UCHUKS COLLINS

Ngemva kwe-Edene: UChuks Collins kanye Nobuciko Bokuba

Amazwi kaTessa Shaw

UChuks Collins akazithuli njengomklami wengqephu. Uzibiza ngomculi, umuntu izingubo zakhe kumane kungenye yezilimi eziningi. Lowo mehluko ubalulekile. Ichaza ukuthi kungani iNtwasahlobo/Ihlobo lakhe 2026 izinto ezibuthelwe ndawonye, Eden Re-imagined, izizwa ingaphansi njengomnikelo wesizini futhi ifana nokuzindla: ekuzalweni kabusha, ekusindeni, isikhathi eside, umsebenzi ongalingani wokuba nguwe.

Wazalelwa eCoventry futhi wakhulela phakathi kweNgilandi neNigeria, UCollins ukhule enyakaza. “Impilo yami yayibuhlungu kakhulu, ehluke kakhulu kuwo wonke umuntu,” uthena. “Ngizohlala iminyaka emithathu eNgilandi, iminyaka emithathu eNigeria… Ngangikuzonda. Ngangingenabo abangane, ngoba kwakumele ngishintshe njalo.” Kwakukhona abazali bokutholwa eNgilandi, ugogo oqinile eNigeria, kanye nesifundo sokuqala sokuthi ikhaya lingantengantenga kanjani.

Nguye lo mama kankulunkulu owashintsha buthule indlela yokuphila kwakhe ngokumfundisa ukuthunga. Ngeshumi nambili, wenza amasudi akhe okuqala. Ubuciko baba kokubili ukuphunyuka nomoya-mpilo. “Ubuciko bebulokhu buyindlela yokukhuluma kimi, ngisho phakathi kwezinxushunxushu enganginazo ngiseyingane,” Uyachaza. Lapho umndeni uphuka, imibuzo yomazisi, nolaka lwentsha lwaba lukhulu, waqala ukudweba, ukwakha imihlaba emnyama, ama-cartoon universes, ezinye izimpilo lapho ayekwazi ukulawula isiphetho.

-Phuhlile, imfashini kwakungewona umsebenzi owawukhuthazwa yinoma ubani eduze kwakhe. “Kwakungewona umsebenzi wesilisa ohloniphekile,” uthena. Ngakho walungisa ngokweqile ngendlela engokoqobo: iziqu ezintathu ze-bachelor-accounting kanye nezezimali, umsebenzi wezenhlalakahle, kanye nobuciko obuhle—ilayisensi yomshayeli wendiza, futhi ekugcineni ukuthuthela e-U.S. esikoleni semfashini kanye nezingcweti kwezobudlelwano bamazwe ngamazwe eFordham, igxile entsheni nasekuthuthukisweni komnotho. Indlela ifundeka njengezimpilo eziningana ezibekwe phezulu, kodwa kuCollins, konke kuhlangana. Isevisi, isakhiwo, indiza, ukunakekela, indalo; konke kuyimpahla eluhlaza yezingubo.

Uma ekhuluma ngomsebenzi wakhe manje, ulimi lusondelene ngendlela engathandeki. Ukufakelwa izinso kwamletha eMelika; iphethini ende yezinkinga zempilo imise indlela adala ngayo ngokuphuthumayo. “Ngidlule kokuhlangenwe nakho kokufa nempilo,” uthena. “Kufana nokuthi ngizoba neminyaka emine yonke into ihamba kahle, futhi eminyakeni emibili ezayo ngilwa okuthile. Isiqephu ngasinye engisenzayo sifana nendaba engiyixoxayo yokuthi ngizizwa kanjani ngaleso sikhathi.”

