Adesuwa Aighewi

"When I got my hair dreadlocked ahead of New York fashion week, I had some pushback from people in the industry worried that I wouldn’t get jobs – the suggestion was that I might look “too black”. But I enjoy being different and standing out – so I decided to keep them and take my chances."

"When working I say to myself, ‘I am a product. It’s not about you. It’s about the vision these people have for their product and you just either happen to fit or not into their idea"

"I want to do documentaries that change the way people view Africa"

"A lot of images I’ve seen of women in hijabs are negative. I want to show the world that Islam isn’t a scary thing. I want everyone to see what I see."

"I wanted to do a project that was digestible for everyone. The idea was to do a video that showed beauty in Muslim women. Just because you’re wearing a hijab doesn’t mean you’re scary. It is not about race. It’s not about religion. It’s not about clothes. It’s about beauty."

"It is a very difficult thing to take up modelling as a profession in Nigeria because of the influence of our parents. You won’t get your parents support especially when they want you to be something else like being a lawyer or doctor."

"I am on a mission to destigmatize America’s interpretation and views toward Islam. For the record, I am a Buddhist. The objective is to promote unity."

"My ultimate end game and destination is far from the runways of New York. I want to continue my work in cinema and the arts. Nigeria is so nostalgic for me because it is the only place I have ever felt at home. When I get back to Nigeria to see dilapidated building, poor infrastructures and bad road network I begin to think that we need to do more to fix things beyond waiting for government. It is time to make things work for our race and country. Nobody will do this for the black race"