“Freestyle is Zagaza’s lifestyle”.
The multi-talented personality finally honours a chat with Braamfontein Alive. Born as Olumuyiwa Oboise in Nigeria and popularly known as “Zagaza” or “Zaga” everywhere he goes.
Zaga, is a man of many connects; from fashion (modeling), to appearing on various music videos, to becoming a celebrity chef and with his entrepreneur passion, the man of various expertise; is set to launch his fashion label “Zaga”.
Gladding himself from head to toe with exotic brands like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Versace; just to mention a few; has always be the talk of town and moving forward; Zaga is currently dressing up celebrities from Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and so on.
Definitely whatever Zaga touches turns to gold!
Here below is our chat:
Q. Can you please tell us more about Zaga?
A. My name is Oboise Olumuyiwa. People know me as Zaga or Zagaza. Zaga is my brand. It is my name. It is my energy. It is another name for energy - Zagaza! Some people call me Zaga which initially means money because when you look at me I look like money and when I dress up; I look like money! I look good! That’s the way it is. People love it like that!
Q. What can you tell us about your background?
A. Well, I’m from Edo State in Nigeria. My mum is from Ado-Ekiti and my dad is from Edo. So I’m an Edo boy. Right now, I’m wearing “DadaBoy”. The owner of the brand is from Edo as well. So we are just promoting each other.
I’m from a family of five (5) and I’m the last child. My brother lives in London (UK), my sister lives in America and I live in South Africa.
Q. Can we talk about coming to South Africa? How is it for you and how do you see the country?
A. Well, my coming to South Africa; initially, I came here to source for brands, and styles; you know. I wanted something bigger. Initially, I wanted to open a studio in Adeniran Ogunsanya in Lagos; Nigeria because I lived in Mile 2 Estate, I schooled in Festac so I wanted to open a studio in Festac Town but I saw South Africa, as you know, this Africa country, got black people; and they look like Nigerians and all that. And said “No men! I like their styles here and, let me go into their fashion, let me go into the country and see what it looks like.” But the problem is when I got here, I got stranded!
I got stranded with the nation, got stranded with the freedom, with freestyle, you know I just found myself here and twelve (12) years later I’m still here!
Q. Look at your life in South Africa; how’s life treating you?
A. Well, life is treating me perfect! I’m free; you know! I got freedom, I can do what I like. I live my life - my lifestyle! My freestyle - my lifestyle; you know. Is not that I can live the way I want in Nigeria but you know South Africa is a little bit upper now! “White people and everybody dey here!”
“People wear crazy jeans and is normal and all that!” So I felt like is an avenue for me to live another kind of life and use that to build myself in whatever I’m eventually gonna sit down with which is eventually about lifestyle and how you live and all that because that’s what we all about!
Q. Let’s talk about your brands and how did you come about them?
A. Actually, I’m the idol for Elufidiya. I was the face of Elufidiya. I model for the brand and I also was the brand promoter but right now I’ve been promoted being the face of Elufidiya to the Idol of Elufidiya! Initially, the name Zaga; the brand Zaga; you know the lifestyle and my style is all about; you know, what you look like because I believe people love me with the way I look. I don’t think my personality is what people like because I’m crazy! I’m like a switch! People can’t predict me and all that! People love me but they do from far because they believe like “the person I’m seeing can be really crazy, you know!”
I think people love me for my lifestyle, the way I look, the way I put confidence in humanity. I feel Zaga is eventually gonna be something you are gonna look out for in the next two to five years! I wanna teach me people how to dress up. I wanna show people how to mix up colours, you know and I honestly want to put an impact into, you know; like African brands. I really wanna push African brands. Stop wearing Gucci, Versace and other international brands and start wearing more of Zaga, Elufidiya, more DadaBoy. There’r lot of Africa brands that we can sit on and wear for the rest of our lives without looking at other foreign brands!
Q. Can also talk about your involvement in music and your collaboration with Wande Coal?
A. The collaboration with Wande Coal is love, you know. Wande Coal is my brother. He’s the biggest RB artist in Nigeria. I love and respect him so much. I met Wande Coal through General Pipe (Majekodunmi Ibrahim). He’s in America right now, big up to General Pipe. So I met Wande Coal, through the lifestyle of cooking because I’m also a celebrity chef. I cook for artists, I style artists, and sometimes I direct musical videos for artists.
So my musical career, started on the basis that I style artists, I make them look beautiful and I like jewelries, and I love art. I know how to combine clothes for people to just look the look, you know. I know what to tell you to wear! You will come out and people will clap for you! So I met artist like Wande Coal, General Pipe, and Soft Kid; a whole lots of Nigerian artists through the life that I live. Through cooking, through styling, through dancing, I dance and I’ve done an advert for Legend Extra Stout, have done advert for SuperSport, and through modeling have done lots of things. So artists know me through styling and through my art, through various connections and referrals.
Big up CaZe Montana, you know Nigeria. There are lots of artists that I’ve styled and made them look great in music videos and promote them as well as an African making sure they do good!
My collaboration is 100% with artists. People actually really know me through music videos. People actually see me more on TV through music channels, and they would be like “ I see you on this music video and I really don’t remember the name of song!” Well that’s job for me, I do what I need to do with artist, get paid and leave!
Q. Where do you see yourself in about five (5) years?
A. In five years, I still see myself in Africa. We are not going anywhere. We ain’t giving up! I can go to America because I wanna go to Hollywood. I wanna go study more of lightning, directing, filming, more of you know but I see myself back in Africa. I see myself back in South Africa. South Africa is home to me. Nigeria is home as well but South Africa is home because I live here because my encouragement and support , a lot of that come from South Africa.
My other families are here, I mean my Nigerians, my camerounians, my Ghanians you know and South Africa is like the little American now because everybody’s here!
I see my brand really big. I see that everyone is coming to my store to buy what to wear for their birthday, wedding or anything because I'm gonna full brand even kiddies line. Ama do it big, you know, Ama do it big!
I wanna settle down for good. I wanna show the world that we can actually think it and achieve it!
Q. Can you give a short advice to people that are looking up to you?
A. Be focus! In life you need to be focus. If you are focus you will be patient. Once you are patient you can achieve everything in life you wanna achieve. You need to be determined in every situation. You need to believe in yourself because as a man the first thing in a man's heart is to know who he is and to believe in who he is.
So if you believe in yourself no matter what you believe you going to make others to believe in what you believe because you believe in yourself!
I got a lot of niggas that wanna be like me. People call me on the street and take my numbers. Some I have helped, some I'm still gonna help, you know but you got to be focused!
You can reach out to him for his services and via this social media handles:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zagaza.master
Twitter: https://twitter.com/zaga2zaga
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zaagaazaa/
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