Aisha Sambo: Making It Shushi

Taking ideas from the point of conception to reality is no easy feat. For creatives within the Nigerian eco-system, sometimes, it may seem even more tasking.

To break through the noise and actually bring thoughts to fruition is a skill that few have mastered, one of whom is Aisha Sambo. The multi-disciplinary creative with a knack for fashion, film and everything in-between, sits down with The Guardian Life to discuss her roots in fashion, challenges within her industry and plans for the future.

So, who is Aisha Sambo?
Aisha Sambo, popularly known as Shushi by her peers and family members, is a writer, media consultant, creative and film director. She is the creative director for Shushi, and also, co-owns a company called Shubox Productions. She currently works part-time at El-Amin International School, which is a family-owned business. She supervises and handles marketing and communications for the school.

Did you have an interest in fashion as a kid?… and who were your early fashion influences?
I have two younger sisters. I really love their personal style; it’s a reflection of their personality. I found it encouraging to be myself too. We had so much fun living and growing up together; we were influenced a lot by our parents’ style and other female cousins and auntie. Someone I really admire for her fashion sense and has influenced me generally throughout my childhood is the late Maryam Babangida, my mum’s sister. I’m beginning to draw some influences from her style now more than ever, and as a child, I was a tomboy, a bit of a hippy, really, now I’d stay my style is more traditional and eclectic.

At what age did you start experimenting with fashion?
I would say around 15 to 16 years old. I learnt how to sew in 2007, finally my sketches would come to life and I would even take photographs, I begged my friends to model my designs, so, I could take photos of them. I’ve been experimenting with fashion, art and design since I was a toddler, but I’d say the skill and practice started in 2007.

How did Shushi come about?
People actually just call me Shushi, because it started off as a nickname at home. We have this tradition in our home, if there’s an elder cousin or aunt/uncle that shares the same name as yours, the family would pick a nickname for you. So, I share the same name with an elder cousin (she gave me that nickname actually and has been a huge support system).
I asked her what it means and why she named me that, she never had a reason or meaning, she just believed the name suited me. I decided to give Shushi meaning after many years. Shushi means love (it actually does in a language from Northern Nigeria), it means self-love and acceptance of one another and one’s true self.

We understand that you have an interest in filmmaking and directing, could you shed more light on that?
It’s more than an interest, it’s my life. I have a saying… “Set life, believe you’re going to be set for life”. So, my journey towards filmmaking has been interesting, I started off just as a photographer, learning photography skills and practising for many years. I was one of Big H’s first set of students for his yearly follow the light class in Abuja. Learning photography helped me direct better and once I hacked it, I’ve never looked back. I took a few classes here and there, I consider myself self-taught in filmmaking, and I just hope to gain more work experience in that field. Anything that has to do with curating or producing of an event, music, film, photoshoot, advert, fashion or art, Shushi is multitalented in that media sphere.

What’s the difference between fashion and style to you?
They overlap but fashion to me is more collective, more wholesome, whereas style is personal, it relates to an individual. Fashion is timely, and I consider it a fashionable person is more likely to follow the latest trends and wear designer clothes. On the other hand, style is timeless and I would consider a stylish person as someone who may or may not follow fashion trends, but they always stay true to their own aesthetic.

What a major setback did you face as a young player in the Nigerian fashion industry?
Funding! COVID! Maybe not fair to say COVID, because that affected everyone. So, let me rephrase, two major setbacks I faced were adequate funding for my ideas and projects. Secondary, employability skills I required for the business to run smoothly. It was not that there were no jobs in Nigeria, but we lacked employability skills.
How would you describe your personal style?
I don’t think I have just one particular personal style; I’m fierce and bold. I’m like a chameleon, I’m really diverse, and so, it depends on the occasion. Accessories always complete my looks; I can be daring when I want to be, but comfort over everything.

What do you believe to be the future of Shushi [say in another five years]?
As Shushi represents self-reflection, extraordinary talent and creativity, an affirmation for confidence and fearlessness, I believe in five years, Shushi will evolve for better: It’s what the best businesses do, they adjust as times change. I see us expanding our product range. I’ve already designed two scarf collections, I’m experimenting with up cycling and I hope with everything we want to introduce to Shushi, it appeals to our already existing customers first and then a wider global audience.