Transcript of Destined for Style with Ugo Mozie

At 18, what were you doing with your life? Ugo Moseye started a fashion life. Fashion designer, icon. We're going to talk about all the things that you don't know about the fashion industry, and then also some tips, because getting started in fashion might be easier than you think. Buckle up. We're going to have a great conversation. Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you, the iconic Mr. Ugo Moseye. Hugo, how are you doing today, brother?

Man, Mick, I am fantastic. I'm very honored and happy to be here with you today. Thank you so much for choosing me, of all people, to be with you and have this conversation. I'm very excited.

Man, I'm the honored one. To have conversations with you in particular is... I don't even want to say bucketless because that doesn't even give it the credibility that it deserves. It's just I'm truly honored to spend this moment with you, man. Thank you, brother, man. You do so much for so many people, and you have done so much. And at an early age, it was you, man. I like to ask the question about what's your because, that thing that's driving you, that thing that you're for. So if I were to say, Hugo, man, what's your because? Why do you keep doing the things that you do?

Honestly, I would say my because is the way I'm able to influence and elevate and make people better, feel better from the inside out. That's the because. My gift has allowed me the ability to help people unlock their inner dreams, unlock their vision for themselves. I think that the result, when I'm able to make someone's wedding, dreams, or their concert dreams or their red carpet or magazine cover, like dreams come true, I think it is something very special. I love the smile I put on people's faces, and I love the way I make people feel good. I remember I did this. I was watching the interview I did when I was 18 in New York, super young, and they asked me, What about fashion that I I remember I was like, I love the idea that I can make people feel good about themselves because when people feel good about themselves, they do good things. No one's ever gone out and hurt somebody because they were confident. And that really stuck to me even to this day. I think that's the because. It's just the effect. The fact that I can make people feel better and look better, it's a dick thing, I must say.

Man, you've often said that fashion called you, right? Like not the other way around. What inner voice or experience told you way back when that media culture and creativity would be where you leave your mark on the world, brother?

Honestly, I have to for sure say God, because the inner voice is just like, it's louder than I can imagine. It's out of my control. Since I was a kid, I remember even as being in Nigeria, four, five years old. My aunts that I see now, they'll tell me, Even we always knew that you were going to be in Hollywood. We always knew you were going to be a star. I think there was a certain... There's this energy. I feel like when you have a bigger purpose that's bigger than you, the voice is too loud, right? When you're driven by something bigger than yourself, which I believe I am. It was innate. But even deeper than that, I discovered recently, about a year ago, I was in my great grandfather's house in our village in Nemo in Nigeria, and I was looking through. I found this family tree book that they made for him when he died. And with it, it had our ancestors for four generations back. It had their names and their occupation and just who their kids were. And I was so shocked to see that I counted eight or nine fashion designers since the 17, 1800.

I'm like, whoa. So does that mean that this is in my DNA? Is it in my blood? Is fashion just part of my lineage? And actually it is because just the fact that I had They were like, Oh, you're great, great, great grand uncle, fashion designer, designer. And it was really dope to just unlock that because it put it all in a perspective and also made me feel like What I do is part of my destiny, and I'm actually making my ancestors proud by carrying the torch that they lit centuries ago.

I think you hit it on the head, man. You're fulfilling You're still in the destiny, right? You're creating the new legacy with the family, with the ancestors. And I know everyone's amazingly proud of what you are doing and have done. And Did you know, did you think, I'm going to be able to design for Beyoncé and Diana Ross and all these big names that are icons, right? When did you get that first first call, and what was that first call like?

Well, so I think that my my trajectory was pretty beautiful. I moved to New York City at 17, straight out of high school. I graduated early. And just being in New York so young at that time, 2008, 2008, 2009, around that time was just a special electrifying time for artists and creatives. I think that my generation, we were the artist that really just created without any boundaries. We were opening the doors and carving the way, working with people like Virgil Abloh and Jerry Lorenzo and Luigi. Our generation of creators, we don't put boundaries or limits to the possibility. I was 17 and I was working or interning, then assisting at Virgin Records. And in that space, I was exposed to so many amazing artists. And just the relationship that I was able to cultivate, let me know early ahead in my life that I was going to make a big impact in big spaces with very important people. And not because I'm I'm interested in celebrities and fans or in these people, but it's like, I just feel like I just know that what I have to offer and what I do is so elite and it's so precious.

