Glamsquad Magazine Jan 2023

JANUARY 2023

10 Fashion

Trends To

Adopt In

2023

Spring 2023

Shows

at Lagos

Fashion

Week

adele:

on the

correct

pronunciation

of her

name

New Year

Resolutions

to Consider

in 2023

Exclusive

Beauty

Hacks to

Guide You in

the New

Year

Chimamanda

Ngozi Adichie:

Lifting Africa To The World

www.glamsquadmagazine.com 1

Inside

Glamsquad

Magazine

January 2023

BEAUTY

Beauty Hacks

to Guide You in

the New Year

FOOD

70

18

Chimamanda

Ngozi

Adichie:


74

Healthy Foods

That Help You

Burn Fat

glamsquadtv glamsquad3 glamsquadTV glamsquadtvmag

2

www.glamsquadmagazine.com

Editor-In-chief /

Publisher

Remi Diagbare

Editor

Amenna Dayo

Managing Editor

Sebastianne Ebathemi

Deputy editor

Chioma Esui

Stand-By/Ad-Hoc

Praise David

Grace Effiong

Oyindamola

Staff Writers

Sasha Bokamoso

Glory Uyi

Contributors

Dr. Nkechi Omoson

Chef Amaka Obiefuna

Social Media

Yewande Falana

graphics / Web Manager

Layi Success

MARKETING Director

Tega Diagbare

Atinuke Bankole

New York Fashion Week

S/S 2023: The Best Looks

H

ello there, and happy new

year.

It is the wishes and prayers

of the entire team that this

year is a better and more fulfilling

year for you and all that is yours,

amen.

As you can see from the

cover, we are starting the year

with a BIG BANG! No, I do not

have the credit for this one. The

idea of a Chimamanda Ngozi

Adichie cover was the idea of

our amiable Editor-in-Chief, Remi

Diagbare.

A meeting with the team to

review the cover suggestion took

less than 10 seconds! Everyone

said yes – this is a testament

to Chimamanda’s robust

persona. The Fashion, Lifestyle,

Entertainment, and Feature

editors were buzzing with content

suggestions for the internationally

renowned Content Creator.

To start the year, I am proud of

the work the team put together

to deliver this cover. It takes us a

step further as a team to position

Glamsquad where we want to

see it – at the top!

As usual, we always have a

complete package. We touched

on Adele and her new album,

40

the New York Fashion Week,

Lagos Fashion Week, beauty

and fashion trends, health

and wellness tips, and lots

more.

On behalf of the team,

I want to especially thank

everyone who has followed

us in 2022 and started

the new year with us. I am

also glad to welcome all

those who are new to the

Glamsquad family and

reading your first edition –

we exist because of you.

I love you loads and will

continue to bring you the

best!

Our next edition? You will

be wowed! This year, we are

raising the bar higher and

leading in style.

Lots of love,

A .

Ameena Dayo

Editor, G.S

Head Office:

Suite B70/71, Ikota Shopping Complex,

By VGC, Lekki , Lagos, Nigeria

Tel: +234 803 844 4955, +44 7404 990166

For advert enquiries, please contact the marketing

Director 08115933500 or email,

[email protected],

[email protected]

We pay for exclusive celebrity stories.

FASHION

10

Fashion

Trends

To Adopt

In 2023

6

Disclaimer:

Please note that all photos used in this special

digital edition of Glamsquad Magazine were

sourced freely online.

Glamsquad maintains no rights over the images/

photos, while we have tried to give appropriate

credit where due, we are aware some artistes

were not credited.

We remain committed to supporting intellectual

property and creativity.

© 2023 Tegali Communications


FEATURE

A Breath of Fresh Air

Chioma Esui

To bring in the New

Year, we must first

remember the year

that was (if you dare).

2022 was a big year,

but it has been the

year for self-discovery

and self-love. It made

us appreciate our

loved ones even more

and showed us how

important listening to our

mental state is.

We had the opportunity

to pause the hustle and

bustle of our daily lives

and slowly learned how

to take in and enjoy the

little things.

Ringing in the New Year

is a reminder to hold

on to the new habits

learned (the good ones,

of course) while also

setting goals to take on

the year! But don’t be

hard on yourself if you

didn’t achieve all your

resolutions this year

- you’re only human,

and 2023 has been

particularly challenging!

We have devised the top

3 New Year’s resolution

ideas to help you start

2023 with a bang! Take

them as they are, or

weave them into your

own list. The choice is

yours!

Just Do It!

(Thanks Nike) To quote Nike’s famous tagline,

‘Just Do It,’ it’s a saying that can come across as

inspirational or somewhat aggressive. However

you take it, it’s a simple line to live by that will stop

you from procrastinating and get you moving.

If you want something, just do it! If you want to

get fit or ask the postman out on a date, we

won’t judge. JUST DO IT. We’ve had a year of not

being allowed to do so many of the things we

wanted to do, and it’s time to reclaim that by

pushing ourselves outside our comfort zones! If

you want to go camping, meet new people, ask

for that promotion or have pancakes for dinner,

JUST DO IT!

4


FEATURE

Make the Switch!

Self-Love Club

Self-love can mean different

things to different people.

To some, it means lighting a

candle and taking a long,

hot bath after a day’s work. To

others, it’s ordering the truffle

fries with dinner because ‘we

deserve it’.

Whatever it means to you, selflove

encompasses all things

relationships, health, fitness,

and well-being. It’s the starting

point that requires us to shift

our focus inward and work on

becoming better versions of

ourselves.

Transforming the concept of

self-love into an action that you

can be accountable for can

be tricky. But it can start small,

such as setting daily habits

like waking up with a purpose

or making the bed. Then you

can move to focusing on a

healthier diet or signing up for

a gym class. Or it can be as

simple as shutting your laptop

at 5 PM on the dot to enjoy a

nice walk in the summer sun.

Whatever it is, it begins with

self-love!

‘My New Year’s Resolution is to be

fit and healthy’ - This is a line we tell

ourselves all too often (guilty). It’s a

cliche that many of us are guilty of

setting at the start of the year, but

after the summer holidays are over,

it’s easy to fall back into old habits.

Well, this year will be different. With

a new mindset and appreciation

for how short and beautiful life really

is, setting small habits to introduce

into your daily routine doesn’t seem

as far-fetched after all. And we say

small habits because it’s the little

things that make a huge difference.

Starting small allows us to turn little

actions into habits. If it’s waking

up and going for a walk or run

before you start your day instead

of scrolling TikTok or subbing the

sausage roll and can of Coke for a

salad and juice instead.

Switching out these little things and

making small changes will have a

dramatic effect on your health, not

just physically but mentally. You’ll

feel stronger, have more energy,

be more confident, and be able

to focus more. Don’t contemplate

it. Just switch it, and you’ll thank us

later!

Now with that all said and done,

we want to know… What do you

want to achieve next year?


TRENDS ESCAPE

10 Fashion

Trends To

Adopt In 2023

Kabirat Opoola

Over the years, the fashion world

has grown, and fashion has

become a lifestyle and a habit

for quite a lot of people. Maintaining a

good fashion reputation is nowadays

considered a basic necessity. Apart

from dressing nicely and looking

good, which elevates mood and one’s

confidence, it is also a basis that

determines the way one is addressed.

The fashion world evolves frequently,

and new designs and styles are

introduced to keep the fashion world

active and interesting. People’s taste in

fashion also changes frequently, and

this leads to the creation of new trends

in the fashion world.

However, these frequent changes

in trends might sometimes be a

bit difficult, especially for fashion

enthusiasts who strive to look good

at all times to catch up to. As we

welcome a new year, here is a list of 10

fashion trends to adopt in 2023:

1

Cargo Pants

Cargo pants have been in

existence for quite a while now,

but they aren’t going out of

trend anytime soon. Designers

are coming out with new and

creative cargo designs that

we cannot get enough of.

Nowadays, cargo pants exist

in different fabrics, including

denim, satin, leather, and so on.

They have become so trendy

in the fashion world and are

perfect for a smart casual look.

If you haven’t tried out cargo

pants, this is the time to give

them a try. They are absolutely a

fashion trend to adopt in 2023.

6


TRENDS

Low-Rise Pants

Love it or hate it, the trend of low-rise pants is

on the rise, and you might consider giving it a

try. Low-rise pants are pants below your waist to

several inches under your navel. Although low-rise

pants are back in trend, they are not a fashion

for everyone to adopt. Body shapes like shortwaisted,

straight bodies, inverted triangle bodies,

and athletic bodies can consider adopting this

particular trend as it looks good on them.

2

Blazer

A fashion trend you should add

to your wardrobe in 2023 is the

blazer. Gone are the days when

blazers were restricted to corporate

looks alone. These days, they exist

in different sizes and designs and

are considered timeless outfits. For

example, the oversized blazer can

both be rocked as a dress and also

as a jacket. Crop blazers are also in

style and can be the perfect fit for

your jean trouser, wide-leg pants,

mini skirts, and so on. Blazers play a

versatile role in your fashion game

and should not be underestimated.

3


TRENDS ESCAPE

Belts

Another fashion trend to adopt

in 2023, if you haven’t yet, is the

addition of belts to your outfits.

Belts are no longer only used to

give fitting to a trouser but have

nowadays become a fashion

accessory. Belts help to give style

to an outfit and also do wonders

in highlighting your body shape,

especially when rocking baggy

cloth. Belts can be used around

an oversized blazer or a dress.

