PHOTOS: Jake Okechukwu Effoduh, named April9ine’s Brand Ambassador, inspires new collection, and takes action towards sustainable fashion

At the April9ine headquarters in Abuja, the CEO of April9ine, Aluwaye Philip Ilegar announced Jake Okechukwu Effoduh Esq., as the Brand Ambassador of the company. “I am honored to have a great man represent our brand. Having known Effoduh for 13 years, my team and I are inspired by his personality and his dedication to improving the lives of others” he said.

At the announcement, Effoduh was also named after April9ine’s most recent Fall/Harmattan collection. The entire collection was said to be inspired by Effoduh’s sense of style and creativity. Called “The Sage”, the collection includes Jackets and Kaftans that were said to be produced with inspiration from Effoduh’s work.  Speaking to the press on Monday, the creative lead of April9ine, Emmanuel Isaac II said “Jake specifically selected the fabrics and he chose the preferred colours and designs. He engaged with us through the entire process of creating this collection.” 

Mr.Effoduh who expressed his excitement about being a part of the production process, shared some insight: “for this collection, I chose high quality fabrics that speak of resilience. For the colours, I prioritized “deep” palettes like charcoal, barn, maroon, mahogany, pecan, wood, anchor and white. The designs are bold and vibrant as they demonstrate the creativity that comes from inter-cultural engagement. I believe that every outfit should be able to tell a story, and sometimes a story beyond the self.”

CEO Ilegar narrated how some of the outfits fuse African and American themes: “You will notice that the outfits in this collection are inspired by several cultures within West Africa but are also produced with a North American appeal. The goal here is to promote cultural collaboration between both First and Third World fashions whilst preserving the uniqueness of individuality and cosmopolitanism. This is something that our Brand Ambassador fully embodies.”

Speaking on how the fashion industry can contribute to climate change adaptation, Effoduh stated his commitment to ethical fashion and to reducing the production waste that comes from making clothes. “For this collection, we targeted a thirty percent reduction on production waste from all outfits. It seemed a high ambition initially, but I am happy that April9ine is accomplishing it.”  This is in line with April9ine’s commitment to “sustainable fashion” as well as Effoduh’s duty as a Climate Reality Leader trained by former U.S Vice President, Al Gore. “Our clothes should not come at the cost of people or our planet. It starts with every outfit, every collection”, said Effoduh.

Founded in 2015, April9ine is a bespoke fashion company based in West Africa with outlets across several cities.