When you see me, or you see someone dressed a certain way, you go “ah!
That’s Burna Boy”, you know? My style precedes me.
designers used to describe
the similarities between your
brand and theirs – What do
you think? Do you agree with
those words?
Describe the evolution of your style from
when you released ‘Like to Party’ to ‘Ye’? Hopefully that’s a compliment! For sure though. I
It’s been from a more controlled version of me, to a more freer version of for authenticity. Designers are looking for people
me. I just evolved into freedom. I saw the future. Like when I came with
the Versace shirt and shades, I saw that if I did this, everyone’s going to
be on it - It’s a catchy move! It was just catchy stuff to wear at the time, it
was something that was almost forgotten. I get my ‘Roni moment’ when
I wear something completely out of the ordinary.
What fashion item did you
splurge on after your success
with ‘Like to Party’?
I was getting the same items I was getting anyway, you
know? Nothing really changed as far as the clothing.
Before it used to be all about gold jewellery and then
it switched to diamonds, so I guess the jewellery really.
Before, I wouldn’t really be spending money on certain
things. Splurging has never really been the reason for
me, it only really happened when I just came up with
a design and thought, “This would be really sick on a
chain!”.
What other Nigerian streetwear
brands do you like?
WafflesnCream! They’re so out of the box, they’re all
about that skateboard culture - people don’t know this,
but I used to skateboard. This was when I was about
nine, till I was about fifteen or sixteen. I started thinking
about money too much so I stopped.
I love any streetwear brand that I see doing creative
things, but I haven’t been around long enough to
explore other brands.
think fashion is in a place where people are looking
with a real personality to express their aesthetic and
elevate their pieces style-wise.
Would you like to own your
own fashion brand? What
style of fashion would you
want to be designing?
Of course! I’m working on it as we speak. It’s my
‘merch’ from my tours but the design is really
giving out what I would wear. If I were to wear what
I’m wearing right now, It would be all Burna Boy, it
would be all my design. That’s basically it! It would
be my designs on clothes that I like. I’d describe it
as ‘Reckless & Sweet’.
What fashion brand(s)
internationally would you
love to collaborate with?
Virgil Abloh. Off-white. Louis Vuitton. All of that!
Have you ever felt any pressure to conform to the
status quo in your dressing?
No. I wasn’t brought up like that!
Growing up in Port Harcourt.
How would you distinguish
between style in Port
Harcourt & style in Lagos?
That’s a mad one! It’s just different cultures. There’s
What part of your personality do
you think is inspirational to the
streetwear culture? Tell us your favourite piece from
the brand…
Authenticity! The freedom to do what you want despite Purely African. Anti-
institutionalist. Divergent from
status quo, few words the
what everyone else is doing or what’s popular.
In a recent Vogue article, your
approach to style was described
as ‘patchwork’ can you shed
more light on how this describes
your style?
I try to do what makes me feel like I’m swaggy, it could be
a named brand or not. It just has to make me feel good. It
just has to be different. For me, if it’s not different, then I
don’t feel good. I could go somewhere wearing a shirt, and
if I see someone wearing the same shirt, I’ll take it off and
just be shirtless!
What image are you trying to
represent with this and is this
an approach to style you would
encourage your fans to adopt?
I encourage everyone to adopt what is them! What feels
good to them. Don’t just do it because you see someone
doing it. For me, it’s all about the combinations, it could
be just a plain white shirt, but what you pair it with, makes
the difference.
Which style icons inspire you the
most?
It’s Roni! She always gets me stuff I don’t know, I’d be
pissed off at first, but then I’d find out about it later after
rocking it for a month or two. By then everyone has it and
she’d be like “I told you!”. She puts me ahead of the curve!
Virgil Abloh also! He’s just a genius, there’s nothing else to
explain than the fact that he’s a really cool guy!
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Their new range of printed pants is dope!
some places in Rivers State where they’d wear a
bowler hat and some type of pimp thing and a
wrapper, it’s wild! Then they have the gold buttons.
That’s their jewellery. You’d never, ever, ever, see
that type of thing in Lagos! In Lagos, if you’re not
doing the traditional up & down that all the guys
in Lagos wear, or everyone wants to be drippy in
designers - whether fake or real - That’s Lagos.
In PH, it’s whatever, people would rather spend
money on a watch with a normal button-up shirt.
It’s whatever! It’s not focused on style, it’s more
focused on how much your shoes are, or your
watch is, it’s more focused on accessories and car.
Oh! They love cars!
What inspired your hair
change?
No specific reason! I like to experiment with things
and I wanted to try this out. I might cut it off next
week, who knows? I’ve let it grow out for a while
now.
What are the origins of the name
‘Burna Boy’?
I was obsessed with comic books
as a kid and I wanted to be a super-
hero, so I guess I found my outlet
eventually.
What are the origins
of your sound ‘Afro-
Fusion’?
I had a lot of musical influence
growing up, from my grandfather’s
highlife and afrobeat collection
to my dad who gave me my first
reggae CD. That’s why I call my
genre Afro-Fusion, it’s a concoction
of different elements of sound.
What does having your own unique style
mean to you?