Even without trying, he’ll make you laugh hard and well. Known for his prowess in pidgin English and cap life, Steve Onu popularly known as ‘Yaw’ reveals three things you’ll always find with him.
What does fashion mean to you?
Fashion is anything that you wear to make you (feel) comfortable.
How would you describe your personal style?
My personal style is simple. I love comfort; so it has to be as simple as possible.
What do you think about Nigeria’s fashion industry?
I think we’ve really gone far; a big shout-out to the creative guys, to the stylists. They’re all doing great. People are rocking what they won’t normally wear before now and that’s a good development.
People are now mixing prints and fabrics they won’t place side-by-side before.
Who would you call your favourite Nigerian designer?
Well, I have some young boys that are making clothes for me. They’re the ones I can call my favourites for now. I have Phinix World. I have Lablack. I wear some clothes from Mudi too.
Why do you like Mudi?
I like his creativity and what he does to his clothes but, again, how many Mudis do I even have? These younger guyso I even have? These younger guys, I have more of their clothes because they are creative and that’s my own way of supporting them. Truth is, they also have what I like and they do it well.
What are the three things we will always catch Yaw with?
Well, the first would be the cap then, the glasses and, finally, my ring (laughs). I’ve always worn rings as far back as the ’90s so a ring is definitely one item you’ll always catch me on.
Do you exercise?
No o! The stress alone is too much and I hardly find time to go to the gym. I’m a really busy person. Once I’m done with radio in the morning, I’m off to either ‘Flatmate’ location or I’m in my office in Surulee chasing production; because I work back-to-back, it’s difficult to actually hit the gym.
So how do you relax?
Once in a while, I go to the cinemas. Once in a while, I watch comedy films at home and they’re really relaxing.
As simple as your style is, how has it helped your brand?
Well, people have always known me to be someone that loves to wear caps a lot; any kind of cap and I try to stick to that. Anytime I don’t wear a cap, I become very hard to recognize.
You’ll hear people saying things like: “Do you know I didn’t think it was you.” That way, that simple fashion item has helped my brand; made me more recognizable to some people. Even my beard, it’s now becoming a signature that some companies are now talking to me because of it.
How do you plan your simple look for an event, considering how busy you are?
Well, I just pick the first thing I find because, as I said, I love looking simple. If I’m not wearing a native (attire), I’m wearing jeans and a t-shirt because of my fez cap, I hardly wear shirts.
How would you describe your eating habit?
I can be a horrible person when it comes to eating. I can eat just once a day; that was it until I started to have an ulcer. Now, I’ve got no choice but to eat three times a day.
Your skin looks good! Care to tell us what you use?
Nothing much o. I use locally made black soap bought directly from Ghana. I don’t use any body cream whatsoever.
What’s your watch word in life?
That’ll be: “‘We’ before ‘me’ and the world would be a better place.” I believe if people consider others before they do anything, the world would get better than it is.
