Build-A-Wear: Greatness

(above) Models wearing Greatness clothing brand.

Lagos to LEGEND- One man’s journey leads to stitching in STYLE.

Lagos, Nigeria. West Africa’s city of “hustle and bustle”, “make or break”, “survival of the fittest”. Speaking of fits, Babajide “Jidey Bash” Bashiru’s thoughts of threads, dreams of seams, mixed with Lagosian “hammer” mentality…was undoubtably bound to produce a power packed venture into the fashion world… and our closets. A visionary beating to his own “gbedu”, I caught a chat with the GREAT man behind the plan.

“It has always been right from when I was little. I would always write names and things on my shirt.”, recalls the Lagos (Shomolu L.G.A.) native. “People loved it, and said “hey, can you make me one?”. Also, it came from my mom, when she dressed up for parties, tied her gele (headwrap)…it all inspired me for fashion”.

Bashiru’s love for fashion and the arts was also heavily influenced by the late and great Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Kuti. “It was his music, words, and his story.”, he explains. Coupled with Fela’s legendary fashionable stage performances, Jidey credits him as his biggest artistic and creative inspiration. Originally a college graduate careering in technology and graphics, Jidey relocated to the U.S. with his family and decided to venture further into fashion; thus birthing his clothing line, Greatness.

Greatness clothing line is a catalog of urban streetwear trademarked with a signature “Greatness”, or “Made of Greatness” logo. A signature “G” is also available with Nigerian cultural graphics in green, paying homage to the country’s national flag. “When I started getting a lot of support from family and friends, that’s what gave me the motivation.“, says Bashiru. “It made me love what I’m doing. I like to make people look good”.

Jidey shares that his concept behind “Made of Greatness” is to “inspire people to reach their goals”. “I’m just telling my story. My journey to be here, I’m always inspired to do great things in life, so I wanted to share that with others”. Greatness has been featured in numerous fashion shows and pop ups across the country, from St. Louis to New York to L.A.

Currently, Jidey is working on partnerships, marketing, and new designs for the next seasonal collection. “My goal is just to share my story, inspire, and become a name in the fashion industry.” Laser focused and optimistic about the future, we can tell that smiles and success are on the horizon for this pre-icon. It’s giving “Lagos boy joy”…and we’re here for it.