You can also spice up your

look by adding a chain belt in

situations where you are dressed

in a tummy-revealing outfit.

5

4

Bright-colored outfits

The year 2022 introduced brightcolored

outfits into the fashion

world, and this fashion trend will

definitely continue into 2023 and

is not yet late for you to adopt it

if you haven’t already done that.

Bright-colored outfits are fun to wear

and make your outfit feel alive. You

can consider going monochrome

8


TRENDS

6

if you fear a complicated

color combination or tuning

the color down a bit with

neutral-colored outfits.

One of the best

color combinations

in trend now is the

mixture of red with pink.

The combination is

mesmerizing.

Maxi Lengths

Maxi-length outfits have been in

existence for some time but have

nowadays been spotted on

the front of fashion. One of the

latest fashion trends which you

can consider adopting is the

maxi length or floor length

outfits. These features were

not only dominant in the

designer’s collection

for 2023 but were

also spotted in

celebrities.


TRENDS ESCAPE

7

Baggy Jeans

We are moving towards the fashion era,

where comfort is an important aspect to

consider when choosing an outfit. Every

fashion enthusiast dreams of looking stylish

in a comfortable outfit hence the coming

back of baggy jeans, which were quite

common in the 90s. Baggy jeans can be

rocked in different ways. For someone

whose desire is comfort, it can be worn

alongside an oversized top. Baggy jeans

are also a perfect fit for a crop top, a

strapless top, and many other tops.

Sheer and seethrough

outfits

Sheer outfits have been in

trend for over a year now and

are still very much in trend.

The designer’s collection for

2023 debuted different sheer

looks and some with little

see-through features. From

sheer tops to gowns and

skirts, they are a fashion trend

to adopt in 2023. Celebrities

are nowadays rocking sheer

fashion in different stylish

looks.

8

Leather outfits

Leather fashion came and

completely took over the

fashion realm. From leather

pants to skirts, jackets, and

dresses, they are on top

of the fashion trend and a

recommendation for you to

adopt this year if you haven’t

already. Leather outfits,

when nicely styled, create a

chic, classy and stylish look.

They also make you look

fashion-forward. However,

styling your leather outfits

10


TRENDS

Knee-High Boots

90s knee-high boots have

made a comeback and

have been predicted to be a

fashion trend for 2023. These

pairs of leather boots are

versatile and can be rocked

to spice up different looks.

The knee-high boots come

in pointed-heel boots and

platform boots. They are a

great piece to add to your

shoe collection.

10

9

matters the most. For example,

leather pants nowadays exist

in different designs and colors

and can be rocked for a chic

casual or corporate appearance.

Although mostly high-waisted, one

of the unique features of leather

pants is how they can be rocked

alongside different tops.


FASHION

Fashion Styling 101

10

Fashion Tips To

Ensure You Always

Look Stylish In

2023

Kabirat Opoola

Avoid mixing too

many patterns

Mixing too many patterns sometimes

ends up giving you a complicated

appearance. Another important

fashion tip to take note of to look

stylish this year is to avoid mixing too

many patterns in your outfit. Some

outfit pattern combinations are just

1

not it. Mixing too many patterns makes

your outfit look busy, which might

end up diminishing the beauty of

your appearance. In some pattern

outfit combinations, camo and floral

patterns can be mixed as well as plaid

and stripes.

Fashion nowadays has

become an essential

way of living. Your

appearance is one of the first

things people notice about

you. Like Miuccia Prada

once said, “what you wear is

how you present yourself to

the world, especially today

when human contacts are so

quick. Fashion is an instant

language.”

A new year has just begun,

and it’s never too late for you

to upgrade your appearance

beautifully. Looking good

does not only give you a

good reputation but also

makes you feel good and

confident about yourself.

Although being fashionable

and stylish can be quite

complicated at times, it

doesn’t always have to be.

With some simple fashion

and wardrobe tricks here

and there, you can maintain

a stylish appearance without

stressing yourself out. To

assist with this, here are ten

fashion tips to ensure you

always look stylish in 2023:

12


FASHION

3

Explore colors

2

To look stylish, you might want to pay

attention to the color of the clothes you

wear. Although exploring different colors

is regarded as fashionable, you need to

be careful with your color combination

and avoid too many colors in one outfit.

It is also recommended to try more

neutral-colored outfits as they pretty

much never go out of style, and they

help you look effortlessly stylish.

Wear clothes that compliment

your body shape and size

The first fashion tip is to wear

clothes that complement

your body shape and size.

There exist different body

shapes and sizes, and

each has a particular outfit

that fits it the most. First,

understand the type of

body you have and wear

clothes that highlights that

body beautifully. Because

you are plus-sized doesn’t

mean you shouldn’t look

fashionable. The fashion

world is large, and there

are different outfits for each

body size and shape. There

are lots of gorgeous outfits

you can wear as a plussize

lady. Also, women are

shaped differently, from

rectangle shape to apple

shape, oval shape, pear

shape, hourglass shape,

and diamond shape.

Understanding the shape of

your body will assist you in

making the right decision on

the type of cloth you should

wear.


FASHION

Take care of your

clothes

Another fashion tip to look

good this year is to take good

care of your clothes. Wearing

a wrinkled cloth will diminish

the beauty it is supposed to

give compared to wearing a

neatly ironed cloth. Take your

time in ironing the clothes

that need to be ironed. Also,

wash them well and spray

a nice scented perfume

to make them smell nice.

Having a nice

smell also

helps to boost

your fashion

reputation.

Create An

Interchangeable

Collection

4

Creating an interchangeable collection

provides you with different choices of

outfits to pick from. Having a wardrobe

where nearly all your outfit matches

each other will make dressing easier for

you. This would also save the stress of

spending much on your clothes if you

cannot afford them.

6

14


FASHION

5

7

Explore accessories

Accessories are one of the

highlights of your outfit. Perfect use

of accessories can change the

tone of your outfit positively. After

putting together your outfit, spice

it up with some accessories like

dangling earrings for a gettogether,

chic casual, date

night type of look, or stud

earrings for a corporate look.

Different types of accessories

have a role they play in your

appearance. A necklace is

never a bad choice to spice

up that outfit neither is a

knuckle ring.

Invest in quality, not

quantity

A lot of people make the mistake

of focusing on quantity rather than

quality. Quality black pants, for

example, can be rocked out with

different stylish tops and accessories.

The quality of your clothes matters a

lot. Instead of buying fake designer

outfits, invest in one and style it in

different ways.


FASHION

Makeup and neatness

The last tip to ensure you always

look stylish this new year is how your

makeup is used and how neat your

appearance is. Making up your face

is considered a form of fashion, and

how you apply, it matters. The type of

makeup you do should also conform

to your dress theme. If dressed for a

Take care of

your hair

Apart from the outfit you wear, looking

stylish also has to do with the type of

hair on your head and how neat and

stylish it looks. All these factors help

contribute to a stylish appearance.

Rocking nicely braided or packed hair

will complement the beauty of your

outfit. Depending on your choice, you

can invest in some nice wigs and if

you are rocking a low cut, go for styles

that make you look good. A low cut

with parting or short curly hair doesn’t

seem like a bad choice. Remember,

a bad hairstyle drastically reduces the

beauty of your outfit.

8

corporate event, simple makeup will

do, while full makeup can be used for

a party outfit. Also, it is mostly perceived

that looking stylish equals being neat.

Apart from your makeup, having neat

nails and appearance will help all

these tips work hand in hand for a

better and more stylish look.

16


FASHION

10

9

Choose An

Appropriate Outfit

For Each Occasion

Understanding the type of occasion

you are attending and picking the

right outfit is one of the things that

makes you look stylish. There are

different outfits for every occasion.

What you wear to a party is different

from what you wear to a formal

setting. What you wear for a casual

event will also be different from

what you wear to attend a party.

Understanding the type of occasion

you are attending will help you

decide to choose an appropriate

outfit.


REPORTAGE

Chimamanda

Ngozi Adichie:

Woman. Writer. Warrior

Amenna Daayo

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was

born in Enugu, Nigeria in 1977.

She grew up on the campus of

the University of Nigeria, Nsukka,

where her father was a professor and her

mother was the first female Registrar.

She studied medicine for a year at

Nsukka and then left for the US at the

age of 19 to continue her education on

a different path. She graduated summa

cum laude from Eastern Connecticut

State University with a degree in

Communication and Political Science.

She has a Master’s Degree in Creative

Writing from Johns Hopkins University and

a Master of Arts degree in African History

from Yale University. She was awarded a

Hodder fellowship at Princeton University

for the 2005-2006 academic year, and

a fellowship at the Radcliffe Institute of

Harvard University for the 2011-2012

academic year. In 2008, she received a

MacArthur Fellowship.

She has received honorary doctorate

degrees from Eastern Connecticut

State University, Johns Hopkins University,

Haverford College, Williams College, the

University of Edinburgh, Duke University,

Amherst College, Bowdoin College,

SOAS University of London, American

University, Georgetown University, Yale

University, Rhode Island School of Design,

Northwestern University, University of

Pennsylvania, Skidmore College and

University of Johannesburg.

18


REPORTAGE

Glamsquad

Exclusive:


REPORTAGE

Chimamanda’s wedding

Her Marriage

In 2009, Adichie married Ivara Esege, a

Nigerian doctor. They have one daughter,

who was born in 2016. Adichie divides her

time between the United States and Nigeria,

where she teaches writing workshops.