Lowo mqondo wokusinda kanye nokuzihlola uhlala enhliziyweni ye Eden Re-imagined, kwethulwe isizini engasebenzi eBryant Park Grill eNew York. UCollins ulungisa kabusha i-Edeni yebhayibheli hhayi njengesijeziso kodwa njengephuzu eliyisisekelo—umzuzu wangaphambi nangemuva wokwazi.. Igqugquzelwe umzuzwana wokuvuka, iqoqo lifundeka e-Edene “hhayi njengokudingiswa, kodwa njengesiqalo sokwazi. Isikhathi isintu sikhetha ukuzibona ngokugcwele,” ngokuthunga i-sculptural, i-fluid drapery, kanye nephalethi elisuka kokungathathi hlangothi elithambile kanye namathoni obumba liye kokuluhlaza okotshani nokubomvu okuphuthumayo.

“Kwami, U-Eeden Uphinde Wacabanga umzuzwana emva kokuvuka, lapho siqonda kokubili ukukhanya kwethu kanye nomphumela wethu,” UCollins uthi. “Ngangifuna ukubamba lokho kushuba, amandla athule atholakala ngokukhetha ukwakha kabusha kunokuhlehla.” Kuyisitatimende esingase siphindwe kabili njengesifinyezo sempilo yakhe. Izindwangu ezisimeme zeqoqo kanye nemininingwane eqedwe ngesandla kwandisa intshisekelo yakhe ekwenzeni okuqaphelayo. -Phuhlile, ukushaja ngokomzwelo kuvela ndawana thize, okuwukwenqaba kwakhe ukwenza ubuhlungu obunothando ngaphandle kokugcizelela uguquko.

UCollins uchaza izingubo ngokuthi “isivikelo esisigqokayo… into yokuqala abantu abayibona kithi.” Lolo hlaka lunesisindo esiqondile uma ungumuntu omnyama oklama imboni esashintshashintsha ibe mhlophe nowesilisa phezulu.. “Ukuba yindoda emnyama kwezemfashini, kunezinkolelo-ze eziningi zalokho abantu abafuna ukukulindela,” uyaphawula. “Uhlobo lwami luyibhuloho phakathi kwemfashini yaseNtshonalanga neyase-Afrika. Ngikhulele kuzo zombili izindawo, futhi lezo yizinto engizifaka eqoqweni lami ngoba yilokho engiyikho.”

INew York yawucija lowo mbono. Lapho eqala ukuthuthela edolobheni, wayegibela indlela ehamba ngaphansi esuka kwesinye ukuphela komugqa aye kolunye ukuze abuke ukuthi isitayela sishintsha kanjani ukusuka kumasipala ukuya kwelinye. Ukuthunga isiNgisi, Ivolumu yezithombe zaseNigeria, Bronx swagger, wamunca konke. “Ngiletha isiNgisi sokuthunga izingubo zami, Ngiletha umbala kusuka e-Afrika kuya kumiklamo yami,” uthena. “Ngicabanga ukuthi ngingena phakathi komugqa omuhle we-ethereal kanye ne-architecture… Ungabona ucezu olunamakhosethi kulo., kodwa uma inyakaza, ubona i-drapery egcwele uketshezi.” Uma ulimi lobuchwepheshe lumayelana nokusika nokwakha, ulimi oluthinta imizwa lumayelana nokunakekela. Collins’ umsebenzi ugxile kwabesifazane—abamkhulisayo, bakholwa kuye, wamfaka endlini, wamnika umshini wakhe wokuqala wokuthunga, futhi wagqoka izingcezu zakhe zakuqala. “Ngidizayina intombazane kuwo wonke umuntu wesifazane kanye nowesifazane kuwo wonke amantombazane,” uthena, “ofisa ukuba yinxusa, udokotela, ummeli, noma ngisho umama wekhaya.” Ubona wonke umuntu wesifazane ngamalensi amathathu: indodakazi, usisi, uzakwethu. “Labo ngabesifazane engixhumana nabo nsuku zonke. Nami ngibona umama kubo.”

