Bebe Akinboade
You Are Here

“HOW I FELL IN LOVE WITH LOLU SHODEINDE”- LINDA MESROB

Spread the love


Linda Mesrob runs the award winning accessory outfit on the island called SKIN. She specializes in high quality bags. Her signature styles are bold and the colorful stitches that run through are creative pieces. She started her outfit 5 years ago and she has become a household name in this terrain. After leaving the American University of Paris, Linda fell in love with bags rather than clothes as most ladies would. It was then she started to make bags under the label SKIN which has evolved into a high end couture line known as Linda Mesrob Couture. But for quite sometimes now, Linda has been on and off from the scene, with quite a couple of bad tales following this disappearance. A lot has to with her sudden relationship from her Mega Plaza outfit, her relationship with ex-lover, Sanyu Dantata and her new relationship with Island Big Boy and Rehab Night Club Boss, Lolu Shodeinde. And in all of these, Linda has also been quite refusing to talk about. In all of these, Linda has also been quite, refusing to talk about it. In this interview, she opens up to BOLA AKINBOADE on all the controversies. She recently re-branded her LINDA MESROB Brand, and changed the name to ARIBA. She also opens up on her business expansion.

You have been off the scene for quite sometime and recently bounced back. So what have been up to lately?
Well have been back with my line, Ariba. Its handmade accessories and jewelry, I make them all by myself, from real stone, and all that. So that is what I have been up to, working on my pieces since I make them by myself, and its time consuming.

What are the new ideas you are injecting into your business?
I’m trying to bring together my old brand and my new brand; I’m doing it in collaboration with my elder sister. We have the brand together, basically Linda Skin and Linda Mesrob is going to become Ariba, so we are going to be doing jewelry, leather goods which is what I used to do before, and also few clothes, so its going to be a lifestyle brand

Why did you decide to collaborate with your sister?
Because I just felt that two heads are better than one, she owns a salon and she knows a lot of women, and she is the only sister from my mother, I just felt, why not, as a team we would probably do bigger and better, than what one person would have done

When you went off the scene, a lot was really said about you, but nobody heard your own side of the story. So what really happened?
I just think it was my personal life. A lot of things that was said about me were like things that was taken, made, turned…whatever. Every girl has her own issue that they had, and I guess mine was different because of my brand, now I’m happy and I’m with whom I am with now. So nothing major happen, I just took time off the scene, I didn’t want to do my leather stuff anymore, I was having personal stuffs then, I was pretty much around in town.

What drew curiosity of people was the fact that you opened your mega plaza shop and you shut down almost immediately
To be honest, It was because mega plaza was not given me what I expected from there. For the rent, I just felt I wasn’t making enough money, they don’t have the client that I need, they don’t have people that pass through there, they don’t have traffic, and that is the reason, I was into a lot of stress paying my rent, so I thought it wasn’t worth it anymore and that was why I close it down

Having said all, how were you able to handle the negative press and bounced back?
I have my good friends, people around me, really it bothers me sometimes, but most time I just ignore it.

But did your brand suffer in anyway in all of these?
It didn’t definitely affect the brand, people were still coming and they keep asking the question, oh! Is that the Linda Mesrob that we hear about? But a lot of people actually know my brand so they are always coming around to check out my brand, so it didn’t affect it, it only affected me as a person, because I didn’t want anyone writing about me, it’s not fair. They should rather talking about my brand and not my personal stuff

But what is the truth about how these stories going around?
Well some of it were true in the sense that I was dating somebody, and I moved on from there and I started dating someone else which every girl in Nigeria has done, mine was just going out of proportion, and the stories behind it maybe because of the person who my ex was.

Talking about your new love with Rehab owner, Lolu Shodehinde, can we then say that you’re now very happy?
I am definitely (Laughs). He is really supportive, he is always everywhere with me. We are quite a team; we relate well with each other, we are very close. I’m very happy. We just made very perfect couple. He is very supportive, which is what every relationship should be, a woman support a man and a man support a woman.

Part of the latest news going around town is the you are also getting married soon
It’s not true. I mean, people have been talking about it but it’s not like anything major is happening, if it is, you guys will hear about it. I’m not wearing a ring on my finger anyway (Laughs)

But from the way the relationship between you and Lolu is going, it looks like its altar bound?
I hope so and I pray to God, so far, its looking that way

Interesting both of you have been in and out of love
Its true, we have known each other for like 7 years, we were friends initially when we first met, and we just go had our issues, but now we are good. We are drama free

What was the attraction when you first met him?
Well, we were already good friends initially. And he has a very good heart, everybody knows that and that is what everybody says about him. And you can see, he is a good looking guy too (Laughs). So I think that is what it is.

The fact that he is good looking and girls flock around him, don’t you feel uncomfortable?
I’m used to it, because he owns a night club, he has to be social, he will always have people around. I’m used to it and our relationship is strong enough

So what should we expect from the brand?
Expect a lot of creative things that is what I do; I’m more of an artisan. And I hope you guys will focus more on my brand, than my personal life.

Where is your outfit located now?
Now I work from my Ikoyi home. Sometimes, I also work at my sister house. We work basically from my sister house and from my home. And our jewelry will be displayed in my sister salon. We are also working on an online beauty thing were we get to display all our products. We are just doing the best we can to see how we can promote the brand and pushed our product out there.

bebeakinboade
Latest posts by bebeakinboade (see all)

Related Posts