“I have always felt that Western wedding

traditions sideline the mother of the bride

— the father walks the bride down the

aisle, the father has the first dance with the

bride, often the father gives a speech while

the mother doesn’t,” the renowned writer

responded when asked why she asked her

father and mother to walk her down the

aisle on her wedding day.

When she married her husband,

Dr. Ivara Esege in 2009, Chimamanda

decided to break several conventional

norms associated with weddings. “Our

wedding, many years ago, was small and

lovely, just as we wanted it.’ She revealed.

“I asked family and friends not to post

any photos publicly. I wanted privacy.”

20


REPORTAGE

Despite her global status, you will

hardly come across a picture

from Chimamanda’s wedding. In

fact, her wedding was so private

that many are still unaware of

her marital status. Recently, she

decided to grant the public eye

two photographs of moments

from her wedding she considers

most memorable. “… My need for

privacy is now superceded by my

desire to publicly honour the rare

and wonderful woman I called my

mother. And I hope this perhaps

inspires any young women (and

men) out there who are questioning

any kind of convention.” she wrote.

She encouraged people to

take action when they do not feel

aligned with societal norms, “We

can make changes. We can try

and craft small slices of the life we

want. We can unmake convention

to make things more just, more

complete, more beautiful. Not

everyone will be happy with you,

because it is human nature to try

and conserve things as they are,

but your spirit will feel full, and there

is nothing more meaningful than

knowing you have been true to

yourself.”

Adichie’s favourite purchase, a white She’s

Deluxe dress, which she wore to the American

Academy of Arts and Letters induction in New

York © Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie/Instagram


REPORTAGE

Losing her

Parents

Adichie would lose both parents

between a short period of time.

Months after losing her father

James Nwoye Adichie in summer

of 2020, author Chimamanda

Ngozi Adichie shared a heartfelt

note on the sudden demise of her

mother Grace Ifeoma on March 1,

2021.

Putting her grief to words,

Adichie wrote “How Does A Heart

Break Twice?”, as she shared the

news of losing her mother on social

media recently.

“How does a heart break twice?

To still be immersed in grief, barely

breathing again, and then to be

plunged callously back into a

sorrow you cannot even articulate.

How can my mother be gone

forever, and so soon after my

father?,” Adichie wrote. Incidentally,

Grace Ifeoma died on the day

of her late husband’s birthday.

Adichie’s father James Nwoye

Adichie passed away in mid-2020

and a few months later the author

paid her written tribute to him in her

new book ‘Notes on Grief’.

Expanded from her original

piece for the New Yorker, ‘Notes on

Grief’ is a powerful essay wherein

Adichie writes about her father, and

the layers of loss and grief.

Remembering her mother and

her achievements, Adichie further

shared, “My warm, loving, funny,

kind, quick-witted, beautiful mother.

Unconditional supporter and

22


REPORTAGE

cheerleader of her children, fun

and funny, source of delicious

sarcasm, style icon, so sharply

observant she never missed

a thing. She made history as

the first female registrar of the

University of Nigeria. She was

a permanent board member

of the Anambra State Basic

Education Board ASUBEB.”

Having lost both her parents

in a short period of time, Adichie

keeps wondering “How does

a heart break twice?” in her

post. “You discover emotions

you cannot name. There is

an emotion more hollow than

sorrow. There is an acceptance

drenched in disbelief. Language

fails. Clichés come startlingly

alive: the heart is truly heavy, it is

no mere metaphor.

The mornings so dark you

cannot get up from bed, the

erratic pulse, the anger, the

surprise, the tiny moments

of forgetting, the regrets, the

doomed attempts at escape.

But the pain is waiting. The pain

is inescapable. The desperate

longing to turn back time, just to

see her again, hear her laugh

one more time, hug and kiss her.

Even if just to say goodbye,

even if just to have the chance

to say goodbye, to say thank you

for everything you did for me and

everything you were to me, to

say I love you, again,” she further

wrote.


REPORTAGE

Her Books,

Honours, and

Talks

Her first novel, Purple Hibiscus

(2003), won the Commonwealth

Writers’ Prize, and her second

novel, Half of a Yellow Sun (2006),

won the Orange Prize. Her 2013

novel Americanah won the US

National Book Critics Circle Award

and was named one of The New

York Times Top Ten Best Books of

2013.

Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist

Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions,

was published in March 2017. Her

most recent work, Notes On Grief,

an essay about losing her father,

was published in 2021.

PROMOTING DEAR IJEAWELE. COOPER

UNION. NEW YORK, NY. MARCH 2017.

24


REPORTAGE

PRAGUE LITERARY FESTIVAL. PRAGUE,

CZECH REPUBLIC. SEPTEMBER 2021

Ms. Adichie’s work has been translated

into over thirty languages.

She has delivered two landmark TED

talks: her 2009 TED Talk The Danger of A

Single Story and her 2012 TEDx Euston

talk We Should All Be Feminists, which

started a worldwide conversation about

feminism and was published as a book

in 2014.

Ms. Adichie divides her time between

the United States and Nigeria, where

she leads an annual creative writing

workshop.

She was named one of TIME

Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People

in the World in 2015. In 2017, Fortune

Magazine named her one of the World’s

50 Greatest Leaders. She is a member of

both the American Academy of Arts and

Letters and the American Academy of

Arts and Sciences.

at her coronation as odeluwa of abba

United Nations Foundation 2019

Global Leadership Dinner in New York,

Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019. (Photo/Stuart

Ramson for UN Foundation)


REPORTAGE

The Case of

Ferminism

In general, feminism can be

seen as a movement to put an

end to sexism, sexist exploitation,

and oppression and to achieve

full gender equality in law and in

practice.

Adichie uses her work to inspire

women around the world in

breaking gender constructions,

stereotypes, and sexualities that

have been made to subjugate

women in society. Adichie has

described feminism as part of

the consensus knowledge on

human rights.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s

feminism, that of letting the

other be the way the want to

and not fit into certain molds or

check certain categories reflects

throughout her personal essay.

She encourages us to dream of

a world that is just and that has

26


REPORTAGE

men and women who are

happier because they are true

to themselves.

Keenly, Adichie emphasizes

how men will benefit from

feminism just as women

do—that the pressures that

patriarchy places on the

masculine role can be just as

det- rimental as those placed

on women. Hence, the title’s

argument—We Should All

Be Feminists—rings true for

persons of all genders.

In essence, we should all

be feminists not only as a

commitment to women’s

liberation but also as a way

of encouraging men to hold

conversations with women on

sexuality, appearance, roles,

and success. Being a feminist

entails championing for the

rights of women and trying to

make the world a better place

for women.

Lola Baej dress, worn to the Women In

The World Summit in New York in April ©

Michael Loccisano/Getty Images


FEATURE

Chimamanda

Ngozi Adichie:


By Ngozi Ekeledo;

Edited by Amenna Daayo

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

is one of Nigeria’s most

prominent faces. She’s

the author of Americanah, and

We Should All Be Feminists, winner

of the O. Henry Prize and the

National Book Critics Circle Award,

and the recipient of a MacArthur

Genius Grant. Some might

know Adichie as “the feminist

featured on a Beyonce track.” Her

accomplishments are staggering.

Around the world, though, the

award-winning author has also

achieved a rare feat for a writer

— she’s crossed over dynamically

from being solely a literary icon

to becoming a force in popular

culture.

While we don’t usually think of

writers as fashion icons, Adichie’s

put-together elegance, grace,

and exquisite taste helped

her earn that distinction. She

decided to launch Project Wear

Nigerian in response to the

country’s recent challenges.

“When Nigeria’s economy went

into a recession as a result of

the decline in oil prices and a

retrograde government policy,

there was a lot of rhetoric

about ‘buying Nigerian-made

products’ to help the economy,”

Adichie is quoted as saying.

“I already bought Nigerian

fashion, but I thought it might be

interesting to wear only Nigerianmade

clothes. I hoped to bring

a bit of attention to Nigerian

fashion, especially to the smaller

names, and I also wanted to do

my bit in supporting Nigerianmade

things.”

Adichie says she’s worn mostly


and ngozi okonjo-iweala

28


FEATURE

The Muse Factory top, Tailor Razak

shorts © Chimamanda Ngozi

Adichie/Instagram

Nigerian-made clothing to

public and private events over

the last few years. In the rare

instance when she doesn’t

wear Nigerian clothing (like at

the recent Glamour Women

of the Year Awards, where she

wore Dior to honor Chiuri), she

incorporates Nigerian-made

accessories.

“I wanted very much for the

project to feel organic and

accessible, and not terribly

‘exclusive,’” she said. “For

the Glamour event I wore a

beautifully inspired coat by The

Ladymaker and an ethereal

bag by Dot fashions.”

To help the project take

flight, Adichie enlisted her

nieces Chisom and Amaka

to create an Instagram page

documenting her looks.

“My aunt’s always been

hopeless with social media,”

Chisom said via email. “[My


FEATURE

sister and I] wanted to have a say

in which pictures were posted

because some of the pictures she

liked looked really, really dodgy to

us.”

Adichie’s nieces taught her the

tricks to nailing a great Instagram

photo (“She’ll ask us, ‘Okay, so how

should I pose?’ and we’ll give her

directions like ‘Okay hands down,

turn to the side, look up, one leg

behind,’ Chisom said, “and good

lighting”), and the page has since

blossomed.

