IRENE UTANURO BAZUNU
NYSFE 2017 Designer Spotlight
01 What inspire you to pursue a career as a designer ? First and foremost , not in a million years did I ever think I would be a designer , even my childhood friends seeing me now said they are not surprised , but I am . I wanted to be many things but never a fashion designer . Yes I loved fashion and still do . I loved creating my own style in school those days . I even introduced a particular trend back then , that took the whole school to another level . Now back to your question , I guess I always had it in me , 2010 was just the moment year for me . It was the season to bring forth what God created me with , so God inspired
me .
02 Do you have a designer that you admire ? Why ? Kimona Lee Simmons and DV .
03 What is your greatest accomplishment ? Seeing my clients coming back to me with great reviews .
04 Describe your creative process ? From the vision to source of fabric , by hand picking my exquisite fabrics from across the globe , then to sketching to pattern making and then finally to creating the piece . Most times it ’ s source of fabrics that comes first , then vision of design . It all depends .
05 How do you stay organized when you ’ re provided with multi design ideas ? By relaxing emotionally or mentally , staying focused , and getting my priorities right .
06 What is your social media and website information ?
Website : www . fashionbyrene . com Instagram : @ fashion _ byrene Facebook : FASHION BY RENE
Photographer : Magloire Kue
The name Fashion By Rene started existing in my head in the 1990s , every time I watched the popular sitcom “ Sister Sister ,” Lisa that played their mother ’ s fashion label was called fashion by Lisa , so that stuck in my head for a long time . I always said to myself , that would be the name of my brand some day . And besides , friends called me Rene back in the days even when my birth name is Irene . I remember my late mother rip MAMA MONICA called me RENREN . She once advised me to venture in studying fashion design , but I declined because as a teeneger I had other plans . Fashion design was definitely not one of them . I wanted to be a singer , actress or lawyer . Never in million years did I ever think I would have my own clothing line . God is so good , it ’ s a privilege that I do not take for granted . I say that because , so many people do not know their purpose or operate in their gifts .
So I started sketching for myself while addicted to that sitcom , because I was in love with Lisa ’ s outfits . Fast forward to 2010 , I started having so many dreams of designs . I always have a pencil and a sketch pad beside my bed , and remember just waking up early hours of the mornings or nights with designs in my head . I had to quickly sketch before they go out of my head . So by the end of 2010 into 2011 , I had over 150 designs . What will I do with all these ? Over and over again I kept asking myself . Being a designer was the last thing on my mind , until this faithful day this minister of God actually spoke to me through the TV , so unreal , ha ha moment .
I ’ ve used my “ Gift for Fashion ’’ to give back to this beautiful nation through my annual hosting fundraising fashion shows to raise funds for the less privileged all over Ireland and back home in Nigeria where I am from originally . My brand is a household name near and far . In 2013 I took my brand outside Ireland to Italy for fashion week , that was my first international fashion show . Then , 2015 did London Fashion Week . Just this past February , I attended the “ Big Apple ” city of fashion , New York . New York Fashion Week 2017 was an outstanding and awesome experience for me . Shortly after that Art Heart fashion , I was featured in the Essence Magazine , I was so delighted .
I ’ m so glad I did the NYFW because Rose of NYSFE scouted my brand . She fell in love with my designs as soon as she set her eyes on my designs . I ’ m so pleased I am doing her show this year . What ’ s next for Fashion By Rene ? One thing I know for sure is that I will always visit the United States , New York to be precise for business and pleasure . This great city will always be my second home . Fashion By Rene has gone beyond designing timeless clothing using exquisite hand picked fabrics from different continents .
So I started researching about being a fashion designer , spent hours upon hours on the Internet . Experienced all the DO ’ s and DON ’ Ts of the fashion industry . In August 2011 I had my first ever fashion show in a prestigious hotel . Families and girlfriends were my models , all wearing over 150 of my exquisite designs on that runway . It was absolutely a proud moment for me . I worked from home for some years after that , then relocated to my fashion empire , that immediately paved so many ways for me . I did a lot of media interviews by newspapers and television stations here in Ireland and the UK . In 2015 I launched my fabulous shoe line .
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