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4 Ways Michaela Coel's Interview with The London Times Has Gems For Days

The BAFTA Award-winning actor also gives an update on the return of Chewing Gum.

If you haven't caught on by now, we're obsessed with Ghanaian-British actor and showrunner extraordinaire, Michaela Coel.

In a recent interview with The London Times, Coel speaks candidly about life as a female comic, gives more tea on season three of Chewing GumChewing Gum, as well as her role in the newest season of Black Mirror.

Take a look at four of our favorite takeaways below, and have a full read of the interview here.


On doing the big chop:

"I wanted to be strong as well as vulnerable, I wanted to go against the grain, provide something different for young people to aspire to be."

On why she plans to have a writers room for Chewing Gum's third season:

"Because I don't want to die. My sets are not peaceful. It's a beautiful catastrophe. I am running around like a headless chicken. I don't sleep because I am writing. It's manic. I love it—I don't know if I would want it any other way, but I've learnt from working with proper people like Charlie; they really prepare in advance."

On the pact she made with a group of friends to not be about that 'happily ever after' life:

"We have all made a pact that we will just live in a big house and have girlie nights all the time, and work, and we will invite a man, and we will sample him, and we will bond with him, all of that, but we don't want to do the whole marriage thing. But I do need sex. We do need sex, so we need to find a way to have the sex."

On how her success since Chewing Gum still feels too good to be true:

"I mean, I am grateful. I have 'Whoa!' gratitude. I put my life and soul into writing this story and actually people heard it. People write scripts and nobody ever sees or hears them. And I have never written a script that people haven't seen. I try to give advice to others too, even though I'm still in a sense thinking, 'What's going on?' I think I am quite alienated by the idea of what is going on in my life right now. It's all quite strange, quite surreal."

Photo courtesy Rukky Ladoja.

Rukky Ladoja on Building a Socially Responsible Nigerian Fashion Brand

The Nigerian designer behind Dye Lab has established a popular design brand based on the principle of little to no waste.

Rukky Ladoja is having what she describes as a typical Monday. She’s been called into her workshop for an emergency because her suppliers brought in the wrong materials. Rather than panic and wonder what to do, she immediately starts figuring out how to use the materials she’s been given in new pieces. ‘‘One thing I am big on is no waste,’ she tells OkayAfrica, when she shares the kind of day-to-day issues that come up for her as the designer behind Dye Lab. Ladoja founded the design brand during the COVID-19 pandemic and, guided by a zero-waste policy, it’s now become one of the most popular fashion brands in Nigeria today.

While Dye Lab has been branded a sustainable brand by many, Ladoja notes she is more comfortable calling herself “socially responsible,” as she didn’t set out to create a sustainable brand; she wanted to create a practical one. A brand that, instead of sourcing materials from international markets or using practices foreign to her environment, adapts local resources, styles, and skills across the entire design process. The result is practical kimono pieces that require little to no adjustment per customer, created in a way that ensures every part of the design process takes advantage of the resources — human and physical — around her with very little to no waste allowed.

The response to this? Phenomenal. Today, Dye Lab is fast turning into a household name in Lagos where it has inspired several copycats as the brand has turned into one of the best sellers of Industrie Africa — an e-commerce website with a focus on African designers. Days before Ladoja and I talk, Dye Lab had just finished a six-week pop-up store at the Anya Hindmarch store in the United Kingdom, and their year is just getting started.

An image of the designer sitting on a chair that\u2019s placed on a checkered floor and there\u2019s a vibrant art piece behind her.Designer Rukky Ladoja is all about running a socially responsible fashion brand.Photo courtesy Stephen Tayo.

‘‘The response has been great,” says Ladoja. “It's been an onslaught of demand, from clients, from friends, from international orders.” The brand recently started stocking on Industrie Africa, and Ladoja was told to expect 10 to 12 orders a month — that's kind of what their highest sellers get. “They just sent us a report that we had gotten over 60 orders in a month,” she says. “It's always like a surprise, every time we get those numbers.” It’s the same feeling she gets when a brand like Anya Hindmarch approaches the label. “Before they approached us, we had been talking about what kind of brands we wanted to emulate globally and they were put at the top of that list. And so to get a call saying, ‘Hey, I would love to collaborate,’ it was sort of surreal to us.’’

From a young age, Ladoja has always been interested in fashion, design, and the process of design in particular. ‘‘I was more interested in putting things together, not necessarily the style element of it, but the construction, the process of it.’’ Her favorite designers — the likes of Miuccia Prada, Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano, and Alexander McQueen — are all designers who focus on intelligent fashion, and the purpose behind every design choice they make. These influences are what interested Ladoja in fashion when she was in university.

