Hey beautiful people, it's been a while and I hope y'all have been good! It's a lovely friday morning over here and I have a brand new inspirational interview with one of the most celebrated creatives in Nigeria. 

At such a young age Ore Osoba has broken down barriers and boundaries in the Nigerian fashion industry and literally built one of the most sorted after Luxury leather bags company in Africa ''COZ" from scratch to the very pinnacle on which it now stands , as the Creative Director of COZ he has achieved outstanding recognition's for the brand worldwide and seems to have only begun. I was so pleased to have been able to interview him and super excited to be able to share it with you guys, have a good read guys.

DVF: Tell me about yourself and background?

Ore: My name is Ore Osoba, I am from Osun state but I grew up in Abuja.

I'm the last child of four kids, I have two sisters and a brother. I'm a first class graduate of computer science from the North American university, republic of Benin

DVF: What was growing up like for you? Any childhood memories you are fund of?

  Ore: Growing up was great, it was pretty good for me , I grew up with my mom and siblings, my dad had a very demanding job so he was always travelling , I'm very close to my sister Busayo, she is like my best friend and I remember that from the time when I was little I would always help her pick her outfits when she was going out .  

I grew up with a lot of love and my hard working mum , watching her work so hard inspired me from a little age , my mum was working three jobs and would come pick me from school and then when we got home she would still be able to cook and wash my uniform , she is truly an amazing woman.

My favorite child hood memories are learning how to cook, my sister Busayo thought me that as well as spending time with my sisters and my mum . I was not really the social type in high school, I was always making sketches of outfits and writing songs in my free time

DVF: Who is Ore Osoba? How would you describe yourself? 

Ore: I'm a fashion lover , I like to think outside the box, I could be shy but designing is my escape from that, I don't like to follow rules , Ore Osoba tries to help everyone out and tries to be there for everyone. I like to be good at every thing I do and I love to work .

DVF: When did you discover your love for fashion and the exact path in fashion you wanted to go into and when did you actually begin to chase after your dreams?

Ore: I always loved fashion from a little age , I decided to go into it fully in my 3rd year in the university, I didn't want to work for anyone, I wanted to start my own company and of cause it had to be fashion related so my best friend Adanna Ngwube and I decided to start coz designs .

DVF: When you began, what were the beginning stages like for Coz as a new brand in the industry?

  

Ore: It was pretty difficult because there was a lot of things I had to learn , I was used to designing what I liked but I had to get used to designing something for everyone , designing something for everyone to fall in love with and when I started a lot of people liked my designs but didn't believe in made in Nigeria products .

I started by begging people to buy my products and giving people my products for free and to be able to go from that point to now exporting my products to 16 different countries around the world . GOD has been and will always be faithful .

DVF: What inspired the brand name "COZ"? 

Ore: The name Coz is gotten from the initials of my partner and I
C- crystal , O-Ore and Z- Zachary (my English name )

DVF: Tell me about "COZ" and what the brand is all about? 

Ore: Coz is a luxury leather brand that makes exquisite unisex bags and purses that satisfies their fashionable customers, every piece is a masterpiece from illustration to the finished product, carefully made with attention to detail.

DVF: So tell me , when you are designing a bag ,what are the top five major things you keep in mind?

Ore : Simplicity, confidence, class , stylishness and structure

DVF: You mentioned earlier that your brand is unisex. So what are the differences in process when designing for men versus when designing for women?

Ore: Whenever I'm designing I imagine the person I am designing for and the character I want the bag to play, so it's almost the same process in designing for a man or a woman .

DVF: For instance, a particular bag design is out of stock and a customer wants it, do you design again for the customer or if the design is out of stock, it's a wrap for that design?

Ore: Yes I would design for the customer, all our customers are important.

DVF: And if in such a case you do want to make the design for a customer, how long does production take and how long does it take for the bag to get to the customer?

Ore: Three working days to get to the customer 

DVF: What are the distinctive qualities you believe your bags acquire that stands them out?

