Yes, I knew what I wanted since I was about ten years old. It’s been a very long walk to where I currently am because I’ve had to figure everything out myself. Not once did I have someone tell or show me the way, and my brands are built on experimentation. I keep trying out new things and modernizing the existing techniques I’ve used then or now.

Reception in Nigeria is so not good, but it’s getting better. I can remember when I just started out – it was terrible. The insults were major; I have been stoned with one of my show designs before, that’s how bad it was. But the good thing is that whatever I make now becomes more and more relevant into the future. All the trends and grounds I have both set and broken are finally arriving with the people many seasons ahead of their introduction by me.

I found it very redundant to follow every western rule when it doesn't apply to our environment. It’s like copying in an exam hall without checking if you are writing the same paper type as the person you are copying from – he might have a paper type A while yours is a D. Why should I follow Spring/Summer or Fall/Winter when they don’t exist here? Our seasons are Dry, which is hot; Wet, which is rainy; and Harmattan, which is very windy and dusty, with a mixture of cold chills and hot air. On this, I pioneered the seasons accordingly. I love the western calendar so I still follow the pre and main seasons; the only differences are the title of the seasons and their functionality in terms of design creation and conceptualization.

I design for human beings, not animals. Gender is never primary; it’s not even secondary either. I like to think it doesn’t exist.

Pretty much. I love my country and I really love what I am doing. I get a whole lot of people following what I do, either directly or indirectly. I mean, the only thing that I am not really fighting against right now is how people lift my designs or ideas without crediting the source. I am glad people can copy because it only shows relevance. I know they can only copy what I have done, and not what is in my head.

As long as I can, why not?  Maxivive is a brand that I am building to last forever. It would be my absolute love and desire to have the brand keep running long after my demise, with its full aesthetic on ground and modernized in the right ways. I have received lots of attention from various looks or pieces; each collection generally has a couple, at least.

Yes, capital yes. I love tradition. I work a whole lot reimagining these traditions, I find that really interesting and fresh.

Glistening is a full yearlong theme for all collections I will be releasing this year. The Wet collection was partly inspired by Paris is Burning, a documentary on ball culture and other underground cultures in the ‘80s in New York. It is also taken from the mirage formed by the effect of sunlight on tarred roads or on water, which gives it this glistening effect. But most important of all was the alternative meaning of glistening, which is g-listening (not listening) – not listening or confirming to the norms and values that are very restricting. Why? Because it’s 2018, live your life!

Yes, a great deal! I always make in-depth research on everything I am working on. I ensure that I hit all ground before commencing my sketches. I love empathizing, it helps a whole lot.

There is a community that’s very diverse and un-tapped into. Bó young creatives (Bóyc) is a crystal ball of underground culture through young creatives, and I intend on documenting things happening right now for them, and their processes. The spirit, the life and the entire entity have to be captured and preserved for the future, to have a great and quality taste of the past with the #WEBÓYC movement.

Tokyo James (creative direction and design), OrangeCulture (design), and Kadara Enyeasi (photography).

Yes! We are currently working on the Maxivive website, turning it to e-commerce where each brand has its own store. 

Thank you. That’s a major milestone that I have been meaning to reach for a while now in my career, and I am so glad and grateful that I finally did. I think for now I just have to master the art of doing everything I am currently doing. But the next major solo show would be the second edition of Maxivive By Appointment by the end of August; I can’t wait to execute my ideas on that.