Lexy Mojo-Eyes: The Man that Changed the Face of African Fashion Forever

Often, individuals that engineer groundbreaking achievements do not seem in the picture of whom we expect, most of the time they are just ordinary folks who inspire change for a better world that the rest tap from.

Nothing could be more inspiring than learning from these individuals who manifest their dreams and inspire others to find their lifepath by turning obstacles into opportunities and fathom means of being resourceful when resources become scarce.They are focused, persistence and dedicated individuals that the world must shower encomium on and unreservedly appreciated.

One of such is an African icon, a foremost fashion promoter, a mentor an entrepreneur of higher repute, -Lexy Mojo-Eyes is a man fitting that mould.

Mojo-Eyes is best known for advancing the essence of African fashion industry by inspiring African designers to look inwards into the rich peculiarities embedded within African culture by projecting African fashion towards global recognition, inclusion, and economic viability. He can as well be described as the unsung hero behind the revolutions that have characterized the African fashion for almost 3 decades.

With unswerving faith in the commercial prospects in African fashion and how it can be transformed into a vehicle to combat poverty in the continent, Mojo-Eyes has recorded groundbreaking achievements in the African fashion industry, making him an authority and a revered name in the industry.

As the President and CEO of Legendary Gold Limited, a leading African fashion and creatives promoting organization, Mojo-Eyes has been at the vanguard of the continent’s fashion industry since the 90’s, introducing the first major fashion event in Nigeria known as “The Nigeria Fashion Show” in 1997, ostensibly as a vehicle to build awareness on the rich prospects imbued in African fashion, sustained by its annual editions ever since.

Stimulating this awareness, the show gave Nigerian designers the first national platform to express their creative talents which compelled participating designers to use only local fabrics and accessories in the production of their collections ever since, thereby giving Nigeria fashion a solid brand marketing within and outside the continent.

Debuting on the international stage in the year 2000, Mojo-Eyes took 10 top designers from Nigeria to the first international edition of the Nigeria Fashion Show in Paris, from where it proceeded to Milan, London, New York, Atlanta, Houston, Washington DC, Stockholm, Tel Aviv, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Shanghai and other notable fashion cities too numerous to mention.

Determined to push even beyond the frontiers of Nigeria’s fashion possibilities, Mojo-Eyes got the ears of the wife of former president Obasanjo, late Chief (Mrs) Stella Obasanjo who lauded the objective of the show and supported the initiative of which she ultimately became Grand Patron and regularly attended.

Understanding the Unique connection between fashion and modelling, Mojo-Eyes has also been creating opportunities for African youths in making meaningful careers in modelling. As a result, in December 2003, He signed a franchise contract in Paris with a renowned fashion broadcast platform, Fashion TV, a union that birthed the Nigeria Model Awards, with the goal to create opportunities for young Nigerian girls seeking to build careers in International Modelling.

The insatiable quest of the fashion titan to creating new opportunities for young Nigerian girls led to his signing a new contract with a New York based Ford Models in 2004, which secured a Nigerian representative at the annual Ford Supermodel of the World contest in New York where the girl clinched the opportunity to win modelling contracts worth $500,000 and above.

It is instructive to note that the lives of many these young girls have been transformed through these channels, with positive ripple effects resonating with global sustainable development goals.

In recognition of the value this African enigma has brought to the fashion space, Mojo-Eyes was appointed by Federal Government of Nigeria through the Ministry of Information and Communications in 2005 to produce fashion shows as part of the “Heart of Africa” Project, which he satisfactorily executed in Washington DC, Atlanta, Houston, Paris and London.

Further in his enduring and unrelenting exploits and positive influence on African fashion, in 2009, Mojo- Eyes was appointed the only African on the Board of Governors of the World Fashion Organization due to his invaluable contributions to the growth and development of the Fashion industry in Africa.

Also, in 2010, he was commissioned by the office of the President of the Nigeria to produce and direct Nigeria/South African 10th Bi-National Commission event which was held at the banquet hall of the presidential villa in Abuja, attended by the Presidents of both countries and broadcast live via MTV Base- a global lifestyle broadcast platform.