She started a brand in the late 2000s, observing how many of her peers shopped, noting that at the time, online shopping wasn’t as readily available as it is today and that many Nigerians didn’t trust the few online stores that did exist mostly. For many, shopping meant sellers had to come into their places of work or buyers had to rush to stores after work. ‘‘I recognised how people were shopping,’’ Ladoja says. ‘‘And it was always someone bringing a suitcase into the office and everyone going through it, or running down to the market to see what they could buy.” It made Ladoja think: people should be able to shop in nicer environments than this. That was the start of Grey Projects, a high-end retail brand in the vein of Zara that stocked ready-to-wear fashion pieces created with Africans in mind.

But in 2019, a decade after launching the brand, Ladoja had to shut down Grey Projects. Sourcing supplies in Nigeria was difficult and even when she would get the supplies, finished products would often sit in warehouses, going to waste. She learned that working with local tailors to recreate her designs, which were often foreign to them, was a Herculean task that only led to more surplus items. Closing the business left her not wanting to be involved in fashion ever again. ‘‘I just felt like I had just been scarred too much,” she says, “and there was too much trauma there.’’

Instead, Ladoja turned her focus to consulting, working behind the scenes for brands like Lagos Fashion Week. Then the COVID-19 pandemic happened and the world stopped for a second; as did Ladoja’s consulting work. She needed to find another source of income. ‘‘The resources I had were my tailors, access to fabric, fabric markets, and suppliers,’ she says.’

Yet Ladoja was resistant to the idea of launching a brand. Instead, she searched for a retailer to house and sell what she had created, agbada kaftans that took inspiration from traditional Yoruba styles and dyeing processes. ‘‘Unfortunately, at that point, none of the retailers wanted to buy it, which was a shame,’ she says. Ladoja then took to teasing the product herself, wearing it on Zoom meetings and around friends, who started saying, ‘Oh, I want to buy it.’

The interest grew organically, so much so that Dye Lab soon had a strong enough customer base and a distinct enough style for Ladoja to launch the brand. Armed with the lessons from Grey Projects, she took the leap. This time around, Ladoja sought to do everything differently. She rearranged the structure of her brand, and focused on making sure everything in the production process was accessible and easy. ‘‘I broke down everything that I didn't like about Grey [Projects], and used that to create Dye Lab,” she says. “The garments we made with Grey were my designs, but they were very complicated for my tailors. So I decided 'm not going to do that. I'm going to create styles and use styles that are familiar to my tailors. That way everybody can feel comfortable.’’

Taking the lessons learnt from Grey Projects to Dye Lab seeped into every part of Ladoja’s new brand, right down to the approach to fashion week. For the 2022 Lagos Fashion Week, where other brands were showcasing their designs on the runway, Dye Lab chose to invite select guests and press for a special exhibition where they got to see the garment-making process of the brand, educating them on the history of the fabric, techniques and the people behind it all. ‘‘With Grey Projects, I was importing Westernized ideas of fashion into a space that just did not connect with,’’ Ladoja says. ‘‘With Dye Lab, I said, let me go back; let me work with what is here; let me respond to what the people around me want, what works.’’

Now, Ladoja is focusing on expanding the world of Dye Lab. She reminds me that Dye Lab is first a ‘design brand’ and not just a fashion brand, which means there are limitless options when it comes to expanding. “I'm quite impatient to innovate and do more, or bring out all the ideas in my head,” says Ladoja. “However, just the garment production has taken such a toll, especially as we are trying to keep up with the demand.” Ladoja’s vision is to take the ideology and the conceptualization process from fashion to lifestyle products, furniture, stationery and everyday objects.

(Atlantic Records)

Burna Boy Shares New Single ‘Sittin' On Top Of The World’

The African Giant samples Brandy and Ma$e in his new summertime-ready single.

Odogwu is back and sitting on top of the world!

Burna Boy has graced the airwaves once again with his latest single called "Sittin’ On Top Of The World," marking his highly anticipated solo debut in 2023.

The distinguished Nigerian artist, who is currently on tour, has shared this track as a delightful auditory treat for his dedicated fans. The song seamlessly incorporates elements from Brandy and M a$e’ss 1998 hit "Top Of The World.”

Notably, the composition of the song captivates listeners with its summer-ready sample, also showcasing Burna Boy's remarkable vocal range and effortlessly smooth delivery.

Earlier this year, Burna Boy featured on the single "Mera Na," a heartfelt production by the late Indian hip-hop luminary Sidhu Moose Wala, who passed away last year. “Sittin’ On Top Of The World” is yet another demonstration of Burna’s versatility and global appeal as he continues to solidify his position as an influential force in the music world. The single also shows Burna Boy’s ability to bring the signature “Burna vibe” to any record.

