Isio Wanogho was a TV presenter with Spice TV. Barely a month ago, she felt it’s time to move on and explore other avenues in broadcasting. She’s also a runway model and fashion designer. She’s equally fascinated about her artwork. Her sitting room wall is adorned with beautiful contemporary paintings. The type you see in exhibitions and art gallery. Wanogho spoke with us at her Surulere, Lagos, residence. Excerpts:
Life as a TV presenter
It’s nice because people like what I do on TV. People would call me and say I like what you did. I was nominated for some awards as a presenter. I think that was sweet and kind of the world to do that. I’m never overwhelmed by fame or success. You are in my house, look at what I’m wearing. I’m not even wearing shoes.
As a model and a presenter
I can’t describe what it feels like. I didn’t go into modeling because I have the body or face. I had wanted to be a model since I was six years old. All through primary and secondary schools, I knew I was going to model. That moment you are on stage as a model walking it’s just amazing. I don’t know how I can describe it because nothing exists, except just you walking.
Being a presenter is fun because my personality comes out more and people can hear me speak. You can relate more to people and your environment. Different sets of people take you more seriously. You get to meet people and converse with real professionals and famous people who have made impact in life and to me it’s a wonderful experience. As a model, I don’t have to speak much, mine is just to wear clothes and look pretty. As a presenter you have to converse in such a way that your audience get what you are trying to say. It’s two different world. I’m really enjoying broadcasting.
Business
My business name is Isio Delavegar. I make clothes that women can wear for occasion – red carpet. I’m an artist, drawing is not a problem for me, all of these are the paintings and the artwork that I painted and drew. I have been designing clothes for years. One thing I realized is that most Nigerians lack red carpet etiquette. I just decided to make clothes that I will comfortably wear to red carpet events. That is my basic motivation approach before I started making clothes for people. I dress Waje for the recent Nigeria Video Music Awards and I make clothes for bridal trains. Very soon, I want to start making business clothes for women .
That is what a lot of women need. When you wear an outfit that is custom made for you, you just feel really good, knowing that nobody else has it. It fits your body specification to the last letter and the way it glues to your body is really good. I’m getting the groundwork done. I have started producing clothes, I have my clients already. I don’t want to stuff my clients with clothes they are not proud of and I’m not proud to call mine. I have to get my house in order so that my clients get the very best of me.
I’m doing consultancy for some clients, two major ones I’m working with now. The first one is also a designer who I do creative for his clothing line. He’s a designer but I handle creative for his clothing line, organize the look, the theme for the clothes and put them together for his website, his catalogue , photo shoots and fashion shows. I also do creative consultancy for the other client.
My paintings
I don’t sell my paintings. What I do is to paint and I give it out if you ask me in a very good way. My paintings are not for commercials at all. Art is my precious baby beyond modeling. Apart from my family, it is the whole part of me that I have known for long. I can’t even trade it for anything in this world. When I make a piece of an artwork I can give it out. Maybe I will start selling very soon. I’m very sentimental about my artwork.
Future plans
I’m going to focus on my brand and I’m going to focus on my job and my career, I really have to make sure my house is in order so that I can have a best of life and when I start to have a family, give my family the best in life.
Marriage
Nothing like that now. God’s willingly, we will get there. I’m not going to get married today, tomorrow may be.
Who is lucky guy?
I honestly don’t know yet. When we are ready to share I will be the first to let you know
Secrets of your beautiful features
I just discovered from my aunt that using all these products is just wasting a lot of time and energy. Sitting down and rubbing your skin. Some of these creams can just spoil your skin. Once it’s ruined, it’s worst to get your skin back the way it used to be, or the way it was. I’m careful so that my skin does not spoil in the first place. I don’t use those fantastic products. I have a dark skin. I just want to maintain that. I’ve just discovered shea butter, that’s what I use now. I make sure I wash my face before I go to sleep. I use baby wipes to just clean whatever make-up is left and I use my shea butter cream on my skin.
My slim features
I used to diet a lot but now I don’t really bother. I think the body is so funny in such a way that when you worry about certain things that is when such things happen to you. When I used to worry a lot about getting fat I was adding weight. Now I don’t really care and now I have lost quite a bit of weight. I only eat when I’m hungry, I don’t eat because I see food, if I’m not hungry I don’t eat and when I’m full I stop. I don’t eat late. From 7pm I don’t eat till the next morning. If I’m very hungry I don’t mind eating two bowls of rice.
Male admirers
I don’t put myself out there. You don’t even see me like that, if there is no job or something. If you are kind enough to pay me a compliment I will thank you for it. It doesn’t mean anything. Every girl has admirers. If the ones selling pepper do, so to me it’s no big deal. No matter how fine you are someone is finer than you.
Model as a child, parents’ reaction
Luckily for me, I was in a boarding house for 12 years. I left home when I was five years and I came back when I was 17. When I saw models on the runway for the first time, I said I want to do this when I grow up. I was like six years old then. I didn’t even know that the people I was seeing were models, I didn’t know what it meant, I just had it in my mind. You know as kids we say I want to be an aeronautical engineer, tomorrow we say a doctor.
Modeling for me was something I wanted to do when I was young. It really appealed to me seeing all these gorgeous ladies and gorgeous clothes. I would scream that when I grow up, I would do that. It’s always a stepping-stone for me, it wasn’t that I went to my dad and told him I want to be a model. It’s more like, what do you want to be-I want to be a media executive, which is what I am now. Modeling for me is a stepping-stone. As far as it didn’t disturb my education when I finally decided to start doing it and I went to school and got my degree.
