Dear Ireti,

"Here I am, grown. Shaped yet formless. There lies the beauty in the liminal space, that fluidity where I can allow myself to develop and change and know that that is okay. There's room for reshaping, rethinking, reimagining again and again. 

"As an introvert, I tend to seek out the quiet corners, but through fashion, I can be expressive in a way that is both playful and liberating. Clothes are all about how they make me feel and less about trying to make a statement. I like how an outfit can infuse my mood, the colours in part a nod to that feel-good energy I try to channel. I'm drawn to bright colours and graphic prints. In some ways, this contrasts my quiet nature, but that does not define my whole identity, and I love that, through clothes, I can express a bolder version of myself. I love bright greens, oranges and yellows and the way rich tones bounce off my complexion. I like playing around with oversized shapes and toeing the line between masculinity and femininity. Have more self-belief—that's what I'd tell my younger self. My confidence was always going to grow. I just needed to give it time.

"Everyone's journey is going to look and feel different. That's what makes life interesting. Freedom in fashion is having the confidence to wear something I wouldn't previously have worn. It's not trying to stand out but being comfortable with not blending in or assimilating. It's celebrating my own choices, liking the things I like regardless of trends or popularity. I feel empowered by my own growth, galvanised. I'm evolving, and I'm loving the process. The clothes and things I gravitate to now may or may not be the same in years to come, but that's also the fun in it all."

Love, 

Ireti

Ireti Odugbesan, Writer and Poet