Bashy Kuti is the creative minds behind BKK ultimo, a fashion house that has dominated the industry for more than 10 years. The chubby clothier, who is also a wardrobe consultant, in this interview with SEGUN ADEBAYO, speaks on how he keeps evolving with new styles, among other issues.
You have been silent in the last few months. You have also not been frequent at social gatherings like you used to do. What is responsible for the sudden change?
I have been busy since the beginning of the year. I have not been able to travel as much as I used to do because the job has been very overwhelming and we are always making conscious efforts to work on the BKK brand and put our best elements forward every time. Talking about sudden change in my social gathering appearance, I would say what is largely responsible for that is the death of my manager and one of the most trusted hands in my company, Biggy.
How did you receive the news of his death and how have you been coping without him?
He died about four months ago and I have not been able to get over his death. It was one death that really ravaged me and put me in a bad shape. For weeks, I was holding his phone hoping receiving his calls and hoping that he would come back from where he had gone to. I could not bring myself to believe that one of my competent and trusted staff has died. So, that sad development put quite a number of things on hold because I had to attend to many things that I was never used to. In fact, there are some of our clients that I have not seen in the last five or six years because Biggy was the one dealing with them. Let’s just say I am just getting over the big loss.
You have always insisted that you don’t believe in expanding the BKK office beyond Ibadan, but you opened your London branch some months back. What informed your decision to have a change of mind?
The London office was opened when we considered a number of factors that would enhance our business and help us to meet up with certain demands that have been coming up recently. If you remember I told you that I would only consider the London option when the need for it is very pressing. Despite the fact that we had the capacity to run it successfully without any hitch for many years, I decided to wait until we saw the need for it.
Will this not affect your job in Nigeria now that you travel often?
I don’t see that happening. I don’t stay long when I travel. If I just came back from London a few days back and I am here again monitoring the job in Nigeria. It may not be easy but this is what we have been doing for many years. Before we opened the London branch of BKK, we delivered to any part of Nigeria and even beyond the shores of the country. The new opening will only enhance the service delivery and help us to explore new markets out there. It is not a bid deal as far as I am concerned. The London office is really moving very well. I deliver to Dublin, United States, and even Canada.
For somebody, who is said to be the wardrobe consultant for governors, senators and industrialists, how do you make sure your styles don’t look similar on your clients?
I think it is part of the job we do. We all pray to grow big on our jobs to the point where your job will speak for you more than what any other person can say. There is no way people will not recognise your designs when they see it on another person, but that does not mean they will look the same. I think you just have to make sure you satisfy your clients by giving them value for their money. Being a wardrobe consultant could be very demanding, but in everything you do, let your signature be seen. Let your clients know they can trust to a very reasonable extent, when it comes to their wardrobes.
With over 15 years in the fashion business, how do you intend to keep the momentum going?
I always tell my clients that in anything that is beautiful, if you check it very well, you would discover that there is simplicity in it. I believe so much in simplicity. We have a lot of designers out there and I give it Nigerian designers. We are all working hard to make sure that Nigerians patronise Nigerian designers. For me, keeping the momentum is to keep doing what we have always been doing. The fashion industry is too big for anybody to claim he wants to take it over, but you can make your mark and concentrate on what makes you different. I am a show stopper. As a clothier, you must have something striking about your job that people will not get elsewhere. People know that I am a fabric person, so there is no point stepping out of that because I want to stay relevant.
How does it feel winning the Men’s Custom Designer of The Year Award at the 5th Glam and Essence Awards last year, and what are we expecting this year?
I feel very proud that the BKK Ultimo brand could be considered for such a prestigious award. Of course, one cannot rule out the fact that we did well at BKK in the fashion industry last year and same with this year. In fact, we have worked even harder this year but that does not mean we are the best in the industry. I thank Susan Eyo-Honesty, founder, Glam and Essence Style Awards and her team for the huge honour conferred on my brand. The year has been quite eventful. We have won a couple of awards this year, but we are not in the business to win awards. We appreciate those who have considered us for awards and those who will still consider us for more but my mission is to keep creating designs that people will love and emulate.