December 01, (THEWILL) – Denola Grey is many things rolled into one. He is a model, fashion influencer, fashion consultant, television show host, image consultant, a fashion and lifestyle content creator in the digital space, just to mention a few. In 2017, he expanded his resume when he added acting. One can’t deny that he is a force to reckon with in the fashion and rapidly growing influencing industry.
He speaks with IVORY UKONU about his rise to the spotlight and other issues. Excerpts:
You are a popular fashion influencer and model. Your social media pages are like fashion catalogues for men. What would you say inspires what you wear?
What I wear is all about how I want to feel most times. If I am having a bad day, I put together an outfit that will make me feel confident. Fashion, sometimes for me, is wanting to feel a certain way and putting pieces together that would help me feel the way I want to feel. Other times, I get my inspiration from movies and music videos. It’s all about how I feel.
Would you say your love for fashion and being an influencer was a kicker to becoming a model for big fashion brands?
Yes. My success story is enormous. It has taken me to many places. I have worked for Tokyo James in Milan and I was also the Face of Fenty Beauty United Kingdom and Ireland last year. That is Rihanna’s beauty brand. My face was plastered everywhere in the United Kingdom and Ireland last year. It was really nice. My life has been about fashion and acting. I am a television presenter, too. I believe the work I have done in these areas has worked hand-in hand to push me to this limelight.
How did you become an actor?
I started with TV first as a presenter. I hosted about 200 episodes of EL Now for EbonyLife and then, I auditioned for my first role in a television drama series, ‘Castle and Castle’ in 2017. I have done two seasons of Castle and Castle and four movies after that, all of which are on NETFLIX. I even wrote style tips for men with BellaNaija and subsequently recorded style tips on camera for segments on EbonyLife.
Your fans have the impression that you are a quiet and laid-back person. Was it hard getting into character, shooting your way through in ‘Black Book’ or blowing hot in ‘Castle and Castle?’
I was fortunate to work with veteran actors like Richard Mofe Damijo, Dakore Egbuson, etc. I learnt a lot from them on set. I also learnt to trust my instincts as well. I put myself in the mind of the character that I am playing, like how the person is supposed to react. I drew some inspiration from people that I have met in real life.
Actors often say that some characters they play stay with them even after the cameras are off. Did you experience this?
The comments I got from people after some of the movies are that the characters I played reminded them of me in real life. But I said, ‘no way, I am not a serial killer please!’ The character that affected the way I speak for a while after we left the set was ‘The Black Book’. I was meant to be menacing in the movie and I was expected to change the way I speak. I had to make my voice lower and I spoke slowly as well. I spoke like that for up to a month before it faded out.
How did your love for fashion begin?
It all started when I was very young. I was always particular about what I wanted to wear. My mother loves fashion, but she is not a peacock fashion person. She likes nice things, but she does not go overboard. It’s not like I grew up in a super fashionable family. I am more like the most fashion forward person in the entire family. I love the glamour of fashion. I love how people look so powerful, opulent and luxurious in their ensemble. I wanted that for myself. It kind of informed the way I dress.
There was a time people believed that men could wear bold colours like pink or purple, but you were one of the few fashion influencers that took the bold step to start wearing them. Were you not afraid of side talks when you decided to try them out?
The thing is that in Nigeria, there are a lots of stringent views on masculinity and what men should do. I think that is very unfair because they are putting a lot of people in one box. It is the same thing with women. Two sides of the same coin. Fashion is about free expression. You are not hurting anybody. Wear pink or any other colour you like. Nobody has a monopoly on any colour. I got a lot of backlash because of my fashion choices, but a few people ended up wearing them a few months later. So, they are welcome.
You are very influential with designer brands. Are you planning to have your own fashion brand some day?
I am the kind of person that never says never. As of now, there is no plan to do so. I am most likely going to do something in the beauty space, like fragrances because I really love perfumes. Maybe, that first before clothing. I have done some capsule collections with the fashion brand, Orange Culture brand in 2020, which sold out. It will be really interesting to do that again, which is to collaborate with a brand that I like. Who knows, I might wake up one day and say, ‘I have done all I want to do, I have won all my awards, I think it’s time to have my own fashion brand’ and see how it goes.
Is fashion styling one of the things you do?
Yes. I styled my entire family for my brother’s wedding. I also styled the groomsmen. I style very private clients that don’t like their names mentioned. We are very discreet. I once styled Adekunle Gold for London Fashion Week in 2022. That is what I do at Denola Grey Consulting. I get to nudge my clients out of their shell. I make sure that even the look on your face is elevated. I love when my clients have the look of the most elevated versions of themselves. I have met people that say they are not so fashionable; that they just like T-shirts and jeans. I tell them that just because they like T-shirts and jeans doesn’t mean they are casual. It simply means that they like comfort and something that is a bit understated. You can still wear really nice clothes with that aesthetic. Find those things that can just make you stand out.
When you dress up, do you think of drawing attention to yourself?
Believe it or not, I am actually a naturally shy person, but because of the work I do, I have tricked myself into being a bit more extroverted. Whenever I am walking the streets of Lagos or London, I don’t look at anybody. I just look past and walk straight. I never know when people are staring at me. I am only interested in getting from point A to point B.
What is your take on the Nigerian fashion industry?
I think Nigerians are some of the most fashionable people in the world. But I am also very biased. We, Nigerians, just have a special something that nobody else has. We have this natural swag and elegance, but then, so do the Congolese and the Indians. It’s about confidence and it is also about being a peacock in the right way. We all have that energy, that confidence that shows in our fashion and you cannot take that away from us. You will know a Nigerian before they open their mouth to speak.
What did you study in school?
I wanted to study law, but I changed my mind and went for Media Business with a focus on writing for the media market and electronic broadcasting. The fashion thing just happened and it opened the doors to my full media career. Fashion got me in the room and then things like TV hosting and presenting kept me there. Hopefully, it continues to grow.
Ivory Ukonu is a versatile journalist with many years of experience, with entertainment and society reporting as her area of core competence.
