Obehireme Binitie is a renowned fashion stylist, model, and creative director from Lagos, Nigeria. She’s celebrated for her distinctive contemporary streetwear flair in the fashion scene and her creative contributions, such as Gradients by MWTV and collaborations with artists like P Priime, Mellissa, and Feline.
Her dedication to fashion styling has led to partnerships with esteemed brands like Guinness x Severe Nature, Legacy World, Hubris World, Piece et Patch, and others. In 2019, she founded the fashion brand Bahtsht, drawing inspiration from her Edo heritage and western influences.
In this edition of Interneting: The DIY Way, OB answers a few questions about how she’s navigated her career journey using the internet as a tool for growth.
Can you share your journey of how you started utilizing the internet as a creative platform?
I think I started using Instagram about two years ago, just to show fashion content, and how I could dress. Because I would see fellow creators do it. And there’s like a whole fashion community on IG. So, I just tapped into it. And started using Instagram as my fashion show.
What’s your most viral moment as a creative?
Probably TikTok. Although, I make a lot of videos. But there was one I had about 300k likes. Nothing deep though.
What are some common misconceptions about being a creative on the internet, and how do you address them?
The common misconception about me is that my style of fashion doesn’t thrive in Lagos. But to be honest, I feel like I’m starting a serious movement for women who love streetwear, because I don’t think I do conventional fashion. Well, I think I tap into both sides. I feel like breaking these barriers is fun because I’m one of the few firsts to actually do it, and come up with the whole concept in Lagos. Of course, my type of fashion exists in every other place. But it’s nice to still see me just keep doing my shit regardless of all the other misconceptions that I might be hearing. So, I don’t really address them. I just keep doing what I do, because to be honest, I can’t change who I am.
How do you handle criticism or negative feedback on social media platforms?
To be honest, I’m very grateful that I haven’t been able to face any of this yet. I just freshened out, because you can agree I’m still fresh. But I have obviously seen some annoying people on TikTok. But I don’t really let people get to me, because at the end of the day, I’m going to do what I want. Your opinion is your opinion. And if you’re coming to my page to discredit my opinion, I’m just going to ignore you or let you know that you’re saying nonsense. But I don’t really let it affect anything that I do. I just keep doing me.
How do you manage burnout as a creative?
It’s hard getting inspiration in Lagos, but having creative friends always helps. You know, getting inspired from your friends, and the people around you. So I feel like that’s one way I handle my burnout. When I feel like I can’t create anything, I just hang out with my friends. I talk about how I’m feeling, get inspiration, and get back on track.
What’s the weirdest or funniest comment or DM you’ve ever received on social media about your work?
A lot! I can’t lie to you, especially from men. Men are weird. But yeah, men always chat shit. Not mean stuff but like “Why are you so unhinged?” kind of shit. But nothing horrible per se, like “my shit is wack” or stuff. But just men’s stuff.
Can you share a funny story from your journey as a creative that still makes you laugh today?
The funny story was definitely the evolution of my name. When I started out during Covid. It was funny to me because it’s so crazy how I could draw inspiration from the actual animal, and make it into a whole character for myself. It’s also funny because never in my twenty-something years of loving and creating fashion would I have actually called myself an animal. But I feel like it’s my alter ego. So I really fuck with it right now, because it does help me balance both sides of my personality. But the funny story comes from an experience my brother and I had with a bat. I wouldn’t want to go into details. But if you really want to know, you can head over to my YouTube.
Aside from all these crazy experiences I’ve had, there was also a time I was in the club with DND, and I was like “Do you know you look like DND?” And it was actually him. And we kept laughing at each other.
2 creatives you’d love to see answer these questions?
The DIY Collective 