Steve (host):
Welcome to the 18th Wonderspace. It's great to have you on board. My name is Steve Cole and since September 2020 I have been asking the same 6 questions to people from around the world. The questions revolve around life and wonder, places of reset and stories of hopefulness which I think we need more than ever. The setting for all of our interviews is a virtual window seat on the space station 250 miles above Earth where we see everything from a different perspective.

Steve (host):
This week we orbit over Ghana in West Africa to the Black Sea in Russia and to experience these views with us in this ultimate window seat we welcome the wonderful Sofia Amanzi Ayuga who is a senior design director at Adidas in Germany. A shorter version of this episode together with footage of this journey across Africa, can be found on our website, ourwonder.space, where you will also find the previous 17 episodes. I start by asking Sophia, From this seat 250 miles above Earth, which city or country would you want us to fly over and why?

Sophia:
If I could fly anywhere, I would love to fly to Masai Mara in Serengeti which is the home of beautiful elephants and zebras and elegant giraffes and gazelles and lions and I would love to fly over that part of the world in the time of August when it's the time of great migration and game watching in the plains of East Africa and it's 1 of these world's most wonderful, wondrous, beautiful, amazing shows that I've only seen on television so far and I would love to experience it from bird's view or even higher and it just reminds me regardless of our daily news or what's going on in our worlds these animals have their own life and They have their own rhythm and these animals don't see the borders that humans have placed and they don't know any visa restrictions. They just move freely with their natural inner clock and their compass and I'm dreaming of experiencing this sheer beauty and the energy and the force and the sound that is in the air when watching this annual spectacular show of nature. I think that would be so awesome.

Steve (host):
Please give us a glimpse into your life story so far with an emphasis on what you are doing currently?

Sophia:
So my life story so far is that I am born and raised in Germany and I was blessed to grow up traveling a lot, getting to know new places, different cultures, and really listening to stories from people whose life or experience was very different to mine and it was really fueling my curiosity. I had my first creative steps in theatre before stepping into the universe of fashion and I've been working in the world of fashion now for 15, more than 15 years. Throughout my professional journey I've been really blessed to live and work in different cities and countries like Milan, London, Tokyo and for years I've been traveling to fashion shows in New York and Paris but the places that have really marked me the most are London and Tokyo, London for really just working with an amazing designer like Alexander McQueen and other upcoming talents in London whilst I was doing my master in fashion at the legendary St. Martin's College of Fashion and When I had the opportunity to live and work in Tokyo, I was working with Yoji Yamamoto, this legendary Japanese designer and his team, and just watching a true master of craftsmanship and pattern cutting and fittings and getting this sense of what, yeah, really a true sense of art in the making.

Sophia:
That was such a gift and yeah, I felt so honored to be part of it for 3 years and for 10 years I've been working on Y3 which is a collaboration between Adidas and Yoji Yamamoto and it has really shaped lots of my creative values, like really creativity that is driven by craftsmanship and innovation and storytelling. And for the past 2, 3 years, I've been working in the heritage and lifestyle part of Adidas, which was really about focusing on inclusivity and diversity, connecting to different creative communities, inviting young talents to the table, co-creating and really creating a space for diverse voices and stories. And since a couple of weeks, I have moved to a different part within our brand where I can really build on what I've been working on these past 2 or 3 years and I'm starting a new journey now on focusing really on driving purpose-driven storytelling and creative direction that is really building on purpose and on meaning, on creating meaning And I'm very passionate about purpose-driven creative work that serves and that really celebrates humans. So this is my life story so far.

Steve (host):
Where on earth is your place of reset or recharge?

Sophia:
My place of reset is I love resetting in front of water. Where I grew up we have a natural lake at the heart of the city surrounded by mountains and weeping willow trees that are hanging in the water. But my favorite water spot on earth really is Diani Beach in Kenya and my favorite spot there is in front of the sea on a big rock under palm tree and I just love and enjoy the effect of water, the sound of incoming waves, the fresh breeze and silver glittering sparks created by the sun on the water. That's my happy place. That's the place of recharge.

Steve (host):
What wonder of the natural world excites you the most?

