Wavy The Creator reflects on nine years of building in Lagos.
From being a major aesthetic reference point for Lagos’ alternative scene to making genre-bending music, launching an upcycling-focused fashion label and opening a multidisciplinary creative studio, Wavy The Creator says every part of her career has always belonged under one identity: creator.
There are few Nigerian creatives whose résumé is as difficult to compress into a single title as hers. Yet none of those labels quite capture the whole picture.
That’s exactly why “The Creator” was never just a stage name.
“I believe the essence of my being is to create,” she says early into our conversation. “I don’t think creativity is one thing, or that it’s placed in a box.”
It’s a philosophy that has guided every pivot in her career. Rather than abandoning one discipline for another, Wavy simply allows each medium to surface when it needs to. Fashion may be taking centre stage today, but music is still in the periphery. Photography still exists. Interior design has entered the conversation. For her, they’re all chapters of the same creative story.
Speaking with TheNextShots, Wavy reflects on growing up between Nigeria and the United States, returning to Lagos at a pivotal moment in the city’s creative evolution, the legacy of the alté movement, her growing fashion empire, and why she’ll never be just one thing.
Photographed by: Eluwole Oluwaferanmi
Peniel: You’ve worn so many hats throughout your career: photographer, musician, creative director, fashion designer, and most recently interior designer. What’s it like carrying all those creative talents and expressing them to the world?
Wavy: To be honest, I believe the essence of my being is to create. I see myself as a vessel to deliver whatever needs to be shared, whether it’s through fashion, music, photography, creative direction, or even interior design.
I don’t think creativity belongs in a box. A true creative mind is big enough to explore different things. I allow myself to be fluid and open to wherever my creativity leads.
Peniel: What was growing up between Nigeria and the United States like?
Wavy: I moved to America young, but not before I’d already absorbed a lot of Nigerian culture. And kids adapt fast, so I picked up the culture in America quickly too. I never felt like I lost one for the other; I got a fair balance of both worlds, and that balance still shapes how I create today.
Peniel: Who were the people that influenced your sense of style growing up?
Wavy: Honestly, everything around me. I’ve always loved clothes and wanted to dress my own way so I never really had one particular figure I looked up to.
Peniel: What did it feel like coming back to Nigeria for the first time, being this eccentric character in a city with as many judging eyes as Lagos?
Wavy: It was one of the best decisions I ever made, even though it may have been scary. I came back not knowing what to expect, but the uncertainty excited me.
I’m an artist, so I enjoy putting myself in unfamiliar situations because that’s part of where my art comes from. I also realised that standing out was actually an advantage. If people were curious because I looked or dressed differently, then I’d simply show them more of what I could do.
Photographed by: Eluwole Oluwaferanmi
Peniel: People talk about the alté scene; some people wouldn’t know that you were one of those driving that style back then, around 2017/2018. Looking back and seeing how much of that aesthetic is now prevalent among mostly Nigerian youths, do you think about that legacy?
Wavy: Sometimes, not much, I feel like art has always been recycled. Everything comes back around. It’s just a cycle, and that’s always going to happen.
Obviously, people were inspired by what I was doing, or by what the alté movement was doing at the time, so it’s only natural that people are going to create their own versions of it. And honestly, I was probably inspired by someone who inspired the things I was doing back then.
That’s just how art works. You’re always going to be inspired by something or someone unless you completely close yourself off from the world. I think that’s just the nature of creativity, and it’s something that’s going to keep happening forever.
Peniel: You’ve been in Nigeria for nine years now since you moved from America. You probably visit, I’m sure, but would you ever want to move back?
Wavy: There are thoughts of possibly doing that eventually. There’s no harm in living in two places at the same time, if you can.
Peniel: In 2023, you were part of the House of Lagos cohort for Victoria’s Secret’s 2023 World Tour reboot. Being positioned globally as a reference point musically, did that experience change anything about you or how you see yourself, if at all?
Wavy: That was a pretty amazing experience, not just because I was a part of it, but because of what it meant for young women creatives on this side of the world .
I got to share more about myself and my background, and it gave a platform for people to go behind the scenes of the lives of 5 incredible creatives from Nigeria.
I thought it was beautiful, and it gave me a new perspective on who I want to be as a creative and what I want to stand for. It was special.
Peniel: People know you for different things. Does it ever bother you when someone only sees one part of your work?
Wavy: Being referred to as one thing that I am is honestly fine by me. If you asked different people about me, a lot of them probably wouldn’t even know that I own a fashion brand or make music. Some people know me as a photographer, some know me as a stylist, and I’ve never really felt any type of way about that.
It’s all still me. It’s what I do, it’s a part of who I am, and at the end of the day, all those different things just add up to make me who I am.
Peniel: Speaking of the different parts of who you are, Let’s talk about some of your newer ventures, from fashion house Piece Et Patch to WTC Studios. Let’s start with WTC Studios. What is that?
