Ijeure Ezebuike Onwadike, is the last Daughter of Sir Ichie, Dr and Lady L.O Ezebuike. She is the Designer and Creative Director of the Vivacious Brand, UrezKulture. She is full of life, fun and fearless (her personal motto is ‘The only time you should ever look back is to see how far you have come’) She started her Accessory Designing Career at an early age of 8,making beaded pieces for her mum, sisters and relatives. From then on, she steadily built a Career out of her passion and raw talent. If anything, she is soaring higher and higher; making her one of the most sought after Accessory Designers in Nigeria. She is married and blessed with 3 lovely kids.
HOW DID THE JOURNEY BEGIN?
I started making beads quite early. My mum had this saying that “An idle mind, was the devil’s workshop” so whenever she noticed I was less busy, she would send me to the balcony to bead her dresses back then. Slowly but surely I was hooked. I spent most of my free periods beading. It sort of became a hobby than a chore, the obsession grew from there. Although am a Project Manager by Profession, I choose my Talent over my Degree. Am a Craftholic…Urezkulture is my baby.
WHAT IS YOUR SIGNATURE STYLE?
For my designs: My pieces have that unique and personalised touch, that makes one stand out and feel more glam once you adorn them. They have the ability to transform any outfit and breathe life into even the oldest of wardrobes.
The amazing prettiness of our pieces keeps our customers hooked and always coming back for more.
WHATS BEEN YOUR BEST MOMENT AS A DESIGNER?
Apart from the satisfaction I get when I receive feedbacks from my clients on how they felt and got lovely compliments on the pieces they rocked, the best was when I was Awarded The Accessory Designer of the Year by the prestigious Lagosfashionawards.
WHATS BEEN YOUR WORST MOMENT AS A DESIGNER?
I can’t term it as worst, but like 5 years ago. I had an assistant who took an order for a wedding job we had. When the client came to pick up her Accessories, I found out that my staff got the colours all wrong for the bride’s friend. Needless to say, I had to remake all the Hatinators just in time for the wedding. It wasn’t funny AT ALL!!
ON A SCALE OF 1-10, WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR RESPONSES FROM CUSTOMER SATISFACTION?
I CAN SAY 9. The other 1 left to the Nigerian factor. Some delivery companies most times delay on dispatching our pieces on time due to one problem or the other.
WHICH CELEBRITIES HAVE WORN YOUR BRAND?
I see All my clients as celebrities really, because my collections are for women who want to maintain their identity through their divergent styles, women who want to stand out. My design aesthetic is Unique to me. They are obsessively breathtaking show stopping pieces. My Slay Queens are always head turners at their various functions.
HOW DO YOU BALANCE WORK WITH PLEASURE?
Although my work takes me through 21 hours most days, I try to exercise, play my favourite sports and attend functions with family and friends.
