Lara and the Beat is shaping up to be the most fashionable film of 2018, and we are so excited! It has been some time since we were actually thrilled to see a film because of its stratospheric style quotient – and the added bonus is all the MAJOR fashion moments from Nigerian designers like Re Lagos, Mr Garbe, Rabesque and Andrea Iyamah.

I’m a big believer in the marriage of fashion and film and iconic characters on the silver screen have always been integral to pushing the designer narrative forward. Think of the epic collaborations between Audrey Hepburn and Hubert de Givenchy, Edith Head and Grace Kelly (Fun Fact: Edith Head was immortalised as the character Edna Mode in the Incredibles!) and  in more recent times Patricia Field and Sarah Jessica Parker. These collaborations were not only mutually beneficial they had pop culture relevance;  Givenchy sparked global trends with his designs on Audrey onscreen and on the red carpet, Head has won more Best Costume Design Academy Awards than anyone in history (8 wins and an astonishing 35 nominations) and Patricia Field not only cemented designers like Manolo Blahnik in the fashion firmament,  her work on Sex and the City has been described by British Vogue as: ‘a defining cultural moment’ in a show that ‘presented the modern woman in her many guises: smart, emotional, complex, warm, strong and – perhaps most of all – stylish.’

Premiering in cinemas today,  the film chronicles Lara Giwa and her stunning fall from grace and her journey to stardom.  Curious to hear more about the fashion-forward film, we had the opportunity to speak with the film’s costume designers, Bella Adeleke and Ozinna Anumudu. They spilled the beans on everything from their personal inspiration and the process to creating their characters and where they found the right pieces to create the looks and how they picked the designers.

Scroll down to read about all the style in Lara and the Beat!

Ozinna Anumudu

BNS:What’s your best advice for people who may want to follow in your footsteps?

Consistency is the most important part of the process.

BNS: What college did you attend and what did you study?

My bachelor’s degree is from the George Washington University in Washington DC and my masters is in Communication from Sciences Po in Paris, France

BNS:Did you do any internships and what was the most valuable thing you learned from this experience?

Working at LFDW in 2014 is what I consider to be my first fashion internship/project. It exposed me to the systems in place, new designers and working smart.

BNS:You’ve dressed the characters in every brand from Titi Belo to Re to Maju . Was it a conscious effort to include emerging designers and affordable looks? Where did you discover their pieces?

Yes – I’ve created a niche market for myself whereby I promote Nigerian designers on both my personal platform and my company platform alike. This attracter producer Tolu Olusoga to my work, and that’s how the journey began.

BNS: How is film styling different than styling for celebrities?

With film, you need to read in between the lines to understand the character’s style. It differs from celebrity styling as you have full creative control on each look

BNS:Most memorable look from the film?

The pink power look from Dara Giwa.

BNS:   What was it like working as the costume designer on one of the most fashionable films this year?

Very memorable – glad that my first film project had a very strong fashion narrative.

BNS:Walk us through the process of working on the script, selecting clothes, deciding looks, having fittings with the cast, etc.

First step involved reading the script, and then creating character mood boards which involved visualizing their style, I think that was where we had the most fun. I was able to create each character’s wardrobe based off the impression I received from reading the script. With the help of the director, we made sure we were all on the same page. Then we sourced the looks individually, before the fitting processes begun.

BNS: In Lara & the Beat – Fashion is basically a character and is an integral part of the plot. How did you weave clothes seamlessly into the narrative?

This wasn’t difficult because of the characters in the film – each character had a strong sense of individuality which helped in creating their personal style. You can easily identify characters off their clothing because of their various roles.

BNS: Tell us about transitioning from styling, blogging and brand management to designing costumes/wardrobe styling for film.

So fashion has mainly been a passion for me, and I’ve showcased this via my personal style and social media. Brand Management is where I see my career path, with the two intertwining a lot. This is the first film I’ve worked on, I met the producer during a project for a client month’s before the film started – she loved the styling/branding we did on that project and convinced me to be a costume designer on Lara & The Beat.

BNS:Tell us about your on-set experiences? Any fun anecdotes? Fashion emergencies?

So many fashion emergencies – in fact I am having a panic attack thinking about it. It was my first time on a film set, and I was so grateful for the opportunity.

BNS:Also, what challenges did you face on the film, and how have you grown from them?

Be prepared For The WORST! My next film project will definitely gain from this lesson haha.

Bella Adeleke

BNS:How did you get your start in fashion?

It’s kind of hard to say, however, officially I would say I got into fashion styling interning at FAB Magazine.

BNS:What’s your best advice for people who may want to follow in your footsteps?

Just do it, don’t over think it, just take that leap.

BNS:When did you first realize you wanted to pursue a career in the fashion industry?

When I started blogging and obsessing over trends and how to translate that into everyday life.

BNS:What college did you attend and what did you study?

I attended University of Westminster and Kingston in London. I studied Biomedical Science.

