In 2023, every girl can be an it girl; owning your individuality and living your best life is always something to strive for. Below, we take a look at the it girls taking center stage in Nigeria.
Musician Ayra Starr
When it comes to beauty, fashion, vocals and the overall “oomph” it takes to be an it girl, Ayra Starr has it on lock. After her debut in 2021, she introduced the term Sabi girl to her supporters. The word 'sabi' in Nigerian Pidgin simply means 'to know,' so by calling herself a Sabi girl, she’s saying she’s a girl who knows her craft.
Like most it girls before her, Ayra Starr has developed her own signature hair and outfit look. When Paris Hilton said 'skirts should be the size of a belt,' our head Sabi girl took this seriously, with her looks consisting of mini skirts, long gloves, colourful bralettes, and the occasional leather boot.
Her music is just like her style, bold and unabashedly Starr. For A Colours Show performance of her song Asé, she sings about letting go of societal pressure and just simply living her best life, wearing a pink bandeau, her signature mini skirt and a pair of fur boots, the ultimate be yourself look.
Actress Temi Otedola
In 2020, Temi Otedola made her acting debut in Netflix movie Citation. Before that, she was known as the queen of minimal and modest fashion.
Although she spends most of her time in London, her style always represents the Nigerian girl that she is. She finds ways to incorporate her culture into her style with things like ATIA, Afternoon Tea in Ankara, mixing British and Nigerian culture flawlessly. With her face beat in her signature no-makeup makeup look, her outfits are bold yet calm, playing with different styles that she always bodies.
Daughter to one of the richest men in Africa, Femi Otedola, Temi’s debut came with a lot of backlash because of her status as a nepo baby, but she solidified her place as an actress to watch out for in her second feature film, Amazon Prime’s The Man for the Job, where she plays a young woman working at a tech company who becomes entangled in a web of lies when her partner is accused of theft.
Influencer Diana Eneje
Diana Eneje is and will always be the OG influencer in Nigeria. At some point, every girl of her age wanted to dress like Diana. Her style is heavily influenced by streetwear, and like most girls her age, she always opts for graphic liners. Her love for neon coloured liners is so big that she has a whole brand called The Shine Cartel. The 20 year old started modelling when she was 14, before gaining a huge following on social media whilst in high school.
Diana embraces her femininity in her way by leaning into softer, more colourful fabrics and sheer laces. Even though black is stunning on her, she plays with more colourful looks, most times intending to match her outfits with her make up.
Words by Uzamere Itohan
(@ariiesszn on IG)
Edited by Lucy Eaton
(@llucyeaton on IG)