“Since we started this, we’ve

gotten a ton of messages from

people all over the world,” Chisom

said. “[It’s] a very nice feeling to

know that many people like this

project and are inspired by it.”

Social media also helped

Adichie discover even more new

designers. When choosing looks,

the author says she “makes the

decision from photos I see online.”

Her cousin Ogechukwu then

reaches out to the designers to

place the orders. This method has

created quite a magical surprise

for benefactors of Adichie’s interest.

“I thought it was a prank because I

was like, ‘If it’s Chimamanda, how

come she can’t just email me

herself?’” said Ladunni Lambo, one

of the young designers Adichie

had worn numerous times. When

the author posted a picture to

Instagram wearing Lambo’s

designs, reality set in.

Lambo’s collections include her

signature touches of layering and

the use of aso-oke, a stiff fabric

used by the Yoruba people of

Nigeria. These elements are part of

what attracted Adichie’s attention.

And her interest drew others to the

brand as well.

“A lot more people have wanted

30


FEATURE

to know more about the brand,

about me, and Chimamanda

definitely brought more awareness

to the brand — which I’m

definitely happy about,” Lambo

said. The two have since met in

person, and Lambo’s admiration

of and appreciation for Adichie

and her project have only grown.

“She’s a great person and she’s

timeless, as far as I’m concerned,”

Lambo said. “It can be a bit

tricky having your own business

and being young in Nigeria, so

whichever little help that we can

get is fine. She’s doing us a huge

favor.”

GREY co-founders Rukky Ladoja

and Obida Obioha also benefited

from the “Adichie effect.” The

author has worn five outfits from

the affordable ready-to-wear line

that the duo launched in 2009.

Once customers saw the brand

featured on Adichie’s Instagram

page, Ladoja noticed an

immediate increase in sales,

especially from an international

audience. GREY even opened

up its annual summer sale to

international customers online for

the first time ever, and during the

six-day stretch, it received an eyepopping

80 orders.

“That week was a proper eyeopener

for us about the impact,”

Ladoja said. “People kept

reaching out and saying, ‘Hi,

do you have this style? I want to

buy it. I want to wear that dress

Chimamanda is wearing, do

you have it?’ It’s opened us up

to a new market, mostly, like, the

African diaspora, who did not think

they could shop Nigerian brands.”

For these Nigerian designers, the

project’s impact through social

media also provided a new

gateway to consumers.


FEATURE

My Fashion

Nationalism

By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

My mother always

dressed us well. Me

in little girl dresses

cinched at the waist,

my brothers in suits and wellironed

shirts. To go out, she said,

we had to “di ka mmadu”, which

translates literally to “look like a

person”.

We spoke both Igbo and

English at home, but she always

said this in Igbo, the more

poetic language, as though

to validate with metaphor her

belief in dressing well. There were

frequent market visits to buy

yards of fabric, trips to the tailor

to be measured.

But store-bought clothes

— we called them “readymade”

— were the highlights,

preferred partly because the

sewing had no imperfections,

and partly because tailors were

cheap and ubiquitous, and so

the less common became the

more desirable. If my professor

father travelled to Europe for a

conference, I looked forward

to dresses from abroad, and

I loved them more fiercely for

being foreign.

My much-older sisters, Ijeoma

and Uche, were stylish figures, one

in medical school and the other

studying pharmacy, and I spent

my teenage years wearing their

hand-me-downs. I remember a

silver-coloured skirt suit from the

conservative Ijeoma, with an

elegantly adult peplum.

I wore it to church at 15. And

from the more inventive Uche,

a fitted dress in cream jersey,

two sashes draped in front, from

shoulder to hip, crossing at the

middle. And black harem trousers,

with ruching that gathered at

my calves, so strange that my

classmates giggled when I wore

them to a friend’s birthday party. I

loved those clothes, incongruous

though they might have been.

In them, I felt free of selfconsciousness,

comfortable

enough to laugh along to the wellmeaning

puzzlement of my peers.

When I studied medicine for a year

at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka I

was voted “Best Dressed Girl”.

A classmate said:

“Congratulations, even though

you wear some things that I don’t

understand.” I laughed. Perhaps he

meant the green crochet top and

black bell-bottom trousers I had

found in my mother’s old trunk from

the 1960s. I was drawn to clothes

that were slightly unusual, quietly

quirky, as long as they never sank

to the level of costume. If I had a

style mantra it was to wear what I

liked.

Yet when I moved to the US to

attend college, I began to wear

clothes I disliked. My fiction was

getting published, I was keen

to be taken seriously, and I had

noticed the backward treatment of

women in western culture: women

interested in clothes or makeup

were labelled frivolous, their

intelligence became suspect, and

they risked being easily dismissed in

intellectual circles. So I wore what

I imagined would make me look

worthy of seriousness.

It took years, and success,

before I began again to wear

the clothes I truly wanted to

wear. I gloried in buying “readymade”

clothing at American

discount stores, and later, when

I could afford to, in department

stores. I discovered online

shopping. I browsed and ordered

and returned. But I soon grew

disillusioned. It began with a

longing for pockets. Why did so few

32


FEATURE

women’s clothes have pockets,

usable pockets that did not

impinge on style? And why were

so many dresses sleeveless?

And where did adult women for

whom attractive did not equal

too tight shop? And why did the

style of so many dresses assume

the absence of non-flat breasts?

When I found clothes I liked, I

longed to tweak them.

I began to resist some

standard ideas and language

of global — which is to say

narrowly western — fashion.

The depiction of bright colours

as bold or daring, black as

the unimpeachable hallmark

of sophistication, and beige

as neutral, for example, were

based on a specific pale-skinned

standard. For a dark-skinned

person, blue might be a better

black, brighter colours more

ordinary than daring, and neutral

negotiable. My greatest gripe

was with the word “modest”,

used to describe clothes for

what they were not — short

or body-baring — rather than

for what they were. “Modest”

brought a moral, frumpy taint

to what was often an aesthetic

choice. I loved midi lengths

because I found them sexy,

sleeves because they were more

flattering, higher necklines for

their air of confident chic.

I designed my own clothes,

and my tailor, Razak, made them

in Lagos. Razak was talented and

distracted and unreliable. He was

also convinced that he was an

undiscovered music star. It was

2016 and Nigeria’s economy

was in chaos. President Buhari’s

government had instituted a

retrograde currency policy, the

value of the naira plummeted,

and suddenly everyone was

talking about “buy Nigerian

products to grow the naira”.

The political rhetoric gave

me an idea: what if I wore only


FEATURE

34


FEATURE

Nigerian designers to public

events? I would be supporting the

different layers of the industry, from

the button-sewer to the delivery

person, and I hoped to bring other

buyers to Nigerian brands.

Nigeria has always had a

thriving fashion scene. I admired,

early on, the seamless structures

of Deola Sagoe, the unusual flair

of Zizi Cardow, but they seemed

unreachable. Now there was a

new generation of designers, with

a grassroots vigour and visibility

made possible by social media.

Most were in Lagos, the most stylish

city in the world, where fashion is

the one true democracy: from the

western-label-loving elite class, to

the working poor in their beautifully

put-together outfits bought

second-hand.

Looking at Nigerian designs

online became my favourite timewaster.

Here was bliss: clothes cut

to account for breasts, an ethos

of clothing as pleasure rather

than status, the casual presence

of sleeves. I took screenshots of

what I liked. My cousin Ogechukwu

placed the orders. They were

delivered to my Lagos home. If I

happened to be in the US, they

would be sent to me there.

Some of the clothes I fell for as

soon as I put them on. Others did

not live up to their promise. There

was an abundance of poor-quality

zippers that needed changing. I

discovered, above all else, that

price is not an accurate gauge

of quality and that there is far

more talent than opportunity and

infrastructure, a fact perhaps true

of most industries in Nigeria.

So far, my favourite brands

are Fia Factory and Grey, the

former beautifully offbeat, the

latter timeless with deft touches

of originality, both careful about

fabric and finish. To a Dior fashion

show in Paris, I wore a dress by

Ladunni Lambo, a young designer

who might well become a star

because of her rare mix of

consciousness and introspection.

Her deconstructed dresses

made from stiff aso-oke feel like

exquisite armours. I thought I

disliked sequins until I found a top

by Wanger Ayu, with self-assured

furry green sleeves and a silversequinned

bodice.

I wore it, with patterned trousers

by Grey, to the New York Times’

“Times Talks” conversation series,

and felt vainly pleased at the

surprise of people who did not

think the clothes were Nigerian. But

“

If I had a

style mantra

it was to

wear what I

liked.

my best-loved purchase is a white

dress from the improbably named

label She’s Deluxe, owned by a

young woman in Abuja.

A modern long-sleeved

cotton shift with a sly cut-out at

the shoulder, which I wore to the

American Academy of Arts and

Letters induction in New York. I

recently ordered another dress

from her. “Pay a deposit so I can

go to the market and buy the

fabric,” she told my cousin, which

I found an endearing example of

Nigerian striving. I decided to call

it my “project wear Nigerian”, and

planned to have photos put up

on my Facebook page, the only

social media I have.

But my 20-year-old twin nieces

Chisom and Amaka, full of that

terrifying millennial savoir faire,

laughed. “Aunty you should have

an Instagram page,” Amaka

said. “We’ll handle it for you.”

