By Christy Anyanwu
The works of Nigerian fashion design titan, Shade Thomas-Fahm, transcend national borders. She could be described as a living legend of the fashion design world. For over 40 years, her fashion creations were showcased internationally, giving her global recognition as a frontline designer in Nigeria. Her designs beautifully incorporated traditional Nigerian textiles like Aso Oke and Ankara, blending them with contemporary styles. She and Lai the Tailor (Layiwola Olumegbon) started the Department of Fashion at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos.
Also, she and a few other fashion designers founded the association now widely known as the Fashion Designers’ Association of Nigerian (FADAN) in her sitting room in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Thomas-Fahm, who clocks 91 tomorrow, (September 22) she took Saturday Sun through the memories and milestones of her lifetime. Her passion in fashion was evident as she vividly retold the circumstances and personalities that birthed the fashion designers’ association: Apostle Folorunso Alakija, Toni Tones, Layiwola Olumegbon, Abba Folawiyo, Patsie Agbakwu and Coker.
In this interview, she also talked about growing up as well as her high and low moments, among other issues.
In 91 years, what lessons have you learnt about life?
The lesson I have learnt about life is, first of all, you have to believe in yourself. You really have to be convinced that you want to do that thing. No half measures. Let’s face it, even up till now, you have friends but not many of them want you to succeed. Not because they don’t want you to succeed per se, but because they would have liked to be in that position instead. If you really want to do something and you really believe in it, go ahead. Maybe your parents might support you but, usually, close friends would like to be the ones doing what you want to do. It is a natural feeling. That is why, most of the time, they dissuade you. I don’t listen to them. I have never. If I want to do something and I believe in it, I go ahead and face it. I don’t listen to them. For instance, when I became a Rotarian, as a president, you have to have your plan and you say it in front of a whole gathering. As the incoming president, you tell them what you intend to put in during your tenure, and I remember myself telling them about dialysis. Why did I talk about dialysis? This is a fact.
Two days or a day before, I saw the picture of a little boy needing dialysis and they said they needed N10 million to get the boy a kidney. How would the parents get N10 million to save the boy? The next day or two days after, I was at a Rotary convention for the incoming presidents. Even though I was really afraid when everyone was saying what they intended to do, when it came to my turn, I said ‘dialysis.’ When I said it, I saw the look on their faces, and I thought I had said the wrong thing. But today, many years later, the dialysis machine is still there at the General Hospital, Lagos Island, with the names of those who contributed. Dangote gave me about N150 million and all my friends contributed N1 million each. All their names are there in marble. Anytime you visit the hospital, check it out.
What has life been like all these years for you?
It has been a full life. It has ups and downs but with many activities. I would say, exciting, disappointing, very fruitful, ups and downs but, luckily, I have always overcome it because I wanted to. Earlier on, it was envy from some women, but I survived. As a matter of fact, I put most of those things behind me and go ahead because I am meant to survive. I have never allowed anybody to pull me down even though I went through quite a lot.
Also, God has made it possible for me to do my best. I came back from abroad in 1960. I put the idea to women that they should use the local fabrics, instead of those imported things. What I believe in is that, if you want to do something, you do it, and I put in my own contributions. I was doing fashion shows and, as a matter of fact, it was mostly for charity. Again, the fashion show was a contribution to the society and the underprivileged.
In our time, it was COVID that reshaped and disrupted the world. What were some of the landmark events you witnessed growing up that defined your time?
I think I would be around eight to nine years old then. In this country, we had no food, there was famine and we were all using millet. I remember that most people didn’t remember or know you had to cook millet a little longer than garri. So we were all going to the toilet after eating it. We were using it as eba, instead of garri.
I remember there was a storm that brought down an electric pole and a lot of people died, especially the young ones. At that time, the electric poles were surface-standing, not now that the electric poles are under the ground, and were mostly heavy wood and wires. When that storm happened, and it was very heavy, I remember we were in school and we had to run back home.
How was life growing up?
