Dads truly are the original hipsters (and not just because of this TUMBLR). To celebrate June 15, we called on some of Opening Ceremony's favorite designers to interview their own fashionable fathers. This time around, Darlene and Lizzy Okpo interview their father who inspired their line, William Okpo.
"I always forget that our father’s name is a regular word now. We see hashtags on Instagram, hashtag William Okpo, hashtag William Okpo T-shirt," Lizzy Okpo says, as her sister Darlene, brother Chuck, father, mother, and niece lounge in their Staten Island living room .
Darlene and Lizzy Okpo, the youngest of four siblings and the designers behind OC-favorite William Okpo, named their line after their father, a meticulous dresser in his own right. "Growing up and seeing how much time he took on personal style, naming the line after him felt right," Darlene says. "There’s a stigma put on immigrants, but instead of being influenced on American culture, Americans are influenced by him."
The two sisters, and their brother, had a few questions for their style icon.
LIZZY: So, you grew up during the first half of your twenties in Nigeria. You moved at 26, right?
WILLIAM: Yes, I moved in 1976.
LIZZY: What was the fashion like back then?
WILLIAM: James Brown was the star at that time, with bell-bottom pants, and the shoes were disco, you know, with platforms. Very high. The city I grew up in was very fashionable, Aba. Everything was custom-made. You told the tailor exactly what you wanted.
LIZZY: Where did you find the fabrics?
WILLIAM: Most of them came from my father’s store; his business was trading for textiles. We looked at magazines, from France, Britain, and America, and we adapted that. We looked at pants, if [they were] straight, we put some flare to make [them] look different. It was like we were fashion designers ourselves. We wanted to be unique in what we wore, so people would look at us.
CHUCK: So you came here in '76. How was the fashion here different from Nigeria?
WILLIAM: People tended to run away from bright colors; [they were] too loud. You had to wear a color that was unique but neutral. So, here we tried to stay away from very loud colors.
DARLENE: Any items that you regret throwing away?
WILLIAM: When I came to New York I weighed 127 pounds. I used to go buy food every day, and this guy noticed me, and every time I went by to buy food he said, “Flaco, Flaco come!” I didn’t know what “flaco” was. One day I asked, "What does that mean?" He said, "It means skinny." I said from today onwards, I don’t want to hear that name again. So I got bigger, and my clothes got too small. Most of the clothes I came with, they were custom-made in Nigeria. I wore them for nine months, and I had to throw them away.
LIZZY: I remember you said you were living in Harlem at the time, and you were so broke, but you decided to buy a Lacoste item instead of paying rent.
WILLIAM: Yeah, that was too expensive at that time, but they were really well-known for their quality polos. When I came, I spent all my money on clothing and records, and sometimes I was behind on my rent. If I knew what I know now, there are so many things I wouldn’t have done. But, that is part of growing up. Sometimes you
"I always forget that our father’s name is a regular word now. We see hashtags on Instagram, hashtag William Okpo, hashtag William Okpo T-shirt," Lizzy Okpo says, as her sister Darlene, brother Chuck, father, mother, and niece lounge in their Staten Island living room .
Darlene and Lizzy Okpo, the youngest of four siblings and the designers behind OC-favorite William Okpo, named their line after their father, a meticulous dresser in his own right. "Growing up and seeing how much time he took on personal style, naming the line after him felt right," Darlene says. "There’s a stigma put on immigrants, but instead of being influenced on American culture, Americans are influenced by him."
The two sisters, and their brother, had a few questions for their style icon.
LIZZY: So, you grew up during the first half of your twenties in Nigeria. You moved at 26, right?
WILLIAM: Yes, I moved in 1976.
LIZZY: What was the fashion like back then?
WILLIAM: James Brown was the star at that time, with bell-bottom pants, and the shoes were disco, you know, with platforms. Very high. The city I grew up in was very fashionable, Aba. Everything was custom-made. You told the tailor exactly what you wanted.
LIZZY: Where did you find the fabrics?
WILLIAM: Most of them came from my father’s store; his business was trading for textiles. We looked at magazines, from France, Britain, and America, and we adapted that. We looked at pants, if [they were] straight, we put some flare to make [them] look different. It was like we were fashion designers ourselves. We wanted to be unique in what we wore, so people would look at us.
CHUCK: So you came here in '76. How was the fashion here different from Nigeria?
WILLIAM: People tended to run away from bright colors; [they were] too loud. You had to wear a color that was unique but neutral. So, here we tried to stay away from very loud colors.
DARLENE: Any items that you regret throwing away?
WILLIAM: When I came to New York I weighed 127 pounds. I used to go buy food every day, and this guy noticed me, and every time I went by to buy food he said, “Flaco, Flaco come!” I didn’t know what “flaco” was. One day I asked, "What does that mean?" He said, "It means skinny." I said from today onwards, I don’t want to hear that name again. So I got bigger, and my clothes got too small. Most of the clothes I came with, they were custom-made in Nigeria. I wore them for nine months, and I had to throw them away.
LIZZY: I remember you said you were living in Harlem at the time, and you were so broke, but you decided to buy a Lacoste item instead of paying rent.
WILLIAM: Yeah, that was too expensive at that time, but they were really well-known for their quality polos. When I came, I spent all my money on clothing and records, and sometimes I was behind on my rent. If I knew what I know now, there are so many things I wouldn’t have done. But, that is part of growing up. Sometimes you