They were unhappy with the first

photos I took. Not bright or clear

enough, they said. Their eyes are

conditioned to the ersatz poses

and stylised photos of social

media, where people dress

specifically to be photographed

in well-lit spaces. Book events are

not usually photo-friendly, too

dark, too indifferent to optics. And

it doesn’t help that I loathe being

photographed. A camera before

me results automatically in my

being knotted with awkwardness:

finger-twiddling, breath-holding,

mouth-twisted, body off-kilter.

Now, six months later, my

nieces have made peace with

the photos not being Instagramperfect.

“At least they’re real,”

they said, as scant consolation.

We have a routine: I have

pictures taken at my events and I

send them to my best friend Uju,

my cousin Ogechukwu and my

nieces. They make the selection,

as I am known to have terrible

taste in my own photos, and the

photo is put up, with the brands’

Instagram handles.

I have practical hopes for my

project, that it shows Nigerian

fashion as it is, not a museum of

“traditional African” clothes but

a vibrant and diverse industry,

and that it brings recognition

to the brands. But it is also a

personal and political statement.

At a time of political uncertainty,

when I find myself questioning

the future of the two countries

I call home — Nigeria and the

US — this project is an act of

benign nationalism, a paean

to peaceful self-sufficiency,

a gesture towards what is still

possible; it is my uncomplicated

act for complicated times.

CREDIT: My fashion nationalism,

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Copyright © 2017 Chimamanda

AdichieAll rights reserved


FEATURE

5 + 2 Times

Chimamanda

Ngozi Adichie

Chioma Esui

It is one thing to like fashion; it is a

different ball game to be a fashion

icon. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

is one of the few non-fashion

personalities who can command that

respect.

For god’s sake, this lady is a writer and

feminist – persons who are known

to have very poor fashion taste

(apologies if this went too hard!)

She has exciting views on beauty

and fashion. In an Instagram post,

she expresses what she thinks about

feminists being fashionable;

“There are intelligent women all over

the world who like fashion, but feel

the pressure to pretend otherwise,

because they want to be taken

seriously by a mainstream world that

has decided that intelligent women

cannot possibly like fashion.

“A woman does not have to be one

or the other. She can be both.” I

cannot agree more, and honestly;

she is so right about this – like many

other things.

She is also known for mostly sticking to

African designers. In the most recent

times, here are five of her looks we

love. Guess what? We added two

extra picks just because we love you!

Check out the seven times


channeled the fashionista within.

dress by

Totally Ethnik

36


FEATURE

dress by

MsBeefab

dress by

Style Temple

dress by iola to the

Dior 70th Anniversary

celebration in Paris

dress by The

Ladymaker

top and wrapper by

Ada by Alter Ego

top and trousers

by Ndidiamaka Elile


FEATURE

Our Cover Girl,

Chimamanda Ngozi

Adichie Honoured

With The Chieftaincy

Title Of Odeluwa

(One Who Writes For The World)

Amenna Daayo

Just when we thought our

January 2023 edition

couldn’t get any better,

we get rocked with the

exciting news that our cover girl

is now a Chief!

Please take note that

when next you refer to the

Glamsquad Cover Girl for

January 2023, be sure to add

“Chief” to her name – Chief

Chimamanda Ngozi!

The celebrated writer was

honoured with the title of

Odeluwa 1 of Abba kingdom,

which, when translated, means

– the one who writes for the

world. For us, this title is a

confirmation that our choice of

Glamsquad covers is inept with

their contribution to humanity

and society.

She received the chieftaincy

title in recognition of her

contributions to the welfare and

development of her hometown,

Abba, Anambra State.

Chimamanda received

the title in a lavish event in her

hometown that was organized

to mark the traditional 45th

edition of the Ofala festival and

the 80th birthday celebration of

HRH. Igwe Sir Leonard Nwankwo

Ezeh (Eze Abba).

Among the dignitaries who

graced the ceremony was the

Executive Governor of Anambra

State, Charles Soludo, Obi

of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka

Alfred Achebe, amongst other

notable personalities.

Congratulations, cover girl!

See photos from the event

below:

38


FEATURE


FEATURE

Model To

Celebrate

40


FEATURE

Chanel Iman

Robinson

Shepard

Sasha Bokomoso

Our model to celebrate for

this edition – the first in 2023,

is none other than Chanel

Iman Robinson. Iman is an

American model best known for her

work as a Victoria’s Secret Angel. Vogue

Paris declared her as one of the top 30

models of the 2000s.

She was born on 1 December 1990

in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, to

China Robinson and Tic Price. Her mother

is of mixed heritage, being half African

American and half Korean, while her

father is African American. She grew up in

Los Angeles, California.

She is 1.78 m tall and married Sterling

Shepard on 3 March 2018. She has

two daughters – Cali Clay Shepard and

Cassie Snow Shepard.

Chanel Iman began modeling as a

child with Ford Models in Los Angeles,

California, when she was 12 years old.

She also traveled to New York in 2006 and

placed third in Ford’s Supermodel of the

World competition.

Iman is also very active on social

media. Iman has a sizable following

on social media platforms such as

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.


EVENTS

New York

Fashion Week

S/S 2023: The Best

Looks

Sasha Bokamoso

From a raft of homegrown

talent to star-studded

international imports, the New

York Fashion Week S/S 2023

presented the best fashion has to

offer, as reported by editors in the

city.

After several seasons of treading

carefully and cautiously, New York

Fashion Week S/S 2023 arrived with

fresh vigour.

An influx of international imports

may have helped – Fendi made

its way to Manhattan to celebrate

the 25th anniversary of its Baguette

bag. At the same time, Marni

staged its first US show in Brooklyn,

right in view of the Brooklyn Bridge.

But really, it was the hometown

pride for New York talent that was

palpable across the board, from

Collina Strada’s gathering of their

close-knit community at an underthe-radar

nature reserve to an

intoxicating collection from Eckhaus

Latta that poignantly featured

prints from the late artist Matthew

Underwood, who was a friend of the

brand.

Here, reported by fashion

editors – Pei-Ru Keh, and Tilly

Macalister-Smith, we present to

you the best of New York Fashion

Week S/S 2023.

Area

Carolina Herrera

Batsheva

Coach

Collina Strada

Fendi

42


EVENTS

Deveaux

Dion Lee

Eckhaus Latta

Gabriela Hearst

Jonathan Simkhai

Khaite


EVENTS

Marni

Luar

Michael Kors

Peter Do

Sandy Liang

Tommy Hilfiger

Tom Ford

Fendi

44


EVENTS

Puppets and Puppets

Private Policy

Eckhaus Latta

Tory Burch

Zankov

Willy Chavarria


FEATURE

Adele:

‘I Drink Wine’ Song and

Right Pronunciation of

Her Name

Chioma Esui

Adele released the

hotly-anticipated

music video for the

song ‘I Drink Wine’ nine

months after her album ‘30’

dropped in November 2021.

The ‘I Drink Wine’ video

sees Adele float down a

dreamy river as she tells the

story of a couple who have

changed and grown apart

as they struggle to accept

each other for who they are.

The long-awaited footage

– dubbed a ‘short film’ at

seven minutes long – has

been released weeks before

she begins her Las Vegas

residency.

As the footage unfolds, the

singer can be seen decked

in a sequin gold gown with

a glass of wine in one hand

and a bottle in the other, as

she’s joined by synchronised

swimmers and a potential love

interest.

Adele reflects on her

relationship as she bitterly

watches couples on the river

bank as she floats by, but by

the end of the video, Adele

has let go of her wine glass

and has submerged herself

in the water, floating serenely

surrounded by flowers.

‘I Drink Wine’ is only the third

video to be released from her

30 album, after ‘Oh My God’

dropped nine months ago,

and her video for ‘Easy On

Me’ was released in October

2021 – the star’s first video in six

years.

The album was one of her

most personal yet, where she

46


FEATURE

delves into her 2021 divorce

from husband, Simon Konecki,

whom she married in 2018.

Yet according to the singer,

the new video for ‘I Drink Wine’

was shot before either of those

two videos.

“The ‘I Drink Wine’ video

was the first one I shot for this

album. And it’s finally coming

out tomorrow!! I’m excited for

you to see it and I can’t wait

to see some of you tonight!”

Adele tweeted the day before

the video’s official release.

Fans of the star have

proclaimed it’s her best

music video yet, with

hundreds of thousands

taking to social media to

praise Adele’s creation.


FEATURE

48


FEATURE

“

The album was

one of her most

personal yet, where

she delves into her

2021 divorce from

husband, Simon

Konecki, whom she

married in 2018.

Pronouncing her name wrong all

this while….

Have you been pronouncing

Adele’s name correctly? Apparently

not everyone has, as the singer

revealed the correct pronunciation,

admitting that she is used to hearing

different variations of her name.

Adele went on to show her

appreciation for one of her fans in

London, who pronounced her name

correctly while asking a question

during a Q&A on the release of her

new music video for the song ‘I Drink

Wine’ from her latest album.

“Love that,” she shared. “She said

my name perfectly!” Adele said

when the fan pronounced the name

“ uh-dale “ instead of “ud-del.”

“I have never ever known anyone

with the name ‘Adele’ being called

‘Uh-dale’ it’s always been ‘A-del,” one

person wrote after many online users

were left surprised about the right way

to say the singer’s name.