BNS:Did you do any internships and what was the most valuable thing you learned from this experience?

Yes i did.  My only internship was with FAB Magazine and i would say my major lesson from that internship was to believe in your own magic. No one can be you and that’s what sets you apart.

BNS:What has been the proudest moment in your career thus far?

I don’t have a particular moment yet if I am completely honest. I believe I am still on a journey and each milestone is just a stepping stone to the next.

BNS:If you could go back and tell yourself one thing before beginning your career what would it be?

Do you Bella. You need no seal of approval from anyone to become great.

BNS:What was it like working as the costume designer on one of the most fashionable films this year?

It was a roller coaster of emotions. This is my first ever movie styling/designing gig. I literally didn’t know what I was getting myself into but it was a challenge and I think the set goal was achieved.

BNS:Tell us about transitioning from styling, blogging and brand management to designing costumes/wardrobe styling for film.

It isn’t really a transition solely because the back bone of all the jobs mentioned above is the creative process; you need to understand the brief/client/brand. Create a moodboard/mindmap to style/ achieve the set target. The difference is instead on working on just one project you work on several for example in this case, characters over a period of time.

BNS: In Lara & the Beat  Fashion is basically a character and is an integral part of the plot. How did you weave clothes seamlessly into the narrative?

Research, humanising these characters in real time and situations and then pairing them with certain brands and lifestyles.

BNS:Walk us through the process of working on the script, selecting clothes, deciding looks, having fittings with the cast, etc.

So I actually got invited to join the team based on Seyi [Shay] adamantly stating to the production house that she doesn’t want anyone styling her in this movie if it wasn’t me as I was her stylist/creative director at that time. I got invited to the table for a reading and afterwards I was set the task of creating wardrobe for her character and a few others Like Sal who was Vector’s character, Chioma Akpotha’s character, Shaffy Bello’s, Deyemi, Toni Tones etc. Once I got my character list and character bible, I created avatars for each characters, imagined what these characters would look like in real life.

BNS:Lara’s wardrobe also tells its own story. What designers did you gravitate toward for each character’s clothes? Dara is obviously very different from her sister  How did you choose certain pieces for certain characters? And what do the colors / silhouettes say about their character development?

I can confidently speak for Lara as I was responsible for her character. However, I thought this movie would be the perfect platform to highlight the fact that Nigerian/African designers do not just use prints and Ankara to create fabulous designs. I wanted to explore the vast richness and talent of the designers we have here and also ensure that inasmuch as a lot of scenes were somewhat aspirational in the movie, it was realistic, relative and very topical to times and season the movie was set in which is now.

BNS:Tell us about your onset experiences? Any fun anecdotes? Fashion emergencies?

Gosh! Too many. We had amazing moments from certain stars teaching us how to twerk, to the late night run-ins with Area boys, to the mesmerising scene of Lara and Sal kissing; Like it felt like the whole set and onlookers were stuck in a trance at that point. I must say there is something extremely beautiful about bringing stories to life and film making is definitely a beautiful process. This is one experience won’t forget easily.

BNS:You’ve dressed the characters in every brand from Mr Garbe to Re Lagos to Mazelle Studio . Was it a conscious effort to include emerging designers and affordable looks? Where did you discover their pieces?

Yes absolutely. This was an integral part of the whole styling and creating process. We live in a time where people proudly wear made in Nigeria brands and team it with the most fabulous high fashion accessories. Ensuring that this was highlighted in the movie was important to me. A lot of the brands I discovered right here on Bella Naija and being a stylist you have designers log you’ve worked with and can also request pieces from and ask them to create pieces at the very last minute to fit the scene or character. Shout out to Seamstress Lagos for being such a great sport and churning out designs in such little time for characters.

BNS:How is film styling different than styling for celebrities?

Celebrities have a brand to communicate to their fans and more or less protect. Characters are created based on the script regardless of who portrays the characters.

BNS:Also, what challenges did you face on the film, and how have you grown from them?

Things change due to technical issues you cannot control. For example, there was a scene I wanted Lara to wear this absolutely stunning white dress, like it was gorgeous.

However getting on set, it wasn’t working due to the camera and lighting. Fortunately for us on set we had extra styles to pick from as an alternative and this happened a lot on set. So you just have to overly prepare and be innovative with creating solutions for mishaps on set. I think that’s the major lesson I learnt being on the set of Lara and the Beat. There’s nothing like being over prepared.

BNS:Most memorable look from the film?

The Set from Re Lagos Lara wore on her birthday and the Queen crop top Lara wore in a fight scene. Oh and dyeing Deyemi Okanlawon’s hair blonde. That was priceless.

BNS:What’s next for you? What are you working on now?

I currently work as the Business Development Manager for Persianas Retail Limited. It is a huge leap from styling and creative direction. However i feel right now my client is the Nigerian population and the task is creating the best customer service experience whilst shopping fabulous and trendy pieces sourced from brands around the world.

Lara and the Beat is out in cinemas now!