Emerging players in Nigerian streetwear embody this bold statement by creating new avenues for creative expression through fashion, driving the idea to coming generations that greatness is possible from our corner of the world. One of the most prominent streetwear brands in Nigeria, Severe Nature, exists with a core value to embrace “the extremity of self” which is a simple but powerful call for liberty and self-acceptance.
Founded in 2012 by Christopher Afolabi, Tobi Adeleye, Soul G and the late Michael Atobalele (Uzii), Severe Nature has become a fundamental figure in Nigerian streetwear. And they have done this through years of tactfully gauging cultural shifts and consumer needs, while making products that speak to the identity of members of their community.
“African fashion is an invitation to explore the intricate beauty of our cultures and to celebrate the limitless possibilities of design.”
– Amaka Osakwe
“At the end of the day, it all comes down to your legacy,” says Afolabi. “There is a difference between creating a space for brands to grow in Nigeria and becoming one of the brands in London or North America”.
A tri-continental connection gave fuel to an idea for a fashion company that’s found its way home to Nigeria, while maintaining a strong presence in Canada. The result is a brand with a unique position as an interlocutor in cross-cultural fashion dialogues between home and the diaspora.
Christopher Afolabi and Soul G, the founders of Severe Nature spoke to me on the origin of the brand; their approach to uniting Nigeria and Canada, and finally plans for the summer.
Can you share your journey as designers, from meeting to now?
Christopher: There are two stories and why I would say this is because the brand started in Canada but grew on a large scale in Nigeria. Growing up outside Nigeria, we grew up as a group of friends. The friendship was mostly Michael Atobalele (Uzii), who sadly passed away and myself.
Going into university, I was someone who was into design, creative work and music. One of the ways I channeled ideas was working around the music aspect. I had the decision of making merch for labels and artist-wise. Based off that, I noticed that what we were making off music was being appreciated. I came up with the idea of starting a brand. I was very close to Uzii who was in England during that time and decided that we should start a brand.
The name is random. However, the reason behind the name was to express ourselves as much as possible, especially whilst still being students. We had this creative output on life that we wanted to express extremely. “Severe” stands for expressing yourself extremely and “Nature” stands for the nature of yourself. People started to think of the idea of nature as environment. We started to adapt the idea to the nature of the world serving as a metaphor to the actual meaning of the name.
Soul and Uzii were in the UK working from that side while I was operating from Canada. But then, the vision changed. We realized that the people who did not have access to this were from the place we came from, Nigeria. At the end of the day, we were doing this in the west. It felt like a disservice by not providing this to where we were from. Uzii moved back to Nigeria and started running the brand back home with Soul and Ade.
Soul G: I met Uzii in university where we both had an interest in fashion. He told me about Severe Nature. I felt it was a very good idea. Besides having interest in other brands, it felt nice to have something we can relate to. We came back home and found a way to connect with people in Nigeria and everything aligned from there.
I have to touch on something you both said which is the location, London. We all know London to have that fashion presence and it’s clear that operations could have easily been built from there. Why the need to shift away from the UK?
Christopher: Like I said before, there was a disservice. There are all these other brands in London and North America. It’s not as if we did not want to compete because we definitely had the tools to. At the end of the day, you have to look at your legacy, it comes down to “What did you do?”
There is a difference between saying you created a space for brands to grow in Nigeria as opposed to saying you were one of the brands in North America or London. There is more to it where people understand you there. You can use your culture in these designs and express yourself.
Even though you make things there, they might not understand when you express your culture in your designs. But in Nigeria, people understand the culture. The things we sell in North America are different from what we do in Nigeria. They have a strict societal norm that’s different from back home.
As a creative, you want to be where you can express yourself the most and that’s what Severe Nature stands for. Growing up, we never had a place to buy from. I remember there was only one other brand and now we have so many. Being able to create that space was very important.
What does your creative process look like?
Soul G: It mostly goes with the idea on ground. From picking a theme to deliberating on the process, going about the details like ideas and color patterns.
Christopher: I will expand on this a bit more. We start our collection by picking a theme as Soul mentioned. The theme is very important as we metaphorically choose nature. Nature is associated with humanity and the world in this case. From there, we have a design team where each person has an input by creating on their moodboard. We come back together and ask the question of “what do you have in line with this theme/what do you have in line with the collection?”. It could come from a story perspective where they have something in their past life which could be relatable. We then move to the manufacturing process and all of that.
Nigeria and Canada are completely two different markets. How do you perceive the differences or similarities between Nigeria and Canada in the creative scene? And are there any factors that have influenced your approach to designing for each market?
Christopher: I think what happens between these two places is that we do a lot of research on what we make and sell. With Canada, we basically base it on logistics such as jackets and hoodies which are not convenient back home likewise with T-shirts during the winter. We consider both countries in mind and decide on that. We also have a global distribution where we can ship anywhere in the world.
We were first careful in making the designs not too African-related when designing for Canada. But now, with Afrobeats and African culture being accepted, we do not care about that anymore. I don’t think there are any more factors other than trends. We have a lot of Africans moving to Canada so the culture is now being imposed there. If anything, there is more uniformity. That’s how we look at it now.
What have been some significant milestones along the way?
Soul G: We have had a few milestones. Firstly, having our own space in order to create and sell from our location has been amazing. Also being able to partner with different businesses and brands to create awareness for the fashion industry.
How does the selection process work in collaborating with brands and businesses?
Christopher: To be honest, we look at the community. As far as our community aligns, it keeps everything within the same target.
Congratulations on the recent collaboration with Guinness, What motivated your decision to collaborate with Guinness in celebrating the black creative scene?
Christopher: We get a lot of people reaching out to us for a collaboration. Most of the time we do not think it aligns. The reason we worked with Guinness is that when you look at our jersey and the presence of Guinness in terms of the soccer team in Nigeria, there is a synergy there. When you are watching soccer and an ad pops up, it’s the Guinness ad you see. With them telling us they want to focus on youth empowerment, we knew that they were willing to hear our voices and it was something we also wanted to explore.
As successful designers, what advice would you give to aspiring designers looking to establish their own brand and make an impact in the fashion world?
Soul G: My advice is to just trust your gut and follow your heart. But make sure to practice.
Christopher: For a new brand starting, my advice is understanding your market and being unique. With this market being super saturated, you have to be true and have a uniqueness to yourself.
How would you say Severe Nature has continued to maintain their uniqueness despite the numerous competitions coming up everyday?
Christopher: We have just been consistent in what we do and know what we do. We know our vision. We are not here for popularity but rather ensuring every kid in Nigeria can access every type of street wear piece. That’s why we expand the things we make every year. There is always something new. So far, you are focused on your vision and what you are trying to achieve, you do not get bothered by anything.
Are there any upcoming projects or initiatives that you’re particularly excited about?
Christopher: We are focused on our summer collections. But we have other collaborations coming up which are more community and international-based. Our summer collection is very important to us and we want people to appreciate it. That’s what we are hoping to achieve.
