Akin Faminu can spend one evening watching a 1999 Dolce & Gabbana show and another reading an anatomy textbook from cover to cover. The medical doctor and fashion creator has built a public life around style, but his tastes extend well beyond clothes.
For this edition of Word of Mouth, Faminu talks about the designers he keeps returning to, the music he listens to when he wants to slow down, why Paris continues to draw him back, his preferred way to eat ofada sauce and the necklace he rarely takes off.
On books and readingAnatomy texts · GQ · Business of Fashion · Vogue
My favourite books to read are books on anatomy. I read a lot more medical books. There’s an anatomy book that I really, really love. I’ve read it from cover to cover a few times. For fashion, I’m more of a consumer of online articles, from GQ to Business of Fashion and Vogue. I do a lot of research and read extensively. I also watch a lot of fashion shows. I could randomly turn on my TV and watch a Dolce & Gabbana collection from 1999.
On the designers who shaped himOrange Culture · Emmy Kasbit · Ugo Monye · Deji & Kola
I can’t pick just one African and international designer. I’d rather think about which designers have influenced the way I dress the most. Locally, definitely Orange Culture, Emmy Kasbit, Ugo Monye and Deji & Kola. Those four designers have had a lot of impact on me, especially because of the kind of work I do. I’ve worked with almost all of them at different points, locally and globally, so there’s a relationship and familiarity there.
Internationally, I really love EgonLab. I also really like Ahluwalia. That might change the next time you ask me, though. That’s the thing with fashion. It’s always changing. I’m trying to mention some of the less obvious brands rather than just the household names in Europe that everybody already knows.
On musicRema · Tems · Ayra Starr · Enya
Right now, I’m listening to Rema and Tems. I also love Ayra Starr. I really liked her new project “starrgirl” and everything she’s been doing. It’s interesting because the artists I’m listening to also become part of how I think about fashion. Rema did a show with 424, for example, and Tems has become such a presence in fashion. Ayra Starr was inducted into the BoF 500 last year.
Almost everything I talk about still ties back to African fashion. That’s what I’m passionate about. So even when you ask me about music, I’m thinking about it in relation to fashion. I’m always asking myself: How does this impact the fashion industry back home? How does this translate for us?
“My comfort music is very, very slow. My favourite album is Amarantine by Enya. I keep returning to it.”
Akin Faminu
On filmChristopher Nolan
My favourite film director is Christopher Nolan. I always look forward to his films. As a creative, the effort he puts into telling stories in a particular way is mind-blowing. There’s always so much thought behind his films. I really appreciate that.
On food and where he eatsGRAS Restaurant · Ofada & white rice
My favourite restaurant in Lagos is probably GRAS Restaurant. The last time I was there, I had peppermint tea, and it was probably the best peppermint tea I’ve had in Lagos.
My favourite Nigerian food has to be some kind of rice. Honestly, white rice with plantain and ofada sauce. I love the spice. But the funny thing is, I don’t actually like ofada rice. I like the sauce with white rice.
On citiesParis · Lagos · Zanzibar · Marrakech
My favourite city is Paris. It’s a no-brainer. I’ve been to Paris about seven times in the past two years. I keep going back for a lot of reasons. The funny thing is that it’s not just about fashion. I really like the city itself, and I happen to have a lot of friends there, so when I’m in Paris, it’s about more than fashion. It’s also about friendship, the people and the life I’ve built there.
My favourite city on the continent has to be Lagos, though I really enjoyed my time in Zanzibar. I’ve also been to Marrakech, but honestly, it’s Lagos for me. A lot of it is familiarity. I’d love to go back to some of those other places and spend maybe two weeks there, but I always find myself wanting to come back to Lagos.
On sportsCristiano Ronaldo
My favourite sport is football, by a mile. I watch football a lot. I’m a Ronaldo guy. I really admire his work ethic. Obviously, I like other footballers for different reasons. I watch football, but because I’m also interested in fashion, I’ll tell you who the most stylish footballers are too. But if I had to pick one footballer overall, it would definitely be Ronaldo.
On a building that stays with himSt Peter’s Basilica
An architectural site I would love to experience again is St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. It’s a work of art. I’ve only seen it once, and I was really young when I did, so I think that’s part of why it has stayed on my mind. I’d love to go back. There’s the nostalgia, but beyond that, it’s the art of the building. It’s such an artistic structure and has so many elements and layers of meaning. All of that together really stays with me.
On the object he treasures mostA locket of his father
The object I treasure the most is my necklace. There’s a particular necklace I have with a locket of my dad and me. It also has something written on it, something my dad used to say to me before he passed away. I wear it as a fashion piece, so a lot of people might not know what it means to me. But it’s very sentimental. My dad passed away about four years ago, but I still wear the locket all the time. It’s definitely one of the things I treasure the most.
“I wear it as a fashion piece, so a lot of people might not know what it means to me. But it’s very sentimental.”
Akin Faminu