When it comes to fashion, there’s a short list of celebrities that consistently evoke a certain level of emotion and excitement from us. It’s the excitement we feel when we see paparazzi shots of Rihanna dominating the streets effortlessly. Or when Law Roach posts behind-the-scenes clips of our favorite Zendaya red carpet moments. It can take years of trial and error to build such momentum. Luckily, for Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems it took just a fraction of time with the help of fashion stylist Dunsin Wright.
Wright, who began styling in 2020, describes their styling process as “organic” and says their relationship is rooted in trust. The two met a couple of years back through a mutual acquaintance who worked on Tems’s team. “They were organizing a press shoot for her and they just reached out to me,” Wright tells Teen Vogue. At the time, the Nigerian fashion stylist was head of PR at luxury African brand Lisa Folawiyo, gradually transitioning into styling. Now, the 27-year-old spends her days curating gasp-worthy looks and has even made history, as Tems became the first Nigerian female artist to grace fashion’s biggest event, the Met Gala.
Below, hear from Dunsin on details of her process, her favorite looks, and the iconic duo’s plans for the future.
Teen Vogue: How does it feel to be a part of such groundbreaking moments?
Dunsin Wright: To be honest, in the beginning it didn’t really feel real. For such a long time, I had dreamt of being in these spaces. Fashion has always been very close to my heart as a way to express myself. I never really considered fashion as a full-time career. So it feels very special to be part of it all.
The fact that both you and Tems are Nigerian and are achieving these huge milestones and experiencing so many firsts together must feel like the ultimate alignment!
I feel very proud to represent my country in that way. There’s so much talent coming out of Nigeria and I’m honored to be a part of the narratives. The other day, I received a message from a lady who said that watching me as a fellow Nigerian reassures her that anything is possible. [This] all happened so quickly and it’s just like how did we get here? It’s surreal and I feel very blessed.
Where do you typically draw inspiration from?
My first love is film. I get a lot of inspiration from the color and cinematography to the concepts. It also [has] a lot to do with where I am physically. If I’m in Lagos, I get very inspired by the people around me, the images, or the style that I see on the street. Similar to when I’m in London, New York, or anywhere else. I get a lot of inspiration from various independent designers in London specifically.
Which of Tems’s looks is your personal favorite?
I particularly enjoyed the process for the Met Gala. The research, the amount of creativity it required, and everything I learned about design.
Can you tell us more about the design process that went into her Met look?
I really wanted to honor the theme and put as much effort into it as I could. I worked with fashion archive researcher Kim Russell who helped me [gather] a lot of research rather quickly. I then did some research of my own and just tried to think of the different ways to embody the theme in a way that still felt natural to us.Fashion designer Robert Wun was a dream to work with. He was so patient and receptive to all of our ideas, always interpreting things in such a fresh way. So I had no doubt that he would interpret our references beautifully, and he did just that! We actually came up with a few different sketches, and held multiple fittings until we found what was right.
Any look in particular that you believe deserved greater recognition?
She is someone who many people are pretty fixated on, so each look always feels like a moment. However, I particularly liked the dress she wore at the Met after-party. I thought that was special.
What’s one look you’ve done that surprisingly received the most attention?
The Oscars! We were all aware that it would, but not to that extent. I think that a lot of judgment is usually placed on women at these events, more specifically Black women. In hindsight, it was really cool to see her taking up space in that way. A lot of the commentary was that this was normal for our culture, whether it’s the Black American church [hats] or [a gele] in Nigerian culture. It’s funny, we weren’t even trying to reference that. But it inspired a lot of people, probably more than I ever thought it would.
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Although certain fashion houses and labels have progressed past creating looks only for sample-size bodies, is there anything you still have to keep in mind or have to consider when styling and putting a look together for the singer?
Tems’s body type is very familiar where we’re from. In that way, it’s the first body type I was exposed to so it’s not something that is hard to style. I don’t like to feel limited, so if [a designer] isn’t able to cater to [her body], it’s just a matter of finding the people that do because there are so many that do.
Exactly! So with that in mind, what direction do you plan to take her style next? Is there a particular look you’d like to explore further?
Style is ever-evolving. You could like one thing [in the day] and be in a completely different mood by the evening, you know? Tems is becoming a lot more experimental. We hear it in the growth of her sound and [see it in] her visuals, [so it] will inevitably reflect in her style.
*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.*
