TeesTake
THE Mannequin Awards
Come November, the fashion community in the garden city of Port Harcourt will gather and celebrate the milestones that have been achieved by individuals. On this night, some people will expect to be awarded, and some will actually be awarded. But I think the question is, who deserves this honor? Who deserves to get this kind of accolade?
You see, in my humble opinion, it’s a give-and-take situation. The questions are very simple, and so are the answers.
Give:
- Do you give back to the community? As a business individual in the community, do you give back? Do you employ the services of others in your community? For example, as a designer, do you use MUA from the community when you need to shoot, models, hairstylists, fashion stylists, photographers, and the list goes on! And do you pay them well, or do you go elsewhere and claim you won’t get value for your money in your community?
I think the community responds well to creatives that help build and organize, not giving up on the entire structure. I can boldly say that where the industry is now is not where it used to be. So, if you give, you most definitely will get. It only takes a matter of time.
Take:
The community will respond well to givers. For instance, as a designer, if you always use creatives from your community and collaborate with your community, there will come a time when you will need an ad or something that only a member of this said community can help you with. In a heartbeat, they will come through for you because you have done the same all the time. It takes a lot of grace and patience to remember your immediate business community, but when you do, you find the cloud is big enough for everyone, and when your community grows, you grow too.
A caveat to consider is I THINK EVERYONE IS A WINNER. I also think it does not matter how many times a nominee was nominated; what matters is his or her work! Did said person get weak, get back up, and continue showing hard work and persistence yet caring as much for people as they can along the way? Yes! Yes! Yes!
So, I think the Mannequin Awards will go to those who have given and should be prepared to take!
My two cents.
Writer: Tonye Hart
@hartxstyling