When Nifemi Ashani was born, the nurse told her mother: “I foresee this child of yours is going to be into fashion.” Ashani moved from Nigeria to South Africa at four years old and arrived in Canada at the age of 10. Fast forward to present day and she’s a grad student, runner, church goer and Edmontonian. You can also add “prophecy fulfiller” to that list — Ashani is the fashion brand consultant and founder of Styled by Nif, an Edmonton-based fashion styling and creative agency that tackles everything from designer management and fashion styling to social media marketing and brand strategy.
You’ve lived in a few different places — you mentioned Nigeria, South Africa and Canada. How have the places you’ve lived, and the cultures in those places, influenced the work you do at Styled by Nif?
Styled by Nif is big on driving culture diversity — that’s the cornerstone of what we do. One of our largest events thus far was last year in September [Farming YEG Fashion], we coined it as Edmonton’s largest BIPOC fashion event. That was a space where we would see all sorts of people — Asian, Black, Indian, Caucasian — all in one space celebrating fashion. And to me that’s important, as coming from Nigeria, living in South Africa and here in Canada, we’re very multicultural. Appreciating and honouring diverse cultures needs to be important in one’s work, because it’s not only one type of group that’s going to receive what you’re creating.
We focus on working with businesses, brands and agencies that have a focal point on pushing diversity and pushing the decolonization of fashion. When I say decolonization, that’s looking at how we’re able to bring in nuanced ideas that are not status quo. So being able to decolonize our minds where we’re considering other ideologies — where it’s not just one ideology to look at fabric or clothing. At Styled by Nif, we do our best to incorporate cultural storytelling into our work.
How long have you been running Styled by Nif?
Styled by Nif initially started off as a fashion blog in 2017. I would just style myself, and my brother was my photographer. Then I would style my friends, and because I understood them so much — I would style them in a way that they looked like their higher self, or it spoke to who they wanted to be. From then on, I started positioning myself to volunteer at fashion shows in Calgary. In university I was somebody who loved taking action, so I would also host events and workshops.
Our mission now is to challenge the status quo by transforming visionary concepts into tangible outcomes. We are guided by this unwavering belief in the profound influence of creativity, and our core is to foster collaborative partnerships that elevate emerging and established creatives, while also promoting social change. Our vision is to push boundaries, explore uncharted territories, and redefine fashion’s role within culture.
Do you have any favourite fashion trends, or certain clothing items, that you really enjoy?
When a brand or designer works with us, it’s usually their vision that we work with. But if you’re wanting to talk about my personal style, I love Scandinavian looks. I’m obsessed with Copenhagen Fashion Week, so I get a lot of my style inspirations from there. But even though I work in the fashion industry, I’ve stopped shopping for clothing in recent years and I’m really focused on building my capsule wardrobe pieces. If I really need to buy something, one of my favorite local places to go to is Dots. They carry some of the best European … label names, which is rare. They bring in a lot of European designer pieces to their store. If I want something of really good quality, but at a more affordable price, I usually go to Dots.
When thinking about your personal style, are there any fashion items or trends that you aren’t a fan of?
I’m not really a fan of styles that expose the body too much, even if I look at other stylists’ work or fashion designers. For me, I really love quality work and quality craftsmanship. That when you see it on the body, or when it’s layered on the body, it understands the shape of a person’s body, whether male or female. I’m a fan of the original Y2K, but I’m not a fan of the Gen Z takes on it. I do love the original Y2K looks though, and I feel like Y2K looks can be styled in so many ways.
Are there any elements within Edmonton, and Edmonton’s culture, that you take inspiration from in your fashion styling?
Edmonton has a lot of talented creators, models, stylists, designers, and I’m very passionate about creating spaces where all of us can connect. What really inspires me about Edmonton is the drive, the tenacity, the creativity, and the fact that at Styled by Nif, we’re not the only ones doing it. There are so many people who are popping up and creating spaces to express themselves. For us at Styled by Nif, we’re really passionate about pushing the needle forward, and helping other creatives see that they can do it, and they can start here in Edmonton. Even if they want to go elsewhere, at least they should appreciate where they started.
Through all the opportunities and collaborations that they’re able to do to build their portfolio, Edmonton is that stepping ground. You can do it easier here than if you did it in Toronto or Vancouver. To start your fashion brand, to start a fashion agency, to be a stylist there, is expensive. Edmonton is a great place to start, because the skills are not as demanding and not as high — you can really go big here. The collaboration, the connectivity, and the drive are the driving forces for me to just keep going and keep pushing, keep achieving even higher in the work that I do.
What goals do you have for the future — both for yourself personally and for Styled by Nif?
I’m at the stage where I’m really establishing my name as an expert in my industry. I’m wanting to continue to work more with high profile people and get on projects and certain boards that allow me to learn from the best of the best. I’m also willing to contribute my vision and not shy away from doing that. So, my personal goal is just to continue evolving and being in a position where I can finally call the shots in the industry.
I want to eventually lecture at universities and go into policy with UNESCO and the UN, specifically in the cultural department, to look at what strategies we can put in place in connecting the global south and global north when it comes to the fashion, creative, and culture industry. For Styled by Nif, we’re working on becoming an incubator for the Canadian fashion industry and looking at cross-cultural collaboration, where we can offer mentorship programs, designer residency programs — where we are really growing the fashion industry in Canada.
