Igbo Identity Reimagined: Why Design Matters – Obiora Nwazota – Igbo Conference

Obiora Nwazota, resident in Chicago, USA and Cesis, Latvia, graduated with a degree in Architecture from the University of Illinois at Chicago 1992. He then went on to work at Eva Maddox Associates (EMA) for the next five years, designing several award winning projects for clients such as Dupont, Chicago State University and Swedish Covenant Hospital – recipients of the IIDA Gold Awards in Interior Architecture 1994 and 1996 respectively.

In 1997, he launched ONA design studio in NYC as an experimental atelier practicing at the confluence of street culture, architecture, interior and graphic design disciplines. Clients ranged from Music industry heavyweights – Bad boy records to legendary Hospitality projects – Gaijin Hotel and Okno restaurant in Chicago.

Later same year, Nwazota and his partner, Ms.Lam launched a graphics clothing collective, Sampl’d Gear, inspired by graphic design, underground electronic music and urban skate culture. Editions from the collective were available in over 28 bespoke stockists across the USA/ Canada. Sampl’d Gear was one of the early adopters of online retailing in America. Next came Softcore Inc, the eponymous lifestyle retail concept shop for fashion and design launched in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood in 1998 followed by the Gaijin Hotel.

Softcore’s futuristic street style concepts and cult fashion shows soon lead to appearances at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Chicago. In 1999 the MCA’s Millenium Exhibit: 100Years of Modernism, ONA was one of nine firms shortlisted to represent Chicago and was featured in the show, Material Evidence: Chicago Architecture at 2000. 2001 saw the birth of the ever trendy ultra-edgy lifestyle design boutique Orange Skin which has been at the forefront of Design curation in Chicago/USA for almost two decades.

In 2015, he was selected as one of Newcity’s Design 50 — the leaders of Chicago’s architecture and graphic, product, home and fashion design culture.

Same year, in an ode to his Nigerian roots, he launched the restaurant Little Unicoco in Chicago. Conceived as a laboratory exploring New Nigerian cuisine.

In 2020, a new project Okpara House will be launched to celebrate, curate and present Igbo culture re-imagined for a contemporary lifestyle.
www.okparahouse.com
www.orangeskin.com
www.minottichicago.com

@okparahouse
@obiora_nwazota
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Obi Nwazota spoke at the virtual Igbo symposium under the guiding theme of Disruptions: Breaks & Ruptures, which held from 17th-19th June 2020. Over the three days a range of speakers discussed significant moments of change for Igbo people, brought about by disruptive forces (both positive and negative). Conversations engaged with key historical events and changes in cultural practices, notions of identity and ways of seeing the world.

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