Conversations with Praise Yakubu

Today we’d like to introduce you to Praise Yakubu.

Hi Praise, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Yes! I’m Praise, born in Nigeria raised in North Carolina. I love clothes, getting fly and also making them. When I was younger in Nigeria, my mother had a tailoring shop where she created and sold garments. I loved watching her work, and when she had to go to her other job, she allowed my brother and me to run the shop. I recall always trying to figure out how the stitches were formed on the sewing machine. I remember purchasing my first sewing machine from Facebook Marketplace when I first started making clothes in 2019. However, I didn’t take it seriously until I left high school. Although it was an outdated New Home sewing machine, it was always effective. My first-ever TikTok video was when I built a pair of jeans and was so happy with how they turned out that I decided to post it on social media. I combined it with several clothes I fashioned, and surprise, the video performed admirably and the pants attracted a lot of attention. The fact that people were interested in buying it motivated and inspired me to launch my clothing line, Fortunatewrld.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Actually, no, creativity is more like a wave. It has its ups and downs, such as how some days you can be incredibly inspired and other days you get creative block, but that’s what I enjoy about it because it keeps me intrigued and driven to think of new ideas. A few weeks ago, I came across a chart on Instagram that contrasted creating just when inspired with creating out of habit. The chart featured three stages: genius, mediocre, and worthless. Only producing when inspired kept one in a mediocre loop that never advanced to genius. It appeared to be flat, but establishing a habit loop made a significant difference in repeatedly attaining Genius. Because I tend to only create when I’m motivated, I had to screenshot it and set it as my lock screen, but I’m working on making it a habit now.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I make clothes, I’m a photographer, a model and a content creator. My work with denim is what I’m best known for, and my brand is built around sustainability and upcycling. I love denim. I recently created a denim jacket made out of the waistbands of my pants, which was inspired after the leather belt jacket by Margiela. It attracted a lot of attention and introduced me to numerous celebrity stylists. My ability to draw inspiration for my artwork from my culture and my real talent for sewing—which I discovered when I lived in Nigeria without a sewing machine and had to do all of my sewing by hand—set me apart from other artists.

What are your plans for the future?
I want to develop and grow in the future. There have been numerous adjustments for the brand as a whole, including taking calculated risks. I basically go with the flow and am not particularly good at talking about the future, but I’m interested to see what it holds for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fortunatewrld.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/iblamepraise