Adele, it’s an Italian name,

forget British pronunciation,” a

different person commented, while

someone else wrote, “I’m Literally

Flabbergasted.”


EVENTS

Our Verdict On

Johnny Depp’s

Runway Cameo

At Rihanna’s

SAVAGE X FENTY

Fashion Show

Chioma Esui

Johnny Depp made a

controversial Cameo

in Rihanna’s Savage X

Fenty Fashion Show. In his

appearance, the actor wore a

monochromatic pajama in the style

spectacle.

In these images released after the

show, Johnny Depp is seen during

Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty Show Vol.

4, presented by Prime Video in Simi

Valley, California.

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor

appears in Rihanna’s famed fashion

event wearing Savage X Fenty

loungewear while Outkast’s “So Fresh,

So Clean” plays in the background.

He struts through a forest-like setting

while staring at the camera before

hugging a tree to end his stint.

Depp’s Savage X Fenty look is

a monochromatic pajama set,

complete with a short robe. He wore

it with layered necklaces and his hair

tied back in a ponytail.

TMZ first reported that Depp would

make a guest cameo in the singer’s

hotly anticipated fashion show, noting

that he will take part in one of the

celebrity segments, which, in the past,

has included Cindy Crawford and

other famous faces.

Depp, 59, is the “first male in Savage

X Fenty show history to take the role,”

according to TMZ. A source also

told the outlet that Rihanna and her

team “invited” Depp to participate in

the show and that both teams were

“excited to make it happen.”

Following the announcement that

Depp would be involved in the

Savage X Fenty show, some people

took to social media to share their

dismay with Rihanna and her brand.

50


EVENTS

Now that the show is streaming,

fans on social media have shared

mixed reactions to the actor’s

involvement. Some of Depp’s fans

have shown support, saying he

“deserves” the spot in the show,

while others have called out the

brand for working with him. But, as

one fan put it, Rihanna “does what

she wants” and doesn’t care what

the internet thinks.

Depp’s Savage X Fenty

appearance comes just months

after his surprise appearance at the

MTV VMAs following his defamation

trial with ex-wife Amber Heard. The

actor appeared in a brief cameo

toward the show’s beginning, with

his face digitally superimposed

into the helmet of a floating

moonperson.

The appearance came months

after a seven-person jury sided

mainly with the actor, finding that

Heard defamed Depp in her 2018

Washington Post op-ed about

domestic violence, though she

didn’t mention him by name. As a

result, he was awarded more than

$10 million in damages.

Heard, meanwhile, won one of

her three defamation countersuit

claims and was awarded $2 million.

OUR VERDICT:

We loved seeing Johnny

Depp in his effortless aura

and charm on the big

screen again. Appearing in

a show by Rihanna made it

even more awesome

SCORE:

This is a

10/10

Photos Credit: KEVIN MAZUR/GETTY

IMAGES FOR RIHANNA’S SAVAGE X FENTY

SHOW VOL. 4 PRESENTED BY PRIME VIDEO


LIFESTYLE

Bovi

9ice

How Your Top

Their Christmas

Holidays

Amenna Daayo

Mercy Aigbe

Christmas is undoubtedly the best family

holiday worldwide. Even more exciting

is that it is no longer considered a

religious event for Christians alone.

As you would see from the beautiful Christmas

photos, Muslims and other non-Christians are

sharing in the happiness and joy that comes

with this beautiful season.

Below, we have attached 37 photos to show

you how your favourite celebrities spent their

Christmas in 2022. Whoever brought about

the Christmas Pajamas Photo idea is a genius

and should be proud!

Check out the beautiful photos.

52


LIFESTYLE

Dj Cuppy

P-Square

Celebrities Spent

& New Year

Ebuka Obi-Uchendu

Mercy Johnson


LIFESTYLE

Iyabo Ojo

Gov. Seyi

Mercy Makinde Aigbe

Jude Okoye

Amedu Peter Osh

Basketmouth

family

54


LIFESTYLE

Yomi Casual

Obi Cubana

Kemi Adetiba

Bruno and Luca


FASHION ESCAPE

The Best Stree

Spring 2023

Lagos Fashi

Praise David

As usual, street stylers at the

Lagos spring 2023 shows did

not disappoint. They did not

fail to put their foot (many of

which were clad in the newly released

Bottega boots – made for the

streets) forward.

Guests brought the drama in

head-to-toe monochromatic

looks in bold colorways

and lots of ruffles, fur, and

textures. Most of the photos

we have featured were

shot by the celebrated

Stephen Tayo and

Adedamola Odetara

, while others were

sourced from open

source on social

media and the

internet.

As the Lagos Fashion

Week 2022 kicked

off, all eyes turned to

Lagos’ buzzy fashion

scene, which was in

full swing over the

past few days. But it’s

not just the talented

designers that

piqued our interest;

it’s the street style,

too - the pieces

that the fashion

cognoscenti wore to

pound the pavements.

And this season, as

fashion enthusiasts

56


FASHION

t Style from

Shows at

on Week

descended upon the famous Lagos

Fashion Week Tents to watch our

homegrown designers reveal their

spring/summer 2023 collections, the

street style was better than ever.

This season, street-style

fashion enthusiasts brought in

the A-game. We were wowed

with vibrant maximalist

hues, the incorporation

of prints with bold block

colours, exaggerated

sleeves, effortless layering,

and accessories that made

a statement, and all made

waves on the streets of Lagos

this fashion week.

Check out our selection

of the most stylish street-style

moments from said LFW 202


FASHION

58


FASHION


WELLNESS

10 Health

& Wellness

Tips to Live

By in 2023

By Dr Nkechi Juliet

The start of a new year brings

with it new resolutions to

improve one’s life, including

a healthier lifestyle. Here are

10 practical health and wellness

tips to help you start off towards

healthy living in 2023.

Be Active

1

Physical activity is defined

as any bodily movement

produced by skeletal

muscles that requires energy

expenditure. This includes

exercise and activities

undertaken while working,

playing, carrying out

household chores, travelling,

and engaging in recreational

pursuits. The amount of

physical activity you need

depends on your age group

but adults aged 18-64 years

should do at least 150 minutes

of moderate-intensity physical

activity throughout the week.

Increase moderate-intensity

physical activity to 300 minutes

per week for additional health

benefits.

Practice

Safe Sex

Looking after your sexual

health is important for

your overall health and

well-being. Practice

safe sex to prevent

HIV and other sexually

transmitted infections like

gonorrhoea and syphilis.

There are available

prevention measures

such as pre-exposure

prophylaxis (PrEP) that

will protect you from HIV

and condoms that will

protect you from HIV and

other STIs. 2

60


3

WELLNESS

Avoid

Harmful Use

of Alcohol

There is no safe level for

drinking alcohol. Consuming

alcohol can lead to

health problems such as

mental and behavioural

disorders, including alcohol

dependence, major NCDs

such as liver cirrhosis, some

cancers and heart diseases,

as well as injuries resulting

from violence and road

clashes and collisions.

Eat a Healthy Diet

Eat a combination of different foods,

including fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts

and whole grains. Adults should eat at least

five portions (400g) of fruit and vegetables

per day. You can improve your intake of

fruits and vegetables by always including

veggies in your meal; eating fresh fruit and

vegetables as snacks; eating a variety

of fruits and vegetables; and eating

them in season. By eating healthy, you

will reduce your risk of malnutrition and

noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such

as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and

cancer.

4

Reduce Intake

of Harmful Fats

Fats consumed should be less

than 30% of your total energy

intake. This will help prevent

unhealthy weight gain and

NCDs. There are different types

of fats, but unsaturated fats are

preferable over saturated fats

and trans-fats. WHO recommends

reducing saturated fats to less

than 10% of total energy intake;

reducing trans-fats to less than

1% of total energy intake; and

replacing both saturated fats and

trans-fats to unsaturated fats.

5


WELLNESS

Consume Less Salt and Sugar

X

Filipinos consume twice the recommended amount of

sodium, putting them at risk of high blood pressure, which

in turn increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. Most

people get their sodium through salt. Reduce your salt

intake to 5g per day, equivalent to about one

teaspoon. It’s easier to do this by limiting

the amount of salt, soy sauce, fish sauce

and other high-sodium condiments when

preparing meals; removing salt, seasonings

and condiments from your meal table;

avoiding salty snacks; and choosing lowsodium

products.

6

X

Check Your Blood

Pressure Regularly

7

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is called a

“silent killer”. This is because many people who have

hypertension may not be aware of the problem as

it may not have any symptoms. If left uncontrolled,

hypertension can lead to heart, brain, kidney and

other diseases. Have your blood pressure checked

regularly by a health worker so you know your numbers.

If your blood pressure is high, get the advice of a

health worker. This is vital in the prevention and control

of hypertension.

Get Tested

Getting yourself tested is an

important step in knowing your

health status, especially when it

comes to HIV, hepatitis B, sexuallytransmitted

infections (STIs) and

tuberculosis (TB). Left untreated,

these diseases can lead to

serious complications and even

62


WELLNESS

9

Get Vaccinated

Vaccination is one of the most

effective ways to prevent

diseases. Vaccines work with

your body’s natural defences

to build protection against

diseases like cervical cancer,

cholera, diphtheria, hepatitis

B, influenza, measles, mumps,

pneumonia, polio, rabies,

rubella, tetanus, typhoid, and

yellow fever.

