Bsing… A smooth flow with rhythm

BY DAMILOLA ADEKOYA

DELTA State-born Blessing Ogumah is the creative force behind Bsing Wears. The idea of being a fashion designer started for him at 19. Though his father never supported him, Blessing was fortunate to have sisters who shared his dream. In fact, one of them gave him his first sewing machine. He finally established his outfit in 2009.

  “I started with hand embroidery, and from there, I ventured into sketching of designs. I even sold some of my sketches to other designers before I went into it fully,” says Blessing.

 The beauty of his designs, according to Blessing, is that attention is paid to details. “They are specially made to suit the everyday person, who is bored with regular outfits.”

WHAT, however, pains the Public Administration-graduate of University of Benin, who says power outages and access to modern equipment are the greatest challenges facing the industry, is that Nigerian designers are becoming copycats. “A lot of them are directly copying from the west. When you see some of their works, you will notice that they lack originality. Many of them have lost their identity and root.”

   He continues, “the Nigerian environment should inspire our designers, not the other way round.”

   He sees Balmain, Alexander McQueen and Ohimai Atafo (Mai o Mai) as role models and would like to work with any one of them for more hands-on experience.

 He says government needs to support the industry so that it can meet up with its aims and aspirations, as well providing jobs for the teeming Nigerian in search of employment.

  His vision for the outfit?

  “I hope that in the next few years, Bsing Wears will not only be a brand name, but also recognised all over the world.”