Creative Director, Artist, Image Consultant, Style Icon and Celebrity Stylist Extraordinaire –
Ugo Mozie is no average Joe! Born in Nigeria and raised in Los Angeles (and Houston partly) ,
Ugo Mozie started his career in fashion after becoming aware of it in the 4th grade and falling in love with it at about the age of 11. At the age of 14 he landed a job with the help of Rap Mogul –
Shawn Jay- z Carter at an Urban modeling tour in 2005 with designers such as as a model for
Sean John and
G-unit clothing companies. In the summer of 2009 he moved to New-York and the rest, they say, is history!
He describes his fashion journey as one which only he understood, stating how he never sees gender in fashion and believes that no item of clothing must be restricted to just male or female. (In an interview with
stylelikeu.com, he displays a vintage blouse which he got from his mothers closet and describes how possible it would be for him to wear it fashionably). In February of 2011,
Ugo Mozie in collaboration his longtime best friend and business partner
Quinn Aston launched a clothing line-
Aston Mozie.
He is known for his works on
Sex and the City 2,
Dateline NBC,
51st Grammy Awards and
Tribeca film festival and outstanding contributions to
WAD,
GHUBAR and
360 magazines where he serves as fashion contributor, Fashion Editor and Fashion Editor-at-Large respectively.
I got to chat with with the uber talented Ugo Mozie:
Nneka Nwokeocha:
Who is Ugo Mozie?
Ugo Mozie: Ugo Mozie is a fashion visionary. I was Born in Nigeria and raised in Los Angeles California. I consider myself a fashion visionary because I envision myself being in the forefront of the future of fashion and business. Through my styling and creative directing, I already predict and set the future of trends and styles, I plan to use that skill to do amazing things in the near future.
NN:
What does your personal life on a daily basis entail? Do your life experiences play into the work field?
UM: At the moment, my personal life has basically synced into my work field. I consider it a blessing to be able to travel worldwide to discover new cultures and meet amazing people and have the pleasure of adding it to my job description.
NN:
What style genre appeals to you most at this point?
UM: I am in love with 1960′s men’s tuxedo looks mixed with the colors and boldness of the 80s formal looks. Basically if
James Dean,
Frank Sinatra, and
Fela were to sync with
Michael Jackson,
Lionel Richie, and
Prince – That would be my ideal style genre.
NN:
Being a fan and practitioner of androgyny, do you think your style appeals to both genders, your clientele and the general public?
UM: I definitely believe my style appeals to both genders. Style is all about a level of self confidence and comfort. Although everyone may not be able to wear and pull off some of the looks I choose, I believe that everyone can appreciate it for what it is.
NN:
At 14, you had already done your first shoot in Texas and modeled for Sean john and G-unit (via Jay-z). If you could go back to that age, would you have seen yourself as a future designer/stylist?
UM: Honestly, I definitely could not. I didn’t even see myself styling merely 2 years ago. I always knew that I was capable of maneuvering and advancing in any field i put my hands on but styling was not in consideration at that time.
NN:
How did you get the opportunity to work on Sex and the City 2, BET Awards, Dateline NBC, 51st Grammys, Tribeca Film festival?
UM: All those opportunities were basically sent from God directly. I didn’t have to seek them or go through any auditions or interview for them, they were all through recommendations, word of mouth, or friendships I accumulated through the years.
NN:
How do you cope with shuttling through Ghubar, WAD and 360 magazines?
UM: Working closely with numerous magazines may seem difficult but I definitely find a way to balance them out. Like me, none of them are the same. This allows me to be in touch with the high fashion side, lifestyle and street side, and entertainment side of my career. Due to the fact that fact the 3 magazines are completely different, it allows me to balance them quite fairly and also stay sane.
NN:
The Nous sommes necklaces have already been debuted, Have the sales been successful?
UM:
Nous Sommes necklaces were actually created by my good friends Jeremy and Kizda in Paris. I am the brand Ambassador for the company and it has definitely been an extremely successful debut.
NN:
Would you say LA, Houston and NY affect your style in anyway?
UM: Definitely, The laid back colorful side of LA, aligned with the western southern side of Houston, and the Fast Fashion driven side of New York definitely help shape my overall look on how I dress every day.
NN:
Is Michael Jackson (still) your ideal fashion Inspiration?
UM: Always and Forever YES!