And it's made for people of... The people that understand it are these people. I remember when I first worked with Stevie Wonder, and that to me was, I think, such a pivotal time for me because it allowed me to really just develop real confidence. I'm like, if someone like this iconic, legendary, incredible human being can trust me to address him, and he can't even see. There's no deeper level of trust than a blind person allowing you to trust them. I don't think it gets any deeper than that when it comes to image and trust. And we developed such a strong, beautiful relationship. And I think from that point, that was it for me. After that, I was like, if Stevie can trust me to do my thing and look incredible, I know that my gift has been certified by God. God. That was my check. And from then, I realized that the sky is really the limit. So obviously, when I get these phone calls from incredible people to work with, it's always still such a blessing. And I don't take it for granted one day. But it's also not shocking. It's not shocking to me that God is aligning me with the most powerful, influential human beings in the world, because I believe that's the level of what my gift is.

Amen to that, brother. Amen to that. And you're so humble, right? You talked about graduating early, moving to New York, and then going into some of the things. So I'm going to brag for you, bro. At 18, you co-found Aston Mozier. Tell us a little bit about just that venture, and how dope that was for the folks that don't know, because I know when I was 18, man. I was just trying to figure stuff out. You're over there starting companies, bro.

I mean, honestly, at that point, we had bills to pay. We had no choice. You could start something or go clean somewhere. Was There wasn't too many options. But Aston Mozier was my first fashion brand that I founded with my best friend of the time, Quin Aston. It was Quin Aston, Uga Mozier. We moved from Houston together. We were high school friends. Moved from Houston together to New York. And within our first year, we developed this collection, developed this brand, and we launched it during New York Fashion Week, two years later. And that was for me, by launching a brand at 18 during New York Fashion Week was such a special time because it was a time before the rise of streetwear and where there's a middle ground in fashion that exists today, where the young designers, aspiring designers, fresh designers, are getting a voice in fashion. At that time, you either had Gucci and Dior and Louis Vuitton, or you had Zara and H&M and Uniqlo. There wasn't many brands in between. Young people were not given the opportunity opportunity to operate on that scale. So for me, I created a brand that was something that I wanted to see at the time.

We wanted stuff that, one, our peers can afford, stuff that was ahead of the trends. We created and launched it. And it was so special because the response was phenomenal. We were in every publication, you can imagine. I thought the fashion world got... That was my My introduction, if you will. My baptism into fashion was launching that brand. And we rocked it for a few years before we parted our ways. But that was honestly a very pivotal part of my foundation, fashion.

A whole And it doesn't stop, man. You're always creating. You're always being innovative. You're always looking at the future, but staying relevant in the present, which I think is really hard in the fashion world. I'd love to give you the floor, man, to talk about 11: 16 a little bit, and the things that you have going on there, and some of the cool things that are going to be coming out for the world to see and share.

Yes, indeed. So 11: 16, my baby is, I would say it's a combination of my life work. It's a brand that I'm building, that I'm launching in February officially, but it is a African It's a luxury lifestyle brand. It's beyond fashion and beyond clothing. It's about culture. It's about education. It's about informing the world on the reality of Africa, how I've seen it, how my peers see it, how we see it every day. As an immigrant that moved to America at the age of five, one of my biggest struggles as a child was the misconception on Africa. When my parents kept me very in touch and grounded, we would spend summers and holidays in Nigeria, and I'll come back to school, and the kids would be like, Oh, what's it like being in a place with all those flies and being in a place with no water and having to It's the wildest things, the meanest things you can say and tell a kid. But that never really shattered my pride. It didn't make me embarrassed where I came from. But if anything, it just encouraged me to just want to prove to people that's not what it is.

You guys have no clue. Actually, my house in Nigeria is bigger than my house in America. We have maids and drivers, and We have waterfalls and museums and everything you have here, we have there, too. And I think that through my career, it became such a drive for my storytelling was being able to incorporate just African culture and African legacy and heritage into the conversation. Whether I'm styling Justin Bieber or Travis Scott, you're going to see a touch of culture somewhere. So when it comes to 1116, I'm building and creating a brand that encompasses all these things. We're collaborating with the most amazing artisans and craftsmen, all all over the continent of Africa, from beading in Kenya to cottons and fabrics from Morocco to just textiles from all over Nigeria and dying in the the Kano diepids, and making bronzes in Benin and getting beads from South Africa. These are all the elements that are telling a story for 1116. So when people see this brand when it's launched, when they buy a piece of our garment, they're buying a piece of culture, a piece of history. They're buying the story that hasn't really been told on this forefront before.

