I Style People In My Community For Free To Help Them Feel Seen Chi Ilochi On 3/8/21 at 12:52 PM EST
When I was around seven years old my mom bought me a color block sweater from JCPenney. I don t know what it was about that sweater, because I was a shy kid in general, but I loved it. I felt like that sweater was me; it showed who I was on the inside.
Growing up, I didn t want to accept my Nigerian heritage because it didn t feel like it was cool back then. My father is Nigerian and so my mom would show up to parent-teacher conferences or pick me up from school in traditional Nigerian colors and fabrics. At the time, I wished she would just stop, but now those colors, prints and fabrics are in every element of my style. I m thankful in hindsight that she did that, because it taught me to embrace who I am.