Sophia:
The wonder of the natural world that excites me the most is sunsets. I'm always in awe of beautiful sunsets. We are blessed with a home that has a wide view across the field and I love this wonderful spectacular life paintings that are happening in front of our windows. Especially in summer, we love to huddle in the middle of the terrace or yeah just being on the terrace for these precious moments of colour play and every day is so different it's unique and it only lasts for a few moments and it's stunning.

Steve (host):
What is your story of hopefulness about a person, business or non-profit who were doing amazing things for the world.

Sophia:
My story of hopefulness leads to Lagos, Nigeria, and to a wonderful, strong, beautiful human soul, Omoyemi Akarele. Omoyemi is a true pioneer of fashion, of fashion made in Africa, and she is a change agent in fashion. Omoyemi is the founder of Lagos Fashion Week in Nigeria, and she's also the founder of Style House Files, which is an agency for fashion business development that really focuses on apparel fashion and the text industry. And over a decade Umoyemi has been building this holistic universe and she helped build the industry around fashion where there was nothing in Nigeria. Nigeria did not have an established fashion industry or fashion history like Paris or London or New York City would have.

Sophia:
So Omoyemi's work is all about discovering upcoming young designers in Nigeria but also beyond across Africa and mentoring them, offering them training, really nurturing them and supporting them. It's also, Her work is also about preserving African craftsmanship and empower artisans and creative communities and really giving them access to the market, to the local market but also the global market. And it's about building this full ecosystem from fashion training, production, retail strategies, marketing, and she's doing all that through the agency she has created. And most recently, she has started a physical fashion hub, which is called Prism, Style House Files Prism. And it's all about creation, education, collaboration, mentorship for the next generation of fashion professionals in Nigeria.

Sophia:
And yeah, it's not only her country in Nigeria that benefits, but also the countries around it. And she's collaborating with some leading women who are also shaping the future of fashion in Africa and thinking of Lucila Boisen in South Africa or Adama Ndaye in Senegal, Gloria Vavamono in Uganda and it's all these strong ladies together with Umuimi who are really moving forward the fashion industry on this whole continent. I believe they shouldn't miss out at the global table of art and design, their voice, their view, their aesthetic. Umuimi through her work over the past decade with Legos Fashion Week with yeah all the platforms she has created and the network and community she has created she is my story of hope.

Steve (host):
As we prepare to re-enter what insight wisdom or question would you like to share with us?

Sophia:
The insights, wisdom and questions that I would like to share is really from this incredible year. 2020 has magnified many aspects of humanity, the good and the bad, and it has shown us ugly divides in society and tribalism, some shallow sides of culture, of the culture we have created. And we are talking a lot about the dilemma of social media and digital but it also has shaken off the dust and revealed beauty in being human. Quoting a friend of mine, What she always says is so inspiring. It's just, oh, what a gift to be seen, to feel seen, to be heard, to be listened to, to be loved, to be empowered.

Sophia:
And just to love without condition, to love the other, the stranger that has been so much of the conversation these past month, right? To love the needy, the person next to you, the person you wake up every day, that you wake up next to every day. And yeah, just to love human to human and just be human. And personally, I got a renewed awareness around my privileges. Each 1 of us has privileges.

Sophia:
And my questions for 2021 are really how can I use my privileges today? How can I use my privileges today? How can I use my privileges and create a beautiful space or a beautiful opportunity or a beautiful experience for someone else? What conversations do I need to have or what conversation do I need to impact? Who can I encourage?

Sophia:
Who can I lend some faith? What projects do I need to initiate or drive? Can I gift somebody a moment of my time and just be present, just be human? So where do I need to grow more so I can serve more? And all this is from a place of gratitude and gratefulness.

Sophia:
Thank you.

Steve (host):
Sophia spoke about Style House Files that seeks to advance the Nigerian and African fashion industry. You can find out more at stylehousefiles.com. To join the Wonderspace community and share your own wonders and stories of hopefulness or to listen to the previous 17 interviews the website is ourwonder.space I want to thank Sophia for joining us on this Wonderspace and I hope you can join us next week for more wonders and stories of hopefulness.