Fisayo Longe enters the “Who Lives In Your Head” conversation, offering up nostalgia while also lauding women moving across present day industries in powerful ways.
As founder of one of the fastest growing brands of 2021, she herself is a force to be reckoned with. Her brand of self-belief saw her create one of the most iconic prints in fashion today. If you are on social media and have not heard about the iconic “Gaia” print which made Fisayo Longe a major player in the fashion retail game…where have you been?
Across 10 questions, succinctly and powerfully, Fisayo lets us know who lives in her head.
1.) Who was the person who first connected you with the possibility of creating in the way that you do?
I really can’t think of one particular person, but I always found my mum to be creative in the most practical of ways. I was also very fascinated by Missy Elliott and her aesthetics and creations from a young age.
2.) What are the sounds that fill your head space?
I’d say silence. I think words fill my head space as opposed to sounds.
3.) Is there an artist(s) or creative(s) whose work you think perfectly charts your relationship with the world?
Not really, just mine. There is no perfect alignment between me and anyone else’s art. However, I do love feminist art and I identify with the independence shown by a lot of the new rap girls.
4.) Do you believe in the muse? If so, whose life would you like to/have liked to explore further and bring to life through your work?
I do believe in the muse, but I don’t really have one as I don’t create with one woman in mind. If I was to have one though, it would definitely be Rihanna.
5.) What is your relationship with cinema and what cinematographic contribution do you recommend that everyone would watch and why?
I don’t watch a lot of anything- I am unable to concentrate on a screen and do nothing else so I really don’t watch much. I do again think that Missy Elliot doesn’t get enough credit for her early music videos.
6.) When you are happy, where do you like to go?
I like to go to people who I love and I know will create more joy and safety.
7.) What piece of art (music, book, song, film) speaks to your joy?
Jhené Aiko gets me and I get her. Her music helps me process every emotion.
8.) Who right now is creating in a way that leaves you in awe and why?
Rihanna! It’s almost as if most of the beauty industry had never heard about diversity and inclusivity until Fenty Beauty? She has changed everything. And I love how she is building wealth so creatively.
9.) What stories do you think we are not telling enough of?
Because of the internet, I think we now have access to a variety of stories from various aspects of life. So, I feel like I get what I want from different places In the mainstream, I think that we still don’t see enough black stories that have nothing to do with our trauma.
10.) Who from the past do you think we must all consume? Musician, writer, intellectual, singer etc
Nina Simone.
Fisayo Longe is founder and CEO Kai Collective, a London-based womenswear brand of attainable clothing with luxury aesthetics.
Fisayo established KAI after five years of building an online presence through her blog. Now, she travels the world sourcing the best fabric, seeking design inspiration, and meeting ethical manufacturers to collaborate with.
Not caught up, catch the responses of authors, Ayesha Harruna Attah and Jendella Benson to the question: Who Lives In Your Head.
Readers in the UK, EU and North America, shop Cassava Republic Press at bookshop.org.