The remarkable strides of Mojo-Eyes in the African Fashion Industry ushered in greater recognition and attention to African textile, garment and the entire fashion industry to the very core of its commercial nerve, stimulating investment and economic opportunities that gave the continent’s fashion business -a viable impetus.

In 2011, Mojo-Eyes was invited to Perth, Australia to address the International Fashion Incubators Conference on how to create wealth in Africa through the fashion and garment industry. Following year, 2012, he addressed the United Nations Assembly in New York on the theme; ‘Empowering African Rural Creative Women through Enterprise Development & Global Fashion Opportunities’,where he further caught into the women circle within developmental partnerships.

Same year, he spoke on the theme: ‘Africa, the Next Emerging Marketplace’ in a forum at the Department of International Trade, Fashion Institute of Technology, New York State University in October.

Mojo Eyes was invited in 2015 to address the 4th Pan African Congress in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he spoke on the topic ‘infrastructural investment in the garment and textile industry in Africa as the most important vehicle towards job creation and poverty alleviation’,where he further entrenched his brand name among the cynosures of African authoritative narration.

Today, everyone appreciates the glowing global encomiums showered on the African Fashion industry for its very rich peculiarities, yet few really know the man bestriding the Africa’s fashion square like a colossus, inspiring innovations that continue to spark further opportunities for the continent.

Year 2016 was another epoch making one where Mojo-Eyes was received and recognized in the Elysee Palace by the former French President, Francois Hollande as one of those that have promoted bi-lateral relationship between France and Africa through his annual event, the “Africa Fashion Reception” project where he annually presents designers from all over Africa through a top-notch event to the world.

At the instance of AFREXIM Bank, through its Folio Communication, Mojo-Eyes was appointed to organize an event which included, fashion, music, films and the Arts for the African creative industry at the 1st Intra African Trade Fair in Cairo, Egypt. He further consulted in the creative industry sector for the African Union participation inthe Dubai Expo 2022, and currently consults for the United Nations on the African creative economy.

Legendary Gold Limited,owned by Mojo-Eyes has been at the forefront in promoting African designers and creatives in the African fashion industry, with quite an impressive number of influential designers having been influenced by the brain behind Africa’s foremost fashion promoting firm, sustainably inspiring creativity and economic opportunities with its annual events; the Nigeria Fashion Show, the Nigeria Fashion Week, the Nigeria Fashion Awards, the Nigeria Model Awards, Africa Fashion Reception and its novel initiative, Agogo Africa – an e-commerce marketplace for African fashion designers and creatives.

Characteristically and unassuming, Mojo-Eyes always adorns African attires and buzzing with lofty development ideas, such as ‘Going Green’ fashion initiative, the first ever in Africa, through the Nigeria Fashion Week that attracted international media coverage from CNN, BBC, Aljazeera, REAUTERS and the rest of the main stream media in 2011.

Collaborating with the African Union and UNESCO, Mojo–Eyes through ‘ African Fashion Reception’, has been globally projecting Africa fashion designers and entrepreneurs since 2013 bringing immense success to the continent, aimlng at using fashion as one of the tools to fight poverty in Africa by creating wealth through women and youth empowerment in the various fashion vocations.

The ‘Africa Fashion Reception’ also creates free trade and partnerships among fashion practitioners throughout the African continent, thus taking advantage of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), while attracting global attention to Africa’s very rich and diversified dress culture, exploring it as a catalyst for growth of the continent’s garment/textile industry and the overall economic development.

The objective of the Africa Fashion Reception initiative has over the years been advancing the essence of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union Agenda 2063 by building bridges to stimulate economic growth within the continent.

Apparently, with all these antecedents in the African fashion industry and spilling across the African borders, the fashion innovator,Lexy Mojo-Eyes must be a fulfilled, satisfied and relaxed man, but and except that he is not yet fulfilled because he still has a lot in the offing to offer mother Africa.

He is not a one that rests on his oars so to speak. it can be expected or wisely assumed that the muse known as Mojo-Eyes still has some much more in fashion up his sleeves waiting to be rolled out in due time.

Perhaps, he seems like the unsung hero of African fashion, yet when the history of African fashion is told today or in the years to come among the unborn generations , one name will always stand out clearly like the northern star, and that is non other other than the very pioneer and the champion of contemporary African fashion, the Iconic Lexy Mojo-Eyes.