By Okosun Dennis
She looms large, very unassuming, and held the audience spellbound for about one hour and five minutes the conversation lasted.
As Julee Wilson stepped onto the stage looking radiant, she immediately identified with her roots as a black American.
It was the first season of the Masterclass of GTCO Fashion Weekend that started in Lagos on Saturday, 10th November 2023. It was blisteringly amazing with unforgettable moments during the dialogue as the audience had much more to savour as the black American international journalist, a Global Beauty Director at Essence Fashion magazine and Editor-at-large in the Cosmopolitan Magazine kept everyone on its toes.
She explained the challenges of being an editor of international repute – the demands, the timeliness of meeting deadlines as a wife – especially the support she enjoys from her husband and how she has been able to deal with the gamuts of other challenges his position throws at her.
Interestingly, she started by thanking GTCO for the Fashion Weekend and for their ingenuity to have an assemblage of different fashionistas across the world to feature in this year’s edition.
Being her first visit to Nigeria, she expressed her joy with the conviviality of the atmosphere and the warm embrace she got from Nigerians.
During the dialogue anchored by Julee Wilson, the audience, especially the young lads and fashion enthusiasts were encouraged to never give up on their beliefs noting that they should hold on tenaciously to their belief system as there lies a successful story at the end of the tunnel.
Speaking on the theme: “Black is (Beyond) Beautiful”, Julee had a potent message that drove through the veins down to the bloodstream, making a significant impact instantaneously as she was cheered by the mammoth audience.
Explaining, she said, “Beauty is everything. You have to talk about the culture of beauty. I salute the doggedness of black women; blackness and how beautiful we are. Every day, I tell stories about black unapologetically with my full chest.
“Be yourself and don’t try to be someone else. I am just Julee, and because of what I believed in, I never gave up as I applied to Essence Magazine three times before I was employed. Don’t give up, just keep going on,” she reiterated as the audience applauded her spirit of resilience and doggedness.
On the future of African fashion, Julee unequivocally explained that African designers should think of themselves as fashion Ambassadors. “The West is looking here because the future is here; you can monetize it and make so much from it.
“You have a beautiful culture, you can build stories around it on social media and monetize it; collaborate with brands to tell your stories. Open your mouth when you have the opportunity to do so and tell your story unapologetically,” Julee Wilson noted.
Others who featured in the day-one masterclass included Sergio Hudson, the elegant designer who spoke on “Unveiling the Path to Fulfilling Dreams” and Jawara who dealt with: “Hair Sculpting.”
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