LAGOS BASED STYLIST, DIMEJI ALARA, OPENS UP ON HIS ORDEAL WITH STROKE @ 25
Dimeji Alara is the creative mind behind Styling Concepts, an outfit dedicated to providing spontaneous concepts for clients ranging from glamorous magazine look to individual styling concepts.
He started his career in journalism with Genevieve magazine, where he worked as a reporter six years ago and rose to become the magazine’s fashion editor.
Dimeji has worked with Conde Nast Publications Paris (publishers of Vogue), Elle Magazine, GQ, and Longevity. He also worked as a freelance creative director for Johannesburg Fashion Week and was editor of What’s New magazine. Dimeji has also worked as fashion director for some of South Africa’s biggest fashion designers including David Tlale and Craig Jacob.
Dimeji suffered stroke three years ago at the age of 25, which really baffled a lot of people. Since he came out of the incidence, he has been operating more from the background and allowing his works to speak for him. Many do not even know that he has recovered fully and now runs a wave making Styling outfit that has a long list of celebs and corporate organisation as clients.
BOLA AKINBOADE recently spoke with him and he opened up on his health situation plus how he bounced back.
Bola Akinboade(B.A):Let’s talk about your ordeal with stroke, what really happened and how were you able to come out of it?
Dimeji Alara(D.A): It happened two years ago, I was thinking a lot at that time, I was going through a very difficult state in my life, I think a lot naturally. And when it got to a level, my body couldn’t handle it. I remember waking up that morning and it was crazy. I couldn’t move some parts of the body, the more obvious was the face. I would smile and you will see one side will go up, and one side will remain. The muscles on that part were paralysed. I couldn’t close my left eye because the muscles were not working. I was always having great struggles while having my bath, I had to hold the eye down, if not, the soap will get into it. It didn’t last too long actually, it lasted for a while. I was alone at that point and I had to deal with everything all by myself. I’m more of a private person; I love to be by myself.
It’s an issue that I have put aside, and move on. I’m not ashamed to talk about it, I don’t care what people say or their judgment about me.
B.A:There were speculations that you were actually flown abroad for treatment?
D.A:No way, I wasn’t flown abroad for treatment. I was here all through. It was after the Stroke incidence that I went to South Africa. I was already better before I left and I actually went to South Africa to work. I was there for about a year and half, before coming back to my country.
B.A: So where were you treated and how did you get yourself back?
D.A: I got myself back by doing a lot of exercises. I had to chew a lot of gum. It helps the muscles on the face. I had to take certain drugs, stopped eating certain things and I had to stop thinking. I worry a lot.
B.A: A lot of people were surprised that stroke could strike a young man. Didn’t that baffle you too when it happened?
D.A: It did and it didn’t. My granny had stroke at a point when I was with her, so when I experienced that, I had an idea of what it was. Even though, it wasn’t a major one, if it was a major one, I won’t be standing here talking to you. But stroke is stroke, whether major or not. It’s just that I was able to recover quickly.
B.A:Did you have to deal with paralysis and all that is associated with stroke?
D.A:Yes, you have the same experience- you can’t move your body and all that, but you are a bit more flexible. It’s not like that kind of stroke that people fall or something happens, it was a little mild, but that was dangerous, it could lead to major stroke.
B.A: You have a long list of works you have done; has your styling business been financially lucrative?
D.A: The financial reward has been wonderful, you won’t believe it. I don’t believe it myself. It’s difficult for me to believe that people will pay a certain amount of money for a work in Nigeria. People actually value styling a lot and they are paying well for it. I won’t say it’s too much because money is never too much. But financially, it’s been so fantastic. I wonder how it happens. I didn’t do that myself but I believe your job will speak for you, whatever it is that you do.
B.A:So if you have to charge a client for styling, what is the range like?
D.A: I don’t have a fixed range, it depends on who I’m working with. If it some young person, who is just starting out, I can help. We are trying to let the industry grow and help younger people. And if I’m working with MTN or GLO, definitely, I won’t charge the same amount that I will charge magazines. So it’s all different.
B.A:But people have this believe that Dimeji is expensive
D.A: Yeah, I’m expensive; I give what I’m supposed to. I give my everything when I’m doing something. I put all my effort because I believe that whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well. Because even if you do something for someone, even if they don’t pay you well, your name is going to be on it. People are still going to associate you with the work. So you have to do your best whatever it is, you have to keep a standard.
B.A: So far, some of the jobs you’ve done have been adjudged A-class. How do you come up with those ideas for your styling and photo shoot?
D.A: I’m very innovative. I try new things.
B.A: You know everybody is doing this thing, what makes you different?
D.A: Your ability to think of something fresh, something new, something that has never been done before. And you have to keep thinking. I work a lot with Kelechi Amadi Obi and most of the times I shoot with him. Most of the time, I insist, he is the one I want to shoot with. Because as a stylist, you want your work to be reflected in a very good way and to do that, you need a very good photographer. I’m always working with Kelechi and he gives me fantastic pictures. So most of the times I sit with Kelechi, we bounce ideas off each other. I ask him what he thinks. How does he think it will work. Sometimes, we agree, sometimes we disagree, but we see ourselves as artistes, not just fashion people and we try to come up with something extraordinary. Most of the time, we try to contrast the clothes with the location. A good example is our photo shoot with Doyin Hastrup in the middle of Shomolu market. This was a picture of a very glamorous girl in the market. Also we try to avoid any disconnection. As much as she was looking gorgeous and glamorous, in the market, there was no disconnection between her and the environment. She looked like a real African girl that didn’t look out of place. She blended perfectly. So we come up with different ideas. We try to show all parts of Nigeria from the ghetto part to the market. We are tired of seeing people doing beauty shoot with beauty women in beautiful hotels and restaurants.
B.A: How long are we going to do that?
D.A: I do a lot of shoots on the street, in the market, in the real places, villages. So it’s good to use fashion as a medium to show what we are, let’s see some reality.
B.A: How did the love for fashion and styling begin?
D.A: I grew up in Paris and you couldn’t have grown up in Paris and not love fashion. My mum was a fashion designer and she had all these sketches, which I really admired. I remember I used to go through her books where she had all her sketches and always admired them. She loved shopping, so she used to take my sister and I shopping a lot. A lot of things influenced me; like walking through the beautiful Champs-Élysées, copies of French Vogue and ELLE scattered around the house. My dad loved to shop too. So it was like a whole family of shoppers. Still I never thought I would ever work for any magazine until I moved to Nigeria and started working as a reporter with Genevieve magazine. Somewhere along the way, I got drag into fashion. I’m a very creative person and I’m an artist. I remember how I used to draw everyday. It’s been in me to think of an idea and actually create; I mean visually and actually see it. That is the most wonderful part of me.
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Afterall has been said and done…it looks to me that this young man needs to give himself a break!…the most dynamic of all gets to be forgotten after certain things….and as for the armed robbery?..assassin ?..attack…looks more like a God personality was involved if not….so please for the sake of your mum,sister and friends….be careful,thankful..and prayerful!