Ore: My bags are suitable for all style, they are portable and the leather speaks for itself

What is your favorite and most satisfying aspect in the whole process of production?

Ore: Sketching and putting all the pieces together .

DVF: Is COZ going to continue being just purely a brand focused on luxury bags or should we expect more from the brand in the future? 

Ore: Expect more 

DVF: So being in the fashion industry in Nigeria for a while now, what has been a really high point for you in your career and in the success of the Brand and what time would you describe as a really low point and how were you able to come out of that funk?

Ore: When I first started a lot of people looked down on me due to my age and I was new in the game so I was bullied a lot , I remember going for fashion shows and been bullied back stage but I believed in my designs, worked hard and prayed harder and the high point to me was when we started shipping to different countries.

DVF: What advise will you give to someone who would like to start up in the industry as a luxury bag designer?

Ore: Work hard, pray harder , GOD first and the fashion industry is not as easy as it seems .

DVF: What kind of person owns a COZ Bag? (When you're designing what kind of customer do you have in mind )

Ore: A Classy, fashionable and stylish person

DVF: What has been the coolest feedback about your Bags that you have ever received? And whenever or if you ever receive a bad feedback or review how do you respond or handle it? 

Ore: A customer from New York asked me "are you sure they are made in Nigeria?" (laughs) , when I get bad reviews what I do is I listen and learn from my mistakes .

DVF: Tell me about your latest collection "New religion" and what the difference is between this collection and the previous collections? 

Ore: New religion is very personal to me ,when I was designing new religion , I was at a point in my life where I was adjusting to fame and had to deal with fake friends and losing old friends.New religion is a lot more emotional and the very bag is telling a story .

DVF: In 2016, you were awarded with the most enterprising young entrepreneur and the award was presented to you by the Governor of Kano state, what was that like for you ?

Ore: It was really great , I didn't expect it , it was amazing , I was so grateful and I still am .

DVF: Speaking of you tell me what fashion means to you and how you would describe your personal style?

Ore: Fashion is all about putting the little pieces together , it's a way of expressing yourself , my personal style is comfortable , fresh and a bit edgy.

 

DVF: What do you do for fun? how do you let loose when you need a break?

Ore: I watch movies, I like horror movies, I play video games with friends and I like to eat out , not the clubbing kind , so I don't attend parties much

DVF: You run a luxury brand ,so tell me what are the three luxurious things in your life that you can't live without?

Ore: My car, my phone, I'm always on 

My phone lol and my Coz bag

DVF: Where is your dream travel destination?

Ore: Maldives 🇲🇻, I love the views and it looks so calm

DVF: What is the craziest thing you have done this year?

Ore: Lol the craziest thing I have done was to walk the streets of my neighbourhood in my briefs

DVF: What is your favourite colour? 

Ore: Red

DVF: Which of these do you do, sing in the shower, eat loudly or snore?

Ore: Sing in the shower

DVF: What is the one thing you are scared of that others can easily ignore?

Ore: Chickens 🙈 

DVF: What kind of songs do you listen to when working? 

Ore: Songs from Rihanna and Adele but mostly Rnb and blues

DVF: What movie would you recommend to a friend and why?

Ore: Game of thrones, I love how smart the mother of  the dragons is

DVF: Okay to more serious stuff what other successful fashion designer bag brands out there do you look to for inspiration? 

Ore: Fendi and Chanel .

DVF: What has been the most challenging aspect of being the creative director of the brand?

Ore: Trying to satisfy every customer , it's really not easy but it's been a great ride.

DVF: Lastly what should we expect from the brand? What do you see in the future of COZ as it's creative director?

Ore: Coz Is taking over , more designs , more shows, more stores world wide

DVF: Thanks alot for this interview and your time.

Ore: You're welcome bro. 

FOLLOW COZ ON INSTAGRAM HERE

FOLLOW ORE OSOBA ON INSTAGRAM HERE  

FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER HERE

FOR INQUIRIES AND ORDERS CONTACT COZ ON WHATSAPP:09099156338

CALL: +2348052596395