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Places in Lagos to Have Fun this Weekend

From Plantain People’s Party by Dodo Gang to Sunday Drunch at 355 Ikeja, here’s where to spend the weekend in Lagos.

Who doesn’t love plantain? It’s a rhetorical question. But as World Plantain Day is this Sunday, it’s also worth asking straightforwardly. The good guys at Dodo Gang have taken it upon themselves to celebrate, an open invitation to all plantain lovers to merry and feast while recognizing the awesomeness of this staple food.

Tagged Plantain People’s Party (PPP), there’s so much on offer, and you just have to attend to witness it all. Elsewhere, experience drunch at 355 Ikeja restaurant and lounge. They are going Mexican this time, meaning Mexican cuisine is on the table. They are throwing cocktails too as a sweet deal, and we can’t complain.

Danfo Cruise with EXP Lagos

Danfo Cruise by EXP Lagos is a cute, niche hangout that is inserting the idea of cruising in Lagos. Held every first Friday and second Sunday of every month, the cruise shuttles around predetermined areas in Lagos while participants enjoy food and other fun activities. This Friday continues the tradition. Also, this is the fourth anniversary of Danfo Cruise and it’s already gearing up to be a good time.

Friday, June 2, 5pm

Venue: 256, Etim Inyang Crescent Victoria Island

Cost: N2k

Amapiano District Party

Amapiano District is slowly becoming ground zero for amapiano raves and parties at Hard Rock Cafe, Lagos. Just ask the party revelers as they leave hyped-up, post-party comments on their Instagram. It’s one place to learn new dance moves, meet people, and update your amapiano playlist. It will have DJ sets from New Guy, Smeez & D3an, Sammay, Nino, Dope Caesar, Uncle Bubu and Tohbad.

Friday, June 2, 8pm till dawn

Venue: Landmark Village, Water Corp. Road, Oniru, Victoria Island

Cost: N10k

Element House by Spektrum

Specktrum’s Element House is where afro house, deep house, and techno house collide. Curating a party space for house lovers, Element House is infectious in its appeal and location. This edition brings on UK-based DJ and producer Sef Kombo as the headliner, who is a deep and afro house tastemaker. He will be joined by Icey, Jarlight, and Deji.

Saturday, June 3, 11pm

Venue: The Good Village, Good Beach, Victoria Island


Cost: N7k online, N10k at venue

Silent Disco Party at House of Oni

Silent disco parties and raves aren’t new in Lagos. That said, House of Oni has been one of the platforms spearheading a revolution of Lagos clubbing with their routine silent party events. This time, they are tagging it A Silent Brew, so get ready to put on the headphones with some booze on this side.

Saturday, June 3, 7pm

Venue: Bature Brewery, 256 Etim Inyang Crescent Victoria Island

Cost: N3k, single

The Baccyard Barn

The Baccyard is a newly launched platform in Lagos to assemble creatives in one place, and reflect the relentless spirit in the city. To that end, it is putting out its first event that will see music performance, visual art, poetry, comedy, and a vendor village coexist. Billed to perform are Adam Srae, Ella Gomenti, Ovibeat, Morrelo Virusman, Kxng Nero, LB, Jamz, Rozzz, to name a few.

Saturday, June 3, 4pm - 10pm

Venue: The Corner, Admiralty Way, Lekki

Cost: Call to RSVP

Plantain People’s Party

How do you celebrate World Plantain Day? Dodo Gang, the Lagos-based, plantain-loving community have the answer. In what they call Plantain People’s Party, it will see plantain lovers unite this Sunday at The Terrace in style. Indulge in a variety of plantain-infused dishes, from traditional favorites to innovative creations that showcase the versatility of this beloved fruit.

To boot, the event will also feature a merchandise pop-up shop where you can cop exclusive plantain-themed fashion items like tote bags, t-shirts, bucket hats, button badges, and more.

Sunday, June 4, 2pm

Venue: The Terrace Lagos, 23, Kunle Ogunba Lekki 1

Cost: Free

Sunday Drunch at 355 Ikeja

You’ve heard of brunch, but how about some drunch? 355 Ikeja restaurant and lounge on the mainland are doing drunch time, and what is even more exciting is that it is Mexican-themed. From starter to main to cocktails, relish in Mexican meals like tacos, fajitas, quesadillas, margaritas, and more.

Sunday, June 4, 2pm - 6pm

Venue: 22, Simbiat Abiola Way, Ikeja

Cost: N20K

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