THANK YOU

I mentioned as part of my new year resolutions, being thankful. That's exactly what I want to do, I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has been a part of this blog, one way or another.  Its a long list so I better get to it.......

MR AND MRS AJEWOLE, you pay for Internet.... When it boils right down to it, that's  primary.


OLANREWAJU AJEWOLE, you are a brother indeed. no one has been of greater support to me than you, always posting my blog posts on bbm, facebook and anywhere possible. three gbosa for you ma men!


ABIOLA AJEWOLE, the naughty girl I call sis, you support me without words. Don't think I am unaware oo. I see you wella


TOLU DARAMOLA, truth be told I started writing again because of how often you harass me about my blog. I hereby adopt you as a brother!
 

BUKOLA AJEWOLE, big sis, a silent supporter..........


TUNDE LAWAL aka Sir Teelaw, you made me the 4th musketeer


KIME AMOS, i was shocked when you mentioned how often you return to the blog hoping for a new post.


OLAJIDE AJOSE, for all the times you asked about my blog.


OLUCHI UZOMA, Lulu. You harass me about this blog every chance you get.


VANESSA, queen vee, just because you always leave a comment........


MICHEAL ZUOKEMEFA, well done mikelo, my sure paddy


JIDE aka Purkin Jay, you just might have set the ball rolling


KUNLE KESHINRO, you are too cool, you ask about this blog always


SEUN ADETITUN, for the contacts and always being willing to help


AJUA YANKEY, you jumped on a bike with me to go see ID Cabasa


ONONIKPO JENNIFER, i no longer call you friend, i call you sister. You always come through even when you think I am just being lazy. You don't know what you do for me


OLAOTAN AMOSU, you said you saw talent.......



MBANEKWU MERCY, for the pillar that you are



VICTOR EDIALE aka Baba Dudu, thank you




WILLIAMS ZINO, a friend to cherish. You helped even though you weren't sure what I was doing



TOLU aka Swaggertolz, you helped publicize this blog



FOYINSOLA AGUDA......


AGBANI WHYRE, for so much effort and the many contacts

Because you believe in me, I stand tall. I won't let you down

And to

PAUL ADE MARTINS, mr marco martinez. You endured my questions and the further questions.
If all the famous guys were like you..........


I.D CABASA, you allowed the honour of getting to know you. Without any hassles


RUBY GYANG, i have no words.........


TOSIN BUCKNOR aka toptosyn aka Area mama, you were my first interview, you didn't even know me


MO CHEDDAH, for your quick response

To the ANONYMOUS(ES) who leave those cool comments, we are together!

I really could go on and on and on and on and on and on......... Big shoutout to everyone who supports this blog even without me knowing it. I pray you receive support in everything you do and everywhere you go.

DEBOURGEOIS is by no means where it is going, not even close........ not by a long shot. But you guys are the oil in the wheel.

Thanks for taking the time to even read the posts, somedays I'm not sure I make sense but y'all get it.

If you are visiting this blog for the first time, welcome. I appreciate you  a lot.

If you don't have a support group, (in the words of Jay Z), I feel bad for you son. Some of these folks form a huge part of my support group, they keep me going and sometimes have to kick me in the backside to get me moving. These guys may not know my dreams, my hopes, my aspirations, but they wanna make sure I get wherever I am going! What more could a girl ask for?!


DEBOURGEOIS says a big thank you to you all. Its another year, lets do it again.

YES WE CAN!!!

MARCO MARTINEZ AT TEN

Marco Martinez is arguably the biggest urban apparel designer in Nigeria, with the Boys Are Not Smiling (BANS) tees, Girls Are Not Smiling tees, DJ Jimmy Jatt (D3PLE J)snap backs, MADE ON THE STREET tees, the tennis designs and so many others which constantly get sold out, the fashion house definitely has its hands full. The CEO and creative designer of Marco Martinez, Paul Ade Martins,a graduate of Engineering at the University of Lagos, took time out of his packed schedule for an interview with DEBOURGEOIS and shared some of what makes Marco Martinez the power house it is.


DB - Where did the name Marco Martinez come from?
DB - My friends helped me come up with the name because then i was looking for a name (even the M symbol came before the name because i always loved superman and other comics growing up), so after much deliberation, someone said why not Marco but i thought to myself later on that anyone could be Marco so i decided to add a second name and then all the big designers had two names like Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren etc. So i thought since my surname was Martins and Marco sounded Italian, i should make it Marco Martinez. Also there was the Nigerian factor, there is something about foreign things, no matter how much they like it once they see that it was made by a Nigerian that's when they would turn it inside out and start looking at the thread and all that. I actually heard of someone who had sold some of my clothes and when they asked who Marco Martinez was, he said "na one italian guy like that wey come Nigeria"


DB- What made you go into fashion?
MM - I have always loved drawing and designing, i remember back in Unilag, i designed the number on the door to my room at the hostel and everyone liked it. So i thought why not make this a business rather than a hobby. I never worked for anyone, so that helped me launch early and i was able to take the risk of going into design fulltime. 