10

8

death. Knowing your status means

you will know how to either continue

preventing these diseases or, if you find

out that you’re positive, get the care

and treatment that you need. Go to a

public or private health facility, wherever

you are comfortable, to have yourself

tested.

Don’t Smoke

Smoking tobacco causes NCDs such as lung

disease, heart disease and stroke. Tobacco

kills not only the direct smokers but even

non-smokers through second-hand exposure.

Currently, there are around 15.9 million

Filipino adults who smoke tobacco but 7 in 10

smokers are interested or plan to quit.

If you are currently a smoker, it’s not too late

to quit. Once you do, you will experience

immediate and long-term health benefits. If

you are not a smoker, that’s great! Do not start

smoking and fight for your right to breathe

tobacco-smoke-free air.


LIFESTYLE

10

New Year

Resolutions to

Consider in 2023

Written by Megan Smith,

Edited by Amenna Daayo

As we begin a new year, it’s only

natural to start thinking about what

we want to work on moving forward.

For many of us, this future planning goes

hand in hand with making (and inevitably

breaking) New Year’s resolutions. But what

if you set yourself more realistic, healthy,

and enjoyable goals?

Instead of rounding out another year

feeling tired and disappointed, you’d be

left with a sense of accomplishment and

empowerment. Plus, you would’ve had

some fun and learned something along

the way.

Well, we’ve done some digging and

uncovered the 10 most famous — and

achievable — New Year’s resolution ideas.

So read on and take note.

Cut

Back on

Alcohol

After a month of

festivities, it’s no surprise

that you might consider

reducing your alcohol

consumption. So

whether aiming to

engage in Dry January

or just in search of some

satisfying alcohol-free

alternatives, give your

liver a wee break — it will

thank you for it!

Set Up a Sleep

Routine

Are you sick of feeling tired?

You’re not alone. Sleep hygiene

is something most of us can

improve upon, and it’s easier

than you think to get started.

Minor changes to your nightly

routine, like switching off the TV

earlier, investing in comfortable

pillows and lavender pillow

spray to assist with relaxation,

and using a good eye mask to

block unwanted light, can make

a big difference. So if you want

to create a better sleep routine,

this is the year.

64


LIFESTYLE

Become a Plant Parent

This resolution may be a bit of fun, but it’s essential.

As reported by the Royal Horticultural Society, studies

have shown that adding a little plant life to your home

office, bedroom, living room, balcony, or patio can

help reduce stress, improve your mood and even

assist with concentration and productivity. Plus, with so

many funky and functional indoor and outdoor pot

plants, you can easily create your own aesthetically

pleasing oasis.

Stick to a Budget

Guilty of setting savings goals only to watch your

bank balance dwindle into nothingness, anyway?

Yep. Setting a budget and sticking to it takes a lot

of work. Let alone save anything these days. But,

with the proper bank account, travel cards, and

insurance plans, managing your money can be a

smooth process.

So, start the year on the right track by sorting your

accounts and making sure they work for you, your

family, and your lifestyle, not the other way around.c

Read Every

Night

A great way to wind down at the

end of the day, improve your

vocabulary, feel inspired and

exercise your imagination — why

not incorporate 20 minutes of

reading into your nightly routine?

From fun and frivolous holiday

reads to page-turning horrors,

inspirational biographies, and

self-help reads, there is a style of

story for everyone. So, stop those

excuses and break out that Kindle

or library card now!


LIFESTYLE

Try New Recipes

It’s all too easy to eat out and

order these days. But, between

neverending restaurant openings

and Deliveroo deals, you might

find your kitchen needs to be

more and more used.

But, with the turn of the year

comes an opportunity to break

out the apron and embrace the

joy of cooking at home. And the

best and easiest way to do this?

By investing in an air fryer. These

babies take all the pain out of

meal prep and ensure you can

whip up delicious and nutritious

meals in no time.

Book a Holiday

Resolutions can’t ALL be practical

or about the day-to-day. It’s just

as important to reward yourself,

have something on the books to

look forward to, and get out into

the world. So, we’re all for locking

in your next getaway now. Whether

you’re after an intrepid snow-filled

adventure, a dreamy sun-soaked

vacay, or an exciting city break —

your next trip awaits!

66


LIFESTYLE

Try Out a New

Hairstyle

New year, new you — right? It might be

cliche, but we’re always here to try a new

look. After all, what better way to feel

refreshed and ready for the year to come

than by permitting yourself to try

something new?

The new year is the perfect time to

embrace change, whether finally

learning to braid or blow out your

hair, updating your go-to makeup

picks, or going bold with your fashion

choices. So, go for it, we say!

Lift Weights

Yes, yes, you knew this was

coming. In every resolution

list — ever — there’s a

commitment to exercise

more regularly. But, unlike

goals of visiting the gym

every day or running a

marathon, this one is more

reasonable. And you can

even do it from the comfort

of your home. Lifting weights

is an oft-forgotten (or

avoided) part of keeping

our bodies healthy and

preventing injury, but now’s

the time to incorporate it into

your exercise routine.

Practise Mindfulness

For years, you’ve probably heard about the

benefits of embracing a mindful lifestyle.

From reducing stress to improving sleep,

mood, and general enjoyment, we should

all practice mindfulness.

Rather than diving straight in with long

meditation sessions, we suggest starting

small. Set aside five minutes each day to

sit and reflect or use a mindfulness journal

to jot down a few things you’re grateful for.

You’d be amazed at how quickly these

seemingly small activities lead to a change

in outlook!


BEAUTY

Beauty Hacks

to Guide You

in the New

Year

Sasha Bokamoso

Here are 10 hacks to make

your day-to-day beauty

ritual easier and complete

your look in the new year.

Make your own

pore strips

Buying pore strips

regularly can be heavy

on the pocket and it’s

not always effective.

You can make your own

pore strips at home that

will clean out your pores,

leaving the skin soft and

smooth – all you need is

two ingredients.

Mix one teaspoon of

unflavored gelatin and

one tablespoon of milk in

a glass container.

Stir well until you get

1

a thick and chunky

consistency then pop

it in the microwave for

exactly 20 seconds.

The texture will remain

thick but creamier. Grab

an old make-up brush

and apply the mixture all

over your nose. Let it sit

for about 20 minutes until

it completely hardens.

Then, remove the strip

and it will take out all of

your blackheads and

clean out the pores.

68


BEAUTY

Adjust the

shade of your

foundation

2

If you accidentally purchased

a foundation that’s too dark

or too light for you, adding a

bit of “Shade Adjusting Drops”

can help to get the perfect

shade without wasting your

foundation. The “Darkening

Drops” helps to darken while

keeping the natural depth

and the “Lightening Drops”

helps to neutralize yellowness

and lightens the foundation

shade at the same time.

Make your hair

appear thicker with

eye shadow

Many women (and men) suffer from thinning

hair and it’s most likely to appear when your hair

is parted. To make your hair look instantly thicker,

brush a little eye shadow in the same color as

your roots on your part. It’s a trick that many

celebrity hair stylists use such as Jen Atkin; her

clients include Khloe Kardashian, Chrissy Teigen

and Jessica Alba. You can also use this hack

along your hairline if you wear it in a ponytail.

3

4

Create your

own hair mist

Spray perfume onto your

hairbrush to leave your

locks with a light but lovely

scent. Whenever you flick

or rearrange your hair, a

pleasant smell will be released

to those around you.


BEAUTY

Make your blow

out last longer

If the front section of your hair is

greasy but the rest of your strands

aren’t, pull the back section of your

hair out of the way and wash only

the front section in the sink. Blow-dry

the front section again, this way it

looks like you got a fresh blow out.

5

6

Use tape to get the

perfect winged liner

If you have shaky hands, then you’ve probably

found that drawing on a cat liner is extremely

challenging. With this beauty hack you can now

create the perfect winged liner with the help of

some tape. Take an inch-long piece of Scotch tape

and press it to your hand a few times to dull some

of its adhesive power. This will help it from sticking too

strongly to your delicate eye area. Place the tape

underneath your bottom lashes at the outer corner

of your eye and angle it towards your temple.

Use a

toothbrush to

control flyaways

Tame those annoying

fly-aways with a little bit of

hairspray on an old toothbrush

and brush the edges of your

hair. Your baby hairs will stay

put all day.

7

70


BEAUTY

Make your lipstick

last all day

After you have applied

your lipstick, hold a tissue

over your lips and lightly

dust translucent powder

over the tissue using a

fluffy brush. This will help

to mattify and make your

lipstick last all day long.

8

Create wavy, beach hair

by using two ingredients

You might have one of those expensive texturizing

hair sprays that you love. With this easy hack, you

can create some texture in a pinch that’s easy

on the pocket too. Mix together 1 cup of sparkling

water and a teaspoon of sea salt in a spray bottle to

make your own ocean spritz at home.

9

Brighten your smile

using Baking soda

Using baking soda can whiten and brighten your

teeth! Simply sprinkle some baking soda on your

toothpaste and brush your teeth as usual. Allow

the toothpaste mixture to sit on your teeth for

around 5 minutes then rinse it out. The results vary

from per person, but you will most likely notice a

difference after one week.

