent me an invite for the launch of Payporte’s offline store; tagged “The Grandiose Return”.
So Saturday 29th June, 2019 came, I had to go on radio to stand in for a friend who could not be show up for her program; it was two hours of Yoruba magazine to discuss pressing issues.
Finally, I decided to start the partying with the Payporte offline store; why the preference for Payporte, you may ask? Bassey Eyo the CEO of Payporte.com Nigeria’s fastest growing online fashion retail store happens to be an old friend. We’d attended the same university, Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomoso; Bassey’s amiable nature had endured a number of us to him such that even after our university days, keeping a tab on him was an easy task.
It was not so easy to locate the venue despite the use of maps; I somehow couldn’t get round following the directions to the latter. Joseph Bolade didn’t find it easy either; Joseph had joined me to make the experience easier for me. We perambulated the axis for more than one hour before we put a call through to Oby who promptly sent a more detailed description. The take away from this travel experience was that one should pay attention to details always and follow your gut always.
We arrived shortly after the press conference and just in time to catch the runway show. I looked around to in search of Bassey and Oby, my hosts. I found Bassey being interviewed and spent a while to listen.
A few yards away, I saw Oby, work showing all over her. It was our first physical meeting after many telephone conversations. Despite how busy she was, she gave me the required attention and we talked about everything from the event to the industry in general.
There were beautiful people everywhere, models and celebrities from the entertainment and fashion industry. Fashion stylist, Kanyinsola Latinwo; fashion icon, Noble Igwe; Uti Nwachukwu and Munirat Antoinette Lecky a.k.a Anto of Big Brother Naija fame; Maurice, Talent Manager; Mary Ekah from ThisDay; Christie Anyanwu from The Sun and a bunch of beautiful people too numerous to name here.
The high point came when the models hit the runway to showcase fashion pieces from the store. The pieces were mostly casual wears ranging from shirts, shorts, pants and beach wears.
The evening was brought to a close with an after party held at The Shaunz Karaoke bar and Dance right next to the store. There was good music and plenty of food to eat.
I put a call through to Prince Sam Anwuzia to see if I could still catch up with him at Lagos Secondary Commercial Academy class of ’79 reunion get together but the day was far spent and the party was over.
Monday, many were not able to go about their businesses as usual; for those of us who are die-hard movers, we still hit the road only to be held down a little by the rains. Driving in the rain can be a big deal; if the rain gets too heavy, it is advisable to pull over at a safe place till the rain subsides and if you drive a low car please avoid flooded terrains to prevent water from getting into your engine.
Please remember to make somebody smile today even as you manage through the rainy weather.
Sincerely,
Ilupeju B