Gbotemi Oladotun is a rising star in the fashion world. He began designing as a student in the University in Osun and moved into Lagos where he began his brand, GTX Outfits.

 

He has a couple of branded collections to his name including the popular City Boy Suits and Like A Boss collections. Gbotemi has now worked with big shots in the corporate and entertainment spaces. This interview took place on a set of a movie he is working on.

 

Tori: You are a hard man to pin down, Gbotemi, what have you been up to?

 

Gbotemi: Just working, creating fashion projects and now you have me pinned.

 

[General laughter]

 

Tori: True, so what are you doing on this movie set?

 

Gbotemi: I am styling the lead characters of the movie, Damola Olatunji and Ibrahim Yekini.

 

Tori: What’s it like to work with them?

 

Gbotemi: It’s not really just working with them. There is the director who is trying to interpret the script and make a movie to tell the best story possible. There is the costumier whose work is to assemble the styles and stylists. So I work with the costumier and director to interpret the personality of the characters.

 

But it’s not just that. The actors are important. They are not the same as their characters but you need to understand them in order to style them into the best characters they can be in the show.

 

I have the advantage of having worked with Yekini and Damola respectively in the past. I know their personalities and their range. While I haven’t worked with the director before, I fully understand what he’s trying to do with the characters and I’m helping him achieve that.

 

Tori: Do you enjoy styling in movie sets more than say for runways?

 

Gbotemi: They are different. On the runway, you are trying to showcase your art to the world, they see your art and they see your brand as the name behind it. On a movie set, you don’t want to be seen at all. Your job is to make the viewers see the actors as real and true to their characters.

 

Tori: So what’s the next move for you?

 

Gbotemi: The Ibadan Fashion Week. I will be launching a new collection.

 

Tori: We look forward to it. Good luck.

 

Gbotemi: Thank you

 

Gbotemi Oladotun

 

Ibrahim Yekini