10


ESCAPE

Barbados:

Experience

True Caribbean

Heritage

Photo Credit: © Ingolf Pompe / Image Professionals GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo

By Sarah Holt

Edited by Amaka Obiena

Barbados is a siren for celebrities,

who are lured to the island by its

icing-white beaches and luxury hotels.

However, there’s much more to this

country than sand, sea, and star ratings.

It is home to the world’s best surfing

and scuba diving sites, the hallowed

cricketing ground of Kensington Oval,

and a collection of the Caribbean’s

leading rum distilleries. Here are just

a few reasons Barbados is not to be

missed.

Rum is the national drink

of Barbados – the firewater

has been produced on the

island for over 350 years. If

you’re interested in learning

more about it, you can

visit a distillery. Mount Gay

in Bridgetown is one of the

oldest. Here you can tour

the molasses, fermentation,

and distillation houses before

settling down to a rum flight.

Connoisseurs can also add

the Foursquare Rum factory

and the West Indies Distillery to

their itinerary.

72


ESCAPE

During the 17th and

18th centuries, Barbados

was one of the sugar

capitals of the Caribbean,

and there were more than

700 sugar estates on the

island. One of them, St

Nicholas Abbey, has been

fully restored and is open

to the public today. Visitors

can explore the Jacobean

mansion, ride through the

plantation grounds on a

heritage railway, discover

the on-site distillery and

learn all about the abbey’s

history, which was as bitter

as it was sweet.

Photo Credit: © Frank

Fell / robertharding /

Alamy Stock Photo

Cricket is more than

a sport in Barbados. It’s

like a religion – and the

prominent place to go for

a pilgrimage is Kensington

Oval, near Bridgetown.

To get an insight into the

history of the cricket ground

– and to get a photo next

to the pitch – you can take

a guided tour on most

weekdays. If you’re still

hungry to learn more after

the experience, head to

the Legends of Barbados

Cricket Museum across

the road. It’s packed full of

memorabilia.

Photo Credit: © guy harrop / Alamy Stock Photo


ESCAPE

Photo Credit: © Simon Dannhauer / Alamy Stock Photo

The sea around Barbados

is tousled by trade winds

almost all year round,

giving the island some

prime surfing, windsurfing,

and kitesurfing spots. Peak

season runs from November

to June, when the winds

consistently blow between

20 and 25 knots. The

waves at the Soup Bowl,

off Bathsheba Beach, are

amongst the most popular

with experienced surfers.

The water off Silver Rock

Beach on the south coast is

a magnet for wind and kite

surfers.

Photo Credit: © Buzz Pictures / Alamy Stock Photo

74


ESCAPE

There’s more to Barbados

than the beaches. The

interior is dotted with

technicolour botanic

gardens – pick from Hunte’s

Garden, Andromeda, and

the Flower Forest – and

reserves like Barbados

Wildlife Reserve, where you

can spot green monkeys

and love birds. The island’s

beauty is more than skindeep,

too. Underground,

in the centre of Barbados,

there’s Harrisons Cave. You

can take a tram tour here to

see its fang-like stalactites,

underground waterfall, and

natural plunge pools.

Photo Credit: © guy harrop / Alamy Stock Photo

At around 6 pm every Friday, mushroom clouds of smoke

plume into the air above Oistins Bay Garden – marking the start

of the weekly fish fry. Dozens of street food stands and shacks

are open for the event, selling jerk chicken, flying fish, mahi mahi,

and even lobster hot from the grill. Plates are always piled high,

and rum punches are served strong. Plus, ska, reggae, and

calypso music lilt out until late.

Photo Credit: © WaterFrame_tfr / WaterFrame / Alamy Stock Photo

Parrotfish, trumpet fish,

and bright blue tang are

some fish species you’ll

see when you snorkel in

Barbados. Going a little

deeper beneath the

surface on a scuba dive,

you can explore shipwrecks,

see turtles, and even swim

with sharks. Carlisle Marine

Park, near Bridgetown, is

one of the top spots for

both snorkeling and scuba.

There are six shipwrecks here

that thousands of stripey

sergeant major fish and

fluorescent damsel fish call

home.


FOOD

10

Healthy Foods

That Help You

Burn Fat

Chef Amaka Obiefuna

Weight is not the end all

be all, and many other

factors are equally if

not more important, when it

comes to overall health.

But if you’re trying to manage

your weight and lose weight

safely, certain low-calorie but

nutrient-dense foods can help.

Heavily processed foods that

are high in excess calories

and saturated fat can make

it difficult to maintain steady

weight loss, but some of the

best foods to help you lose

weight are foods high in fiber,

protein, and water.

Chickpeas

This legume is a vegan powerhouse filled

with fiber and plant-based protein, which can

assist in your weight loss efforts. Our nutrition

pros love that chickpeas are also packed with

folate, iron, immune-boosting antioxidants, and

bloat-busting minerals. In addition, they’re a

rich source of complex carbohydrates, which

can help provide sustained energy throughout

your day.

Pumpkin

With more fiber than quinoa and

potassium than a banana, pumpkin puree

is an antioxidant-rich choice that’s naturally

low in calories. One cup has only about 80

calories and contains vitamins and minerals.

Pumpkin gets its bright orange color from betacarotene,

a carotenoid the body uses to make

vitamin A.

76


Oats

As part of

a balanced

diet, oatmeal

can be a

great weight

loss tool.

The fiber

and protein

content of oats can enhance

satiety and keep you full. Just ½

cup of uncooked oats has at least

4 grams of fiber and only 150

calories — and it expands when

cooked to yield 1 cup. In addition,

data from the National Health and

Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)

suggests that individuals who eat

oatmeal tend to be healthier in

general and have a lower body

weight than those who don’t eat

oatmeal.

Kefir

With a tart

and tangy

flavor, kefir is

a fermented

milk drink

with a thin

consistency

that has

been around for over 2,000 years.

Since it is a fermented beverage, it

is a rich source of probiotics to help

regulate a healthy gut and contains

other essential nutrients, including

protein. One cup of kefir has over

100 calories and 10 grams of protein,

depending on the brand and variety.

Raspberries

All

berries are

packed with

antioxidant

polyphenols

and

vitamins, but

raspberries

reign supreme

in the fiber department compared

to other berries. They boast 8 grams

of fiber per cup, making them the

perfect low-calorie, nutrient-dense

food. They are an excellent addition

to an already balanced breakfast

— oatmeal, yogurt, or even a quick

smoothie — to make the meal feel

even more substantial. One cup has

only about 64 calories.

Walnuts

Walnuts are rich in

monounsaturated fats — they’re an

extremely hearthealthy

snack

compared with

other graband-go

items

like chips or

pretzels. One

ounce comes

in at under 200

calories and

provides 4 grams of protein and 2

grams of fiber. But you’ll find that this

nut happens to be quite satiating.

Previous research has established

that walnuts, in particular, help to curb

cravings that you may experience in

between meals.

Salmon

This popular

protein is

relatively low

in calories at

under 200 for

a 3-ounce

serving, and

it’s packed

with omega-3

fatty acids. Omega-3s are essential.

The body can’t produce them, so

we must get them regularly from

our diet. These nutritious fatty acids

can contribute to a healthy heart

and benefit cholesterol, triglycerides,

inflammation, and even blood

clotting. Plus, the healthy fats and

protein in salmon make it very

satisfying. What’s more, incorporating

seafood like salmon may increase

weight loss, according to recent

research, when combined with a

calorie-controlled diet.

Dark Leafy Greens

Spinach,

kale, and

other dark

leafy greens

are lowcalorie

and

low on the

glycemic

FOOD

index, making them ideal foods for

achieving and maintaining healthy

body weight. More importantly,

adding more green veggies to a

balanced diet can increase dietary

fiber intake, improve digestive health

and assist in weight management.

In addition, plant-based foods that

are rich in nutrients and fiber, like dark

leafy greens, help enhance satiety.

Eggs

Some

initial research

indicates

that eggs,

which are low

in calories

and rich in

other dietary

nutrients,

may aid in

weight loss over time. High-protein

breakfasts, including omelets and

veggie-forward skillet scrambles, can

be pretty satiating; but even adding

a hard-boiled egg atop a salad at

lunch can help keep you full until

dinner.

Pistachios

One of

the highest

protein

snack nuts,

pistachios

offer 6 grams

of plant

protein per

serving and

fuel your body

with essential

amino acids. In addition, they pack

in 3 grams of fiber per serving at only

160 calories per ounce. Pistachios

also give you more nuts per serving;

you can eat about 49 pistachios

compared to 23 almonds or 18

cashews, making them feel like a

more substantial snack.

Credit: STEFANI SASSOS, M.S.,

R.D.N., C.S.O., C.D.N., NASM-CPT,

and JACLYN LONDON, M.S., R.D.


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Glamsquad Magazine 2.0 is a Women’s Fashion, Culture, and Lifestyle Magazine.

Targeted at an upwardly mobile segment of the Nigerian and African market,

Glamsquad seeks to provide inspirational yet attainable fashion, entertainment, and

lifestyle culturing to Women.

Contributing to conversations on contemporary fashion, dining, beauty, wellness, music,

and movies; our goal is to positively shape the conversation on these topics in a way that

Informs, inspires, empowers, and ultimately entertains Nigerian and African women.

Glamsquad is for the sophisticated, tasteful, yet fun-loving woman.

Let’s hold you by your hands into the world of fashion. Like and follow us on any of our

social media platforms.

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Glamsquad Magazine Jan 2023

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