A turning point for Enkay Ifeonu was when she went to stay with her dad and siblings in Cote D’Ivoire for a few months. She beheld the fact that Ivorian Women are beautiful and never ever shy away from expressing it. They have beautiful dark skin, they decorate their bodies with beautiful jewelry and accessories, their bodies are typically voluptuous and sexy. It was difficult not to stare, so here she was watching this woman that fries “aloko”(local fries), plus size and walking around with her wrappers and her headscarves and looking so regal and royal.
In her head, she was like “fuck it!! why do I have to hide my body so much? This woman isn’t hiding hers!”
Ever since, it’s been a conscious effort to love her body every day just the way it is and in doing so, especially in styling and creating outfits that have not been “allowed” to be worn by plus size women, Enkay has inspired a lot of women of her body type to wear whatever they like and be unapologetic about it. It was a big epiphany for her in 2016. 
What drives her to keep going?
“My late mom, Abimbola. She was such a beautiful woman with a beautiful soul, she was kind and passionate about everything she did.”
Enkay’s love for fashion and style came from when she would watch her mom on Saturday mornings dressing up and stepping out to a wedding or a birthday or get-together. Her confidence, elegance and her poise. “If I could be half the woman that she was in my entire life, I would be lucky.
May her soul rest in peace…”
Asides her late mom, Enkay is big on Nature too, anything unexplainable… like the ocean, rain, trees, Shooting Stars, Cosmology, etc
What legacy/mark does she want her work to leave?
Enkay wants every woman especially plus size women to find their beauty through her. She wants women to learn to love themselves and be themselves unapologetically.
“I want women to get degrees and flourish in their jobs and be happy and fulfilled in life. I just want women to be truly happy and if they are happy or inspired through any work or post of mine.
Then I have done my job as a woman.”
Follow Enkay Ifeonu and her creations in style on Instagram and Twitter.
See the full list of 21 African Women Channeling New Narratives In The Creative Industry.
Feature by Adeyele Adeniran.
Adeyele Adeniran is a creative writer and director with an undying passion for poetry and storytelling. She is a Nigerian and resides in Lagos where she studies History and Strategic Studies at the University of Lagos. Most of her works are a response or observation to the world we live in.
Find more of her works on Medium – Adeyele Adeniran and also on her Instagram @_adearo.