I As a stylist for 10 plus years, I've gone and shopped and worked with every brand under the sun. And one thing that I did not see enough was people like us. I did not see enough African brands operating on a larger scale. Being in stores like Bergdorff and Neiman Marcus and Sacks, you're not seeing made in Africa on the themselves. They're not qualifying made in Africa clothing as luxury at these places. This is what is inspiring and driving 1116 because we're changing the narrative and We're opening those doors. And there's so many incredible African designers and artists, and creators that I want to be able to use our platform to shine light onto.

I love that, man. I love I'm so proud of you for that. When I introed you and talked about how bold you are, how innovative you are, that's the representation of that. And so, again, I just want to thank you for the things that you do, man. It means the world to me, for sure. For the viewer or listener that's aspiring to be a creative, a designer, a stylist, and all that, man, what's one piece of advice you'd give them to get started?

For the creator that's trying to get into fashion or design, into the style space, I would say that your strongest weapon is your perspective, your personal perspective. It's so easy to be influenced and inspired by the magazines and advertisements and the runway shows and this and that. But what's going to set you and what's going to get you hired and booked is going to be your point of view and your personal perspective. And this comes from digging within. What do you like? What's your story? What part of your childhood, your upbringing, your experiences can you bring to create this esthetic? So, yeah, that's it. Because at the end of the day, when you think about your your favorite anything, whether they're an athlete or a musician or an actor, what you love most about them is that they're them. What you love most about them as their personality. It's about their uniqueness, their individuality. We're in a world where it's so easy to be the same. It's so easy to blend in. It's so easy to follow a trend. But what's going to make you stand out, get hired, make a name for yourself is your perspective.

That's deep, man. And to me, that also translates into other industries, right? Like your perspective is where It really matters. For leaders, I talk about that all the time. It's got to be you. You've got to be authentic, because if not, the world has enough copycats, right? Exactly. Copycats don't make it past 15 minutes, brother. So you are authentic to be authentic I'm being you, right?

You can be spotted a mile away. In authentic, you can be spotted a mile away. And again, like you said, it goes across the board everywhere, right? Every industry, from food to hospitality, right? What you like about a place is the uniqueness. What makes you come back is that you're finding something there that you can't find other places. So if you're here selling the same T-shirts that John, and Bob are selling, now it's a matter of who's selling the cheapest, right? It's not about coming to you for your quality or what it's about. I'm coming to you because either you're the cheapest or... And that, to me, is not... That's not really creating. That's not really designing. There's one Being in fashion, there's people that are in fashion strictly for the commerce and for the business side. And there's people that are in fashion that are actually designing and creating. And then there's people that are meeting in the middle. I think that I'm meeting in the middle because in order for me to operate and grow and scale, the creative and the art is one thing, but my team is so important. The people that I have around me on a day-to-day, from my assistants to my My project managers to my creative directors, my art directors, everybody around me is what really makes this ship and this engine move.

I love that, brother.

I guess I'll add to that. That's another advice I would give to upcoming creatives is building the right team, right? Building the right team. You cannot do it by yourself, whether you're a painter or whatever you are. You need people around you that believe in your vision that can push you, that can tell you the truth, and that can just keep you in mind for opportunities.

Amen. Amen. It's all about the team, man. It's all about the team. Ugo, man, I know you're so busy. I know you have a lot going on. I'm honored that you took some time with us out of this busy schedule that you have, man. Where can people find and follow you? Again, I'm just going to say, Google them, and you'll see everything. But where do you want people to connect with you?

The honor was mine. It was such a great, great time speaking to you, Mike. Man, you guys can find me on Instagram @ugomosie, or ugomosie. Com. And you can also find the brand at 1116.

I love it.

Spelled out 1116, written out.

There we go. I'll make sure I have links to all of that in the show notes and descriptions. Ugo, man, again, this meant the world to me to spend some time with an icon. Again, I know how humble you are, but, bro, you are that icon. And so keep being that. You are now the shoulders that people are standing on, man. So keep doing what you do.

Much love, man. I hold that with so much gratitude, honor.

You got it. And for all the viewers and listeners, remember, your because is your superpower. Go unleash it. You've been plugged into Mic Unplug. Don't just listen, take action. Rate and subscribe. Follow me on social and get the full experience at michuntofficial. Com. Keep building, keep leading, and most importantly, keep dominating.