Emgwaqeni wezindiza, lokho okuhumushela ekulingiseni okwenqaba buthule inganekwane yosayizi oyisampula yemfashini: amamodeli akhulelwe, owesifazane othwele ingane yakhe, imizimba enosayizi ohlangene yabelana ngesikhala ngosayizi ngababili nabane. “Okuncane ongakwenza kunomthelela omkhulu,” uthena. “Ungacabangi ukuthi kuncane.” Ku-Collins, ukuhlukahluka akulona igama lomkhankaso; kuyisandiso sokubonga. “Abesifazane bangiphakamisile bodwa,” usho nje. “Ngakho ukubanika amandla nokwenza izingubo ezinhle hhayi nje osayizi ababili nabane, kodwa kwabesifazane bangempela engikhule ngibabona, kubaluleke kakhulu kimi.”

Ukuzibophezela komphakathi kubonakala ngaphandle komgwaqo, kakhulu. Eceleni komngane, wasungula i-African Fashion Council ukuze kuthuthukiswe abasiki bengqephu base-Afrika ezinkundleni zomhlaba, ukusiza ukuletha 7 Imikhiqizo yase-Afrika ekhalendeni elisemthethweni le-New York Fashion Week. ELagos, uvule inkampani exhumene nenhlangano engenzi nzuzo eqeqesha abasinde odlameni lwasekhaya, ukukhumbula umlando kamama wakhe. Amaphethini abhalwa eNew York, wabe esethunyelwa eNigeria, lapho ithimba elikhulayo lezingcweti lenza izingcezu zokungcebeleka kanye nokubukeka okunyatheliswayo okubuyisela uchungechunge lomkhiqizo ekhaya.

Konke lokhu, izimpi zezempilo, ukunyakaza kwe-diaspora, ukumela, imibuzo engokomoya, uphakela encazelweni yakhe yemfashini njengenkonzo. “Ngaso sonke isikhathi ngiyakwazi ukuhlanganisa okuthile, letha okuthile ekuphileni, kunginika kakhulu,” uthena. “Izinga eliphezulu lenjabulo yilapho umuntu elifaka… Uma ngibabona bezizwa benamandla ngendalo yami, kuyinjabulo kimi. Ekupheleni kosuku, wubizo lwami ukuthi ngibe yinkonzo kubantu.”

Ebheke phambili, U-Collins ucabanga njenge-ecosystem, hhayi ilebula nje. Ngemva kokuqamba kabusha amasu, imigomo yakhe icacile: ukwakha ukuqwashisa ngomkhiqizo kanye nokukala ngenhloso. Le khasi Eden Re-imagined iqoqo lethula i-Eden Bag ngesikhumba se-apula, okubonisa ukuphusha okujulile kuzisekeli. Kukhona umugqa wasekhaya, umakoti nezikhwama emkhathizwe, uhlela isikhala saseNew York unomphela ngemuva kokuhlala kwakhe eBerkeley College, ubukhona obuvuselelwe eNgilandi, kanye nokwandisa ukukhiqizwa eLagos. Usebenzisana nezimpahla zokugqoka ochungechungeni oluzayo, ukuthuthukisa i-Pan-African expo yemfashini nokudla, futhi buthule becabanga ukubuyela ekufundiseni. “Angikwazi konke,” uthena. “Ngingumfundi impilo yonke.”

Ezandleni zikaCollins, I-Edene ayilona ipharadesi elalahlekayo kodwa iyisiqalo esibuyiselwe. Yindawo ophuma kuyo unolwazi olwengeziwe, izibazi ezengeziwe, umthwalo owengeziwe, kanye nohlobo olusha lomusa. Izingubo zithwala leyo ndaba kalula: izingubo ezisikwe ngokuchema ezihamba njengokuphefumula, ukuthunga ngomgogodla wezakhiwo, izikhali ezizwakala njengesisa. Bakhelwe abesifazane abake baphila ngokuthile futhi abasakhetha ukuphuma, uphapheme ngokugcwele, emhlabeni.