There’s no way to tell the story of the UK’s Black music and entertainment scene, without Julie Adenuga. From appearing in front of the camera for hosting duties at numerous events to settling in behind the mic to break down your favourite album releases, Adenuga’s decade-long career has seen her document several untold stories with a refreshing style and perspective. “I’ve found that in all aspects of my career, I’m always trying to lead, guide and encourage the people around me to get some sort of job done,” she shares in an exclusive interview with The NATIVE. “As a result, whatever spaces I occupy, I always want to present myself in that way.”. 

Yet even with her skills as a journalist on constant display, we would be remiss to ignore how effortlessly stylish she always appears, armed with a perfectly curated wardrobe that allows her to deliver on responsibilities as the most confident version of herself. 

At the heart of all her endeavours, remains Adenuga’s focus on  fostering community; and her debut capsule event, Collections, is the latest extension of that. Aimed at encouraging second-hand shopping, Collections gathered a small mob of shoppers, eager to get their hands on some of Julie’s prized possessions for a reasonable bargain. The first iteration, hosted at the start of June, curated everything from daily streetwear to a more elevated wardrobe. Following the successful debut event, we caught up with Adenuga mid-selfcare routine to discuss her personal style and what the future holds for Collections. 

 

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The conversation has been lightly edited for clarity. 

NATIVE: Throughout your career, you’ve always had a big focus on community. What would you say inspired Collections and would you say it’s an extension of that philosophy?

Julie: My career is predominantly centred around music and as with everything within media and entertainment, you tend to branch out into a couple different but related things. ‘Collections’ was just an extension of me finding more ways to bring people together. It’s more than just selling; we try to make all the events an experience. We want people to enjoy music and just have a good time as well as getting clothes for good bargains. It was essentially to bring people together in another way that wasn’t necessarily through a generic party or club but still meets interests 

Talk to me about your personal style. What is it about an outfit that first grabs your attention? 

A lot of my styling comes from a feeling. It is based on how I want to feel wherever I’m going whether it’s a concert, party, event, wedding or just going to run some errands for the day. My style is based on how I want to feel when I’m doing my things. It can vary but ultimately I’m really always trying to build confidence in myself in the way that makes me proud. So a lot of my clothing choices come from anything that will do that. 

Which would you say is more of a priority, comfort or style? 

I would say style, easy. I think if you want to go for comfort all the time, then wear some tracksuit bottoms and a baggy shirt every day. If you want to just be chill and relaxed all the time, then there’s no point thinking about style. The act of putting an outfit together is almost like art. It’s not something that’s easy, creating something many may not have seen before. However, I do understand the conflict and if you can combine the two, that’d be great. But if your goal is style, then you have to give away the idea of comfort to accomplish that sometimes.

You’re someone who wears multiple hats and some may even say that you’ve lived many lives. How is that reflected in your style? 

I’ve found that in all aspects of my career, I’m always trying to lead, guide and encourage the people around me to get some sort of job done. As a result, whatever spaces I occupy, I always want to present myself in that way. Whether that is me hosting an event in front of thousands of people, presenting in front of a camera or running a business with staff who need guidance, my style is about giving me the confidence to deliver in those positions and get the results I need. My style has evolved so much and we always just wanted to make sure I find clothes that put me in the space to command and give people direction. And I think the more I develop in the role of being a leader and a business owner and a director, I think the more my style grows within that as well. I tend to find pieces that continue to push me in that direction.

In that case, what would you say is your go-to style? Do you lean more towards casual street wear or more elevated looks?

I’m definitely not into what is considered ‘drip’ but if I had to give my style word it’s grown. I feel like that’s a perfect word for it. It’s grown but it is still very me. Elevated grown if you will. 

Who are some of your personal style icons or favourite designers? 

Oh that’s a good one. For personal style icons it is always going to be Tracee Ellis Ross. Favourite designers are really on an endless list. Daily Paper’s definitely up there alongside Burberry. They make fantastic art and pieces. 

What are your plans for Collections moving forward regarding location, event scale and maybe frequency of the event? 

The first one was almost like a test for us, to see if the concept worked. It went incredibly well. We had an amazing time. The team really enjoyed themselves and our customers, most importantly, really enjoyed themselves. So the goal is definitely to do more of them and to reach out to more people who want to get their clothes for us to sell to other people. We really want to partner with some cool people with great wardrobes, evening expanding to some male celebrities as well. Yeah just continue to find people who have got loads of items to pass on and hopefully find the right people to buy them.

Featured Image Credits/The NATIVE

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