Reports

Tuesday, 15 March 2016

Inspiring! An Excluive Interview With Egypt Ify Ufele, The 10-Year Old Who Started Her Own Clothing Line To Fight Bullying


How inspiring is this? 10 year old Egypt Ify Ufele is a Nigerian girl living in the US who was bullied for her weight. But instead of letting it get her down, Ufele started hand-sewing clothes for her dolls and eventually learned to use a sewing machine to make clothes for all body types. Today, she has made history as the youngest fashion designer to debut her work at the New York Fashion Week.

And not only is she loving her budding career, but she has successfully turned negative attention into positive attention as her works continue to garner worldwide attention. Her fashion label dubbed ‘ChubiiLine’ aims to empower other children and also bring ”Africa to America one design at a time”.


In this exclusive interview, Ufele speaks about her inspiration and how she is breaking barriers everyday.


What inspired you to start the Chubiiline Fashion label?
Chubiiline was started because I was bullied for being a plus size kid in my school. The story behind Chubiiline is to empower children around the world to do their best.

Your slogan says “bring Africa to America; one design at a time” What does this mean?
My father Olisahemeka Ufele is Igbo Nigerian and my mom Dr. Reba Renee Perry-Ufele is a Southern Lady. I want to introduce the American kids to embrace the African rich beautiful culture.


Have you gotten any formal training in fashion designing?
My grandmother Nellie Rembert was a professional Seamstress for 40  years and she taught me how to sew. My senior sister Sade Perry is a Fashion student who taught me to sketch and design. I use my own imagination by reading and attending Fashion Shows with my mom and I’m also a professional model.

How do you design your clothes from start to finish? Please take us through the process from the conception of the idea to the finished work and the people who help bring your ideas to life.
I take 2 hours daily to work on my designs 4 days a week. I plan and research the night before the layout of my designs. The next day I cut out the patterns with my sister Sade or grandma. Then I sew them with assistance and my house models try them on to critique it. Then I display them at Fashion Shows.

Your Instagram Page is called ‘Bully Chasers’. How has fashion helped in chasing the bullies away?
The Bullychasers Company has help the kids that were bullied feel more included in society. Bullychasers has absolutely help build kids confidence 100%. Kids that otherwise would be left behind do receive the full spotlight from ChubiiLine/Bullychasers.

How do you successfully combine the demands of your school work with running a fashion label?
I maintain a 93 plus average. My school issued me a work permit. My teachers work closely with my schedule. My assignments are emailed to me. My mother Dr. Reba Perry-Ufele is an educator and she stay on top of my education component. My Publicist Yvonne Forbes makes sure my schedule has two days of business and three days off for pleasure. I have a great team to keep the momentum going.

Who inspires you the most?
The person that inspires is my Mom, Dr. Reba Renee Perry-Ufele. She runs her franchise business, she hired the best team for my companies. Mom runs our household alone, manages me and my sister Misperri Fashions career and she keeps my schedule very structured. She never ever complains about the busy schedule and she always tells me “if you don’t work hard, you will fail“.

What is your dream for Chubiline? How far would you really love to go with your fashion label?
Chubiiline is a reality of a success story. My products are in 3 major chain stores in mass production and online. The launch for Chubiiline/Bullychasers is during Easter Week. I choose the time when the kids are out of school.
I have received awards from NAACP, Danny Glover Award, Chamber of Commerce, Columbia University Black Girls Magic, Harlem Hospital, Mayor of Boston Citation, NY State Senator and many more. I made Black Enterprise, Queen Size Magazine, Boxer Laila Ali Blog, Popsugu Celebrity Site, Chanel NY1, WPIX, NBC Today, NBC Black Popular, CNN, Huffington Post, Queen Ledger, Germany, Canada and many more.

What advice would you give other 10 year-olds who think its impossible to achieve the kind of feat you have achieved with Chubiiline?
Anything is possible but you have to be willing to sacrifice a lot of your personal time and you need to have the right team. Your parents can not manage you if they have no business knowledge and the parent has to  present you professionally. Appearance and discipline is a must. People will only take you serious if you take pride in your brand.
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