My goal was to win. What you see on TV is the real me. On the first episode of "Fashion Star", H&M actually brought your navy blue blazer. Can we walk into any H&M today and buy the blazer now? NO: I would suggest going to the biggest H&M in your area and it should be there. In Detroit the blazer is at most of the H&M's that generate big sales. Maybe you should call the store first, just in case. You can also go online and buy the blazer. Actually, the blazer only has two sizes available, which makes me excited. Who is the one person you would kill to get your designs on? NO: This may be funny to most people, but Justin Timberlake would probably be my ideal notable to wear my brand. His aesthetic, lifestyle and ambition to want to always be successful I really admire. My brands is a lifestyle brand, and feel that he is the epitome of it. I also think that the way that Kanye West dresses is amazing. The way that he can take a simple shirt and covert it into something totally different and wear it a way that no one else can wear it—I respect him for his personal style.
Eight years into his corporate career, a close friend urged Oputa to try out for the reality NBC TV show "Fashion Star, " and his life changed forever. Oputa became a huge success on the show, and his designs were regularly picked up by mega retailers H&M, Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue. The show gained him important industry exposure and helped create a significant following—unusual for someone who had taken only one studio class where he learned to create patterns and sew. "Never use your name as the company name in case it's ever sold. " Oputa has capitalized on the connections he made through the show and has been working retail events as a host and special guest designer, as well as occasional contract engineering work. Working for others will soon be a thing of the past though, as this year Oputa will be launching his first collection under the brand name "Jag Saint Joi. " Designed for the corporate man who wants a bit of an edge, Oputa describes his style as "sophisticated street wear for the corporate rebel. "
Her step-siblings were Richard, Ifediora, and Nnamdi, all male. Her father was a politician who served as the first mayor of Port Harcourt from 1956 until his death in 1959. Her mother, a wealthy merchant, traded palm oil, salt and European manufactured goods. Mary met Richard Nzimiro while attending elementary school at St. Joseph's Girls' Convent in Asaba City and married him in 1920 after her graduation. In 1945, Nzimiro enrolled at the University of Glasgow in Scotland for her university education where she studied medicine. She graduated MB ChB in 1950 and became the first woman from Igboland to qualify as a medical doctor. After Nzimiro's death, the William Wilberforce Academy (WWA), which was the first of two secondary schools her parents established at Oguta in 1945, was renamed to Priscilla Memorial Grammar School. This was done in order to honour her memory and record Fashion Star The winner of the first season of Fashion Star was Kara Laricks, with Ronnie Escalante and Nzimiro Oputa finishing as runners-up.
Nicholas K's collar structure is inspiring as well, when designing my outerwear. In my hometown of Detroit, we have brutal winters, so collars for me are very important. I also love Dolce and Gabbana, I'm the type of man that is not afraid to wear color, and I will rock a floral shit with no problem. Tom Ford is another person that I admire; I don't know anyone who doesn't respect his craft. What he has done for Gucci and his line—he reinvented menswear. John Varvatos is also from Detroit as well, did that spark a connection between the two of you? NO: He knows the struggle and style being that we both are from Detroit and we gravitated towards each other. Our styles are very similar in that we come from a similar background. We connected on many levels and we spoke about where we grew up, and other things. Our grandparents actually grew up in the same area at one point in time. We have a level of support being that we represent our city in a great way. All of his support and advice was completely honest and it came from a great place.