Paper Magazine Lists Eku Edewor, Adebayo Oke-Lawal, Zara Okpara, Maki Oh & More as the “Beautiful People of Lagos”

Paper Magazine, a New York-based pop culture magazine that focuses on fashion, music etc in conjunction with Blay Digital Media (founded by HELLO! Nigeria Editor and Journalism Professor, Zandile Blay), has created a list of the movers and shakers of the Entertainment and Fashion Industry in Lagos, Nigeria. The three-part photo feature is the first African version of the feature after being launched 17 years ago.

The Beautiful People is an anticipated round up of their Editor’s favorite up and coming, of-the-moment talents and cultural movers and shakers.

Making the list in Entertainment are Eku Edewor, Don T, Blink, Chin Okeke and Re Olunuga. In Fashion they featured Zara Okpara, Maki Oh, Lanre Masha, Adebayo Oke Lawal, Nana Serwaa Kankam, Zainab Ashadu, and Yegwa Ukpo.

In a press release Blay stated that finding the talent was a breeze. “No other country on the continent has such a concentrated level of dynamic, brilliant – and stylish – creatives.”

According to the magazine,

From the UN to the World Bank, hundreds of global institutions have released reports heralding Nigeria as one of the fastest consumer markets in the world. Chief among their desires? Fashion, music and…champagne! This past October we visited Lagos to meet the key personalities behind these industries, setting up at the site of Lagos Fashion & Design Week, held at Eko Hotel in Victoria Island. Between backstage fittings, front row shows and cocktail parties, we gathered a list of Lagos’ glitterati and commissioned three of the city’s most dynamic photographers — the veteran Kelechi Amadi-Obi, the new kid Lakin Ogunbanwo and Detroit boy-turned-Lagos regular, Nick Hagen — to shoot ’em all. And although Nigeria has been in the news lately for its oppressive anti-gay legislation passed in the months following our visit and photo shoots, politics shouldn’t overshadow the fact that the capital city is home to fabulous young people working to change, influence and impact the future of their country. In Part II of our Beautiful People: Lagos feature, meet five people making waves in Lagos’ entertainment industry, which includes a thriving music scene and the third largest film market, known as Nollywood.

On a recent trip to the “Centre of Excellence”, the magazine met with “Lagos Gliterrati” for a brief one-on-one chat about their career, what the best thing about Lagos is and of course what’s next for them. Ace Lagos Photographers Kelechi Amadi Obi, Lakin Ogunbanwo and Nick Hagen were also commissioned to take exclusive shots of the entertainment and fashion personalities.

Check it out.

Entertainment

Eku Edewor – Model/Actor/TV presenter

Photo by Nick Hagen

Don T – Music Manager

Photo by Kelechi Amadi-Obi

Blink – Music Artist

Photo by Nick Hagen

Chin Okeke – CEO Eclipse West Africa

Photo by Lakin Ogunbanwo

Re Olunuga – Conductor, Lagos Philharmonic

Photo by Lakin Ogunbanwo

Fashion

Zara Okpara – Brand Director, Jewel By Lisa

Photo by Nick Hagen

Maki Oh  – Designer, Maki Oh

Photo by Lakin Ogunbanwo

Lanre Masha – Brand Manager, Coca Goods

Photo by Kelechi Amadi-Obi

Adebayo Oke Lawal – Designer, Orange Culture

Photo by Nick Hagen

Nana Serwaa Kankam – Founder, 5th & Quansah

Photo by Lakin Ogunbanwo

Zainab Ashadu – Founder, Zashadu

Photo by Lakin Ogunbanwo

Yegwa Ukpo – Owner, Stranger

Lakin Ogunbanwo

Click here to read the Entertainment interviews | Click here for the Fashion Interviews.

What do you guys think? Are these the movers and shakers of Lagos and who do you think should have been added to the list?

Photo Credit: Papermag.com