UCHE OBASI: The pride of Nigerian fashion in Dallas

Many years ago, as a young man who wants to follow the footsteps of great footballers in the world like Romario, Ronaldo, Finidi George, Emmanuel Amuneke and hosts of fantastic players staging the football world in the 90s, Uche Obasi, the elder brother of Nigeria’s Olympic silver medalist, Chinedu Obasi, believed at his tender age that he had all what it takes to grace the football world but unfortunately, after staging briefly in Virgil Island as professional player, concurrent injuries cut short his playing career prematurely.

But being a multi-talented young man in the city of Enugu state, who always thrive to reach the top, his early school days experience as a fashion designer came to the rescue when the soccer money was no longer available. Uche left the shores of Nigeria to become the household name in Dallas, the United State of America to open a Dallas fashion outfit and debuted his own line of brand as Obasi Design.

In this interview with The Papers, the handsome looking Obasi revealed an interesting part of his brand that attracts American models, his relationship with Nigerians in the country and his next target in the United States of America…

Early football career
At my tender age, I was a lover of soccer, I loved playing football in the streets of Enugu State back then, I played for school and to an extent of professional career before injury stopped me from continuing. I wouldn’t say I encouraged my younger brother Chinedu Obasi to play football but it was dreams of everybody to become what he intend to be but unfortunately for me Chinedu was the hero of the pitch in my family because he played to the highest level he desired and today he’s an ex-Nigeria player. Of course I felt pain because I couldn’t continue after playing for Enugu Rangers, Heartlands of Owerri before moving abroad to play for Virl Island.

From soccer pitch to fashion house
My interests for fashion started during my school days also because we used to have an uncle who had a fashion workshop, so myself and one of his own sons always resumed to the tailoring workshop after school, it was there I gathered some experience, before I ventured into football permanently until injuries occurred. Even then, my friends used to encourage me to rent a shop and get some machines as small as I was but I don’t always agree to the advice because I have sight for football. I could remember a certain time when a tailor in the community disappointed Chinedu Obasi over his school uniform short, all I do was to arranged my mum’s butterfly sewing machine, I asked him to give me the cloth, arranged our centre table and cut the clothes from their and sew something good for him and everyone was surprised.

The challenges of dumping football career
After my professional career in Vigil Island in 2011, the money I made was going down because I couldn’t continue playing football and my family was worried, some of my friends too were worried. But because I had experience of fashion designing, I was able to rent a shop and set up a fashion home in Enugu back then. But the most challenging aspect of it is huge money to establish and compete with top designers in the state and across the country. I used to see fashion designers renting a whole building for a fashion house, also employing people from Aba market to sew clothes for big men. I couldn’t cope with lots of challenges but I know I have what it takes to be at the top, I need an environment to establish myself as a young man. I could remember I sewed clothes for a particular rich man in Enugu, and a top designer in the country took a snap of the clothes and the rich man was like wahoo this guy must be very good for this popular designer to have taken a snap of his work.

From Enugu to United State of America fashion show
Like I said before, while I was in Enugu State, I was looking for an avenue to establish my talent, my dream has always been to take fashion work to the world. And fortunately for me, the U.S came calling…. I took that opportunity to establish myself in a country where American-Africans appreciated my work and they gave me maximum patronage. The white people appreciate my clothes, they appreciate my talents and that’s what motivates me. I have been able to work with Nigerian and American models, I sew clothes for models and my products are being showcased at big events in the country. Recently, one of my products was recommended by a top model in the country and I sincerely appreciate that because that is all I need to take my fashion initiative to the world. Slay magazine showcased my products in Dallas where I was invited as one of the designers and I was given the right recognition by models. A Hollywood actor in Los Angeles gave me a thumbs up over my creativity when someone saw what he wore as my product. Apart from dressing the white people, Nigerians in America give me absolute support in patronage and I have been living my dreams. All these give me joy, it says a lot about my level of expansion outside my home country.

Regrets of dumping football career to Fashion
I dumped football for fashion due to circumstances of injuries, it was the most painful part of my life, football is lucrative, football will make you tour the world with huge money but why I wouldn’t want to say I regretted much is that my younger brother Chinedu Obasi made it to the top and as a brother I am proud of what he has done. Of course, it would have been great seeing myself and my brother competing at world football level like he has done for himself. I had wanted to play football right from my primary school days to my university level but today the fashion industry has given me much joy. And I can tell you that I am designing clothes for footballers, both Nigerians and other African players. In Dallas today, I am proud to be among the top international designers but my focus is beyond a state and city, I want to be a household name in America, and that is one of the reasons I left Enugu state to expand my fashion talent to the world.