Inspired
Samuel Chinecherem Ezeh’s 51-Metre Sleeves Earn Him a Guinness World Record
What does ambition look like? For Samuel Ezeh, it’s 51.20 metres of sleeve, a Guinness World Record and a dream stitched in Anambra.
Photo Credit: Samuel Chinecherem Ezeh/Instagram
In Onitsha, Anambra State, a young Nigerian designer has set a remarkable world record. Samuel Chinecherem Ezeh, 27, created a robe with sleeves measuring 51.20 metres (167.97 ft), officially recognised as the longest sleeves on a garment by Guinness World Records last year.
To put the achievement in perspective, the sleeves are longer than the height of the Statue of Liberty (46.5 m; 152.5 ft) and exceed the length of an Olympic-size swimming pool (50 m; 164 ft). Samuel says his attempt was aimed at creating a landmark piece in fashion.
“I wish to take it on a tour to display it in different countries and cities to show the world what it looks like,” he explained.
Samuel, a tailor and fashion designer who is also a student at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, completed the robe in less than four hours. But the journey was anything but smooth. On the day of the attempt, his sewing machine broke down.
“The needle broke after hitting a hard part of material and I realised I didn’t have any spares,” he recalled. Switching to a backup machine didn’t help — that needle snapped too. “At this point I felt like crying,” Samuel confessed. “I called the attention of my supervisor and he sent someone to fetch a pack of needles, after some minutes I got a new pack, I installed it and continued.”
Funding the project was another challenge. Samuel struggled to secure sponsorship and ended up covering 70% of the costs himself. The garment required 62 yards of jampard material, two yards for the body and 60 yards for the record-breaking sleeves.
Samuel began sewing as an apprentice during secondary school and went on to launch his own clothing line, Eco Collection World of Beauty, in 2020. For him, the record attempt was both a personal challenge and a statement of ambition.
“I’m the kind of person that does things in a big way, I have always wanted the world to know me, especially for what I do, for my fashion skill,” he said. “I want to have a big clothing brand. And I’m still working towards that. I want to be a rich famous fashionista.”
When he finally received confirmation that his record had been recognised, Samuel says he couldn’t hold back his joy. “I opened the mail and read it, I was smiling on the road and felt like dancing on the road, I turned and went back to the house. I screamed at my voice, I made it!”
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