With 'Eleven Sixteen,' Ugo Mozie Enters a New Era in His Illustrious Fashion Career

"I had like seven different fashion designers in my family. I realised that I came from a lineage of creatives and designers. I was shocked. It was that moment when it hit me that this is actually something that's in my DNA," Mozie tells OkayAfrica. "And so designing and fashion has kind of been something that I feel destined to do, and seeing that made me even more confident."

It's been less than a month since the unconventional launch of Mozie's newest brand, Eleven Sixteen, his most creatively dynamic project yet. Where most brands would typically launch with a fashion editorial or campaign, Mozie soft-launched with a custom design for Diana Ross. Ross would go on to wear a revitalized version of the dress at the 2025 Met Gala, which made waves and became one of the most talked-about moments of the night. Mozie has since followed that moment with custom designs for Blue Ivy, who joined her mother, Beyoncé, on the Cowboy Carter Tour. He made two custom two-piece outfits worn by Ivy on different legs of the tour. He also designed a custom green suit that actress Lena Waithe wore to the Wicked premiere in Los Angeles in November.

Mozie's journey to dressing Ross was initially riddled with self-doubt. Mozie had spent much of his professional life as a stylist, and so questions circled his mind. Did he have the bravery to make a successful plunge into fashion design? What could he create that would surprise a woman who has worn everything? "One of the most glorious moments of my career was just sitting there designing with her and coming up with ideas," he says.

A history buff who grew up wanting to be an archaeologist or historian, Mozie's work is distinctive for the extensive research and global worldview that goes into its creation.

For the Ross dress, he wanted to complement the image of royalty that comes to mind when one thinks about the music icon. "I started researching different royal garments throughout history. I pulled pieces from ancient Chinese dynasties to the Renaissance times to ancient Ethiopian garments."

The initial dress, which was complete with platinum cowry shells and 100,000 Swarovski crystals, was first worn by Ross for her 80th birthday event. It was a private gathering; therefore, the dress was not heavily photographed. Publicity for the dress was limited to the family portrait Ross shot while wearing it. But that was enough for Mozie. "Only the people who came to the party were able to see the magnitude and the glory of this gown. I was over the moon, proud, and happy. She was happy."

A year later, in what felt like a bigger affirmation of his work as a designer, Mozie got a call from Mrs. Ross, who wanted to wear the outfit again, this time, at the Met Gala. 

"I could not even imagine that happening," Mozie recalls of that moment. "We got the garment and went back to work. I wanted to bring the magic into it. So we brought back more crystals and added all of her grandchildren's names and her children's names onto the gown to tell the family story, and then she hit the carpet and that was that."

A multidisciplinary practice

As a Nigerian kid growing up in the U.S., Ugo Mozie's early language around fashion began with an avid interest in the past. He would spend days at home or in the library researching African history, finding context, and making sense of his own identity and its place in the world.

Over the years, that language would be refined by Mozie's many travels around the world, cultivating an instinct to inquire and understand why cultures exist as they do and what they reveal about our collective humanity. "The way culture is connected through art and history" is Mozie's main focus.

"When I travel, I'm always interested in going and getting the actual local experience, whether I'm in the Dominican Republic or Colombia or Brazil or Senegal," he explains. There is also the education aspect of this.

Because his influences and materials are drawn from different cultures, Mozie is aware of the enlightenment it provides anyone who engages with the designs he creates. "They're understanding that this is just not an outfit made in a factory. So many different hands and heritages go into making each garment."

"We both love learning and discovering more about Benin history (I'm from Edo State myself!), so there's always a great creative and artistic synergy when we work together. He's very passionate about being a vessel through which other people can shine, and it's really admirable, to say the least."

Mozie began designing at the age of 14. Although it wasn't anything overly technical, "It was pretty much a bunch of shirts that I cut up and put together," that moment ignited, for Mozie, an obsession with making his clothes. But it went beyond dressing himself; Mozie quickly realized that clothing can be a compelling tool for image development, and having the ability to clothe oneself made that process even easier.

"It made me feel very powerful and in control. For the first time, I felt like I had some sort of control over my image and how I could dictate my emotions through clothing," he says. "There is a great sense of control and confidence when you're able to bring something from an idea to a vision to an actual product; that sense of satisfaction never gets old."

With his brand Eleven Sixteen, which features sharp suits, deconstructed formal wear, and a few signature symbols that appear in many of his pieces, including Benin bronzes and cowrie shells. Designed onto belts and bags, and reinterpreted as a trouser chain, cowries, which hold various spiritual and economic qualities amongst many African communities, serve as a unifying symbol for Mozie.

An understanding of the power of image-making through clothes gave Mozie a strong standing in the fashion industry as a stylist. He began working with Lil B at the age of 16 and went on to style stars such as Justin Bieber, Jackie Chan, Celine Dion, Travis Scott, and others. In fashion PR, Mozie worked as the director of PR for Vivienne Westwood, an experience that sharpened his understanding of the industry's inner workings. It is the combination of these two skills that has given Mozie an interesting advantage and perspective in an industry overflowing with options.

As he settles into Eleven Sixteen as a fashion designer, Mozie is putting all those skills and perspectives to work. The next step for Mozie is to open a flagship store in Lagos. It's a strategic decision. "I want it to be a creative hub for fashion," he says. "I want it to be a place where people are flying from across the world to come and experience African culture and make custom garments here. The same way people fly to Paris and go to the fashion houses for their fittings, I want to create that in Nigeria with my brand."

No matter what arm of the fashion industry Mozie finds himself in, the goal remains the same. Which is to use history and culture to tell stories and "be a source of education, knowledge, and empowerment, and also a platform for young African creatives across the board."