Back then, we had a communal life. We used to go to school, and when we came back we had our parents in front of us. We all ate together. We had an upbringing that each one of us must grind the pepper per meal in a day. Though the wives (iyawo ile) would try and help you but, sometimes, if they helped you and my mother saw you, she wouldn’t even say anything; it’s only when you were going to eat that your own stew would be less and when you complained she would say, were you the one that ground the pepper? So, if an iyawo ile wanted to help you, you would refuse. We had mortar and pepper grinding stone to do all that. There was no grinder that time. We were using the stone to grind.
As a matter of fact, in our house, most things were said or done in proverbs. If you were doing something wrong, my mother would tell you the consequences. They could call us ara oke, because our parents came from Oyo. They called us Akinmorin, that’s where our parents came from. They settled here; we were all born here.
You still have energy and your voice is still loud at your age. What keeps you strong? What’s the secret?
I think it is God. I am a weakling, really. I call myself a weakling because God’s guidance has been there. I have fallen twice or three times but God has been so wonderful I have never knocked my head. My knee is just it and it is my family’s trait; nearly all of us in the family have it. The knee, it can collapse. It doesn’t matter how much of a hurry. I thank God something at the back of my head said you just stop it. The knee issue started not up to one year now whereby I now use a stick. I thank the good Lord but I have to be very careful. I still try to put in an effort. I still climb my stairs up and down because a friend said I should try and keep it up, climbing up and down the stairs. To God be the glory, my brain is still intact. I can remember my childhood days. My brain is still sharp. I do remember so clearly. Now, it was a dull life but full of interesting things and you keep on moving.
Tell us about life as fashion designer…
In my college, I told them I am coming back to Nigeria to design in my traditional fabric. When I was modelling in England, I modelled for motorcycles that they were taking to Africa.
I just didn’t become a fashion designer. I did not get into it just like that. I went to study about fashion and when they taught us about fashion, they started with anatomy of the body. You learn the anatomy of a body. If you look at yourself, there’s a line and it doesn’t matter whether you are black or white, that line is there that divides you into two. That’s how we learnt fashion. We were taught about the movement of the body, before you learnt about what to drape on that body.
When you arrived in Nigeria from the UK to study fashion in 1960, what did you meet?
When I came back, I was walking all around the place looking for a shop or somewhere to put my factory because I had shipped my machines and all the gadgets, including the figure that we learnt in school. I brought it back from the UK. I walked, searching for a shop. It was tiring; the soles of my shoes were gone. One day, someone told me that the government had put down a place for newcomers. Everybody that brought a trade, there was an industrial estate in Yaba for such individuals. It was an industrial estate that Awolowo and Azikiwe, they put down the place. I remember my space was 33 and I think it was over 100 units there.
Tell us more about Shade Boutique…
That business name was a sort of joke. Right from when I was a student in England, I sold ready-made Aso Oke, which I introduced to the diplomatic women. You know they always have their tea party.
What is your favourite meal?
I eat very little and it has to be soft. I eat fish and it can only be fresh water fish. Somehow, I don’t like this other frozen one. I have a girl who cooks food for me. She would make a pot of fish for me for a week and I like only fresh water fish.
What would you say about today’s mum and yesterday’s mum?
Now mothers don’t even stay at home. Mothers go to work, leave the child, go to school, come back late. Before, now, we had communal life and it was good. Mothers had to come back after school or get back from their market to look after the home. When you come back from school, you would find your parents at home, especially your mum.
I put up 70 proverbs, and they are all Yoruba proverbs. That’s the gift I’m giving out on the eve of my birthday. The Ara-oke, where we come from, they talk to you in proverbs. They talk to you, even when other people are there, you still know. You still make your mistakes, but still, you have that upbringing totally back in. Nowadays, mothers don’t even stay at home. Mothers go to work, leave the child to go to school, come back late and don’t even care. In our own time, mothers rushed home, maybe they could go to the market. They feed you and go back to the market.