DB - Did the Marco Martinez brand start with Boys Are Not smiling?
MM - No, the brand has started way before that. Back then when people would ask me to help them get clothes, no matter the specifications and whatever they wanted on it. I would get exactly that, so they started asking how that was possible, that's when i told them i was actually the one who made them. That was in 2002 so the brand is not new at all. The BANS tees didn't get to the market till about five years ago. I designed it for Terry Tha Rapman for his song "Boys are not smiling" and the entire design process was shown on MTV, right from designing the face on the shirt to completion. That's how BANS was born.

DB - What inspired the Dj Jimmy Jatt snap backs?
MM - I have known Dj Jimmy Jatt for a long time and he'd come see me or i would go see him. but there was one day he came to see me and i noticed something odd about him, i couldn't place it at first and then it hit me, so i said "Uncle Jimmy why are you not wearing a hat" because i had never seen him without one. That is when it just clicked because I had been thinking about my hat line because i didn't think it was proper that everyone was wearing hats saying "NYC" or "ATL" and those kind of hats. Why rep somewhere you've never been, or where you are not known etc. I wanted something we could relate to. And who better than Jimmy Jatt who is an icon and is known everywhere for his love of hats. I immediately went to work designing and i showed them to him and he liked the designs. that's how the snapbacks were born.


DB - What type of partnership exists between the fashion house and DJ Jimmy Jatt?
MM - It is a business relationship as per the D3PLEJ snapbacks, but he has always been a friend and customer of the fashion house


DB - What has been the response of the international community to Marco Martinez?
MM- The response has been great, we have been getting requests from all over the world for our designs. For instance some white boys in Germany requested for the BANS tees, and i began to wonder what boys are not smiling had to do with people in Germany. The major challenge we were having before was how to produce in bulk but now with our factory we are more equipped for export than ever before. Also we have moved from a new brand to an accepted and established brand in Nigeria so now we can go into the international scene. Some of our customers buy in bulk and take it outside the country to resell.


DB - Do you have any intentions of going from urban designs to also doing couture?
MM - Our customers know we are not strictly urban because we make jackets, shoes etc, however as a trained engineer i couldn't see myself attending directly to customers, such that when we make clothes someone would come back and say "oga, i no like the cloth again or amend am e no size me" and all that, but in the next 12months we are expanding our designs.


DB - The brand's fans have remained loyal even after all these years, what inspires the loyalty?
MM - I think its just God


DB - Have you had any fashion shows where Marco Martinez has showcased its designs?
MM - Actually we have been invited to a lot of fashion shows but we have declined those invites such that some are upset with us. but we have been mostly interested in building the brand, focusing on our designs and our customers. Right now though, we are more open to doing fashion shows and soon we will begin having fashion shows

DB - There are a number of urban apparel designers in the Nigerian fashion industry. What sets Marco Martinez apart from the others?
MM - Quality, Finish and knowing what our customers want. Plus our unique designs


DB - In your view, what is the state of the Nigerian Urban apparel design market?
MM - The industry is still growing, and i believe that as much as there are lots of designers out there we still have less than five percent of the population with all of us put together


DB - If you had the opportunity to work with any fashion houses or labels. Which ones would immediately come to mind
MM - Alexander Blage


DB - Are you solely responsible for creativity at Marco Martinez or there are other persons involved?
MM - We are a company and i am the creative director. Currently, we are hiring designers to add to our versatility.


DB - How can interested designers get in touch with you?
MM - They can send mails to info@marco-martinez.com with all their previous works


DB - What are the things that inspire both your Marco Martinez creative side and Paul Ade Martins, the man?
MM - I am inspired by Music, Feelings and my immediate environment. I am inspired by what I see around me everyday.


DB - If you had the opportunity to steal three things; one body part, one personality trait and one material thing from any person(s), what would they be?
MM - Body part: 6packs from Tyrese, personality trait: Messi's humility and consistency at the top, material thing ; Micheal Jackson's Estate


Visit the marco martinez website www.marco-martinez.com , like on facebook http:/www.facebook.com/marcomartinez47 and follow on twitter @marcomartinz47