Wavy: Wavy The Creator Studios basically houses everything that Wavy The Creator is and does, whether that’s styling, interior design, photography, or anything else I’m exploring creatively. But it’s also a space for other creatives to come into.
There are so many talented creatives in this city, and I eventually want to create a space where, if you have a talent or a skill and an opportunity comes your way, you have somewhere to bring it to life and use that opportunity to your advantage. It’s really about creating a space where creativity can exist freely and people can grow from the opportunities around them.
Photographed by: Eluwole Oluwaferanmi
Peniel: How do you manage to execute at a high level while having your hands in all these various fields?
Wavy: By the grace of God, honestly. But more than anything, I think the most important thing for me is quality. Whether it’s the art I’m creating or the services I’m rendering, I always try to push for the highest level of quality in everything I do. That’s the space I create from.
Whether it takes years to perfect something or just a couple of days, I want whatever I put into the world to have an impact and to be remembered.
Peniel: About Pièce et Patch. It’s been around for a while. It has grown to become known for its focus on upcycled pieces and a futuristic sense of style. Was that the founding idea behind Pièce et Patch, or did it evolve into this?
Wavy: From the genesis of the brand [Pièce et Patch], I always wanted it to be a reflection of me as a creative. I wanted to be intentional about everything, and at the core of it all was my love for thrifting. I’ve always loved wearing pieces that people would be drawn to but probably wouldn’t know where to find, because I’ve always felt like clothes are an extension of who you are. They can represent you really well, or they can represent you terribly.
When I started the brand, I was working with a lot of upcycled pieces, but I didn’t want to just recreate or make everyday designs. I wanted to push it further and explore different ways of working with denim and what it could become.
Photographed by: Eluwole Oluwaferanmi
Peniel: Who are some of the designers that influence your creativity?
Wavy: Recently I’ve fallen in love with the silhouettes from Louis Vuitton. I really enjoy them because they feel familiar. But throughout time I’m always looking for the next thing to inspire me, for example, I have been inspired by the way the bike men style themselves or the construction worker on a site, so naming someone who’s always inspiring me is difficult because that changes almost every day.
Peniel: We’ve been loving the new Denim Summer campaign you’ve been rolling out, from the bags to the shoes. Tell us more about it.
Wavy: It’s a capsule drop, and I really wanted to play with denim in every possible way, from the pieces themselves to the packaging. Everything is denim.
A lot of people say denim isn’t the most breathable fabric, but I’ve always liked the idea of taking denim and manipulating it to work for you. The shoes in the drop were inspired by a certain type of slip-on I started wearing this year. I was so comfortable in them that I could literally slide them on and go anywhere, so I really wanted to create my own version of that, in denim.
It’s a little left of what I’ve done before, but it still feels familiar, which is where the Tabis came from. The whole point of this capsule is really to show that denim can work in every way.
Pieces from the Pièce et Patch’s Denim Summer Campaign // Photographed by: Eluwole Oluwaferanmi
Peniel: If you aren’t designing, photographing, or doing any work, what are Wavy’s hobbies?
Wavy: Years ago, I probably would’ve said I didn’t have any hobbies because I was so consumed with work. But I love playing lawn tennis, even though I haven’t played in a while. My tennis friends would probably call me a fraud at this point, but I started playing about two or three years ago, and it’s actually been really good for my creative mind.
I also enjoy just hanging out with friends at chill spots, and I love being around water, whether that’s cruising on a boat or just sitting by the water. There’s something really calming about it.
I recently started walking too. They’re all small things, but I think those are the parts of me outside of creativity that I consider my hobbies.
Peniel: When can we expect Wavy to get back to the music? I know there’s a slew of things happening, and that may be adding to an already busy Wavy, but the last song we heard from you on streaming platforms was “Star” in 2024, a song inspired by your experience on the VS20 2023 World Tour. Are you working on anything music-wise, or is that not in the works for now?
Wavy: I’ve been working on a lot of music for the past two or three years. It’s interesting that I never actually stop recording. There are plans to release soon, yes. Music will always be a part of me; it’s not something I could ever stop doing. Maybe somewhere in between all of this you might just see a new Wavy The Creator release. [Laughs]
Photographed by: Eluwole Oluwaferanmi
Peniel: Looking at all you’ve built as a creative entity—from the music to Pièce et Patch and WTC Studios, the whole résumé—is there a version of Wavy, five years from now, where it slows down and consolidates into one thing?
Wavy: I think yes, and unintentionally I might already be building toward that, though I’m still going to do all these things, I don’t think I’d ever stop doing any of them, because at every point I do them I enjoy them, I love them thoroughly, so they’re never going to go away. But I think there’ll be a point in the near future where everything is housed under one umbrella.
Peniel: What’s the one thing about Wavy that people who only know the aesthetic, the photos and the songs would be surprised to learn?
Wavy: There are a lot of things people would probably be surprised to know, so it’s a tough one to pick just one. But, my new desire to dive into the world of science, if I had to choose, I’m not sure what I’d use it for yet, but it’s been interesting.