A Tribute To Remi (Osholake) Lagos By Betty Irabor.
Monday, November 05, 2012Omoba
A while ago, my friend
Helen Ajayi invited me on a trip on her brother’s cruise liner, which had just
been launched. I was in the middle of production (as usual) but was assured
that we would only be gone a couple of hours and that it would be fun. Fun was
something I could use especially at a time like that. A few hours turned out to
be the entire day. But I was excited about the prospects of a cruise on a
working day; I put my laptop away and joined Helen.
On arrival at our
muster point, I saw Remi; Helen hadn’t mentioned that anyone else I knew was
sailing with us. But with Remi on board it looked like more fun as we exchanged
banters. My excitement turbo charged as we boarded and old school re-mixes
wafted from the big screen and the waiters welcomed us with Champagne and wine.
The small party of six soon sat down wining and dining as we sailed. Good
company, good music, sea food….ahhhhhh!
That was one of my
closest sit down encounters with Ms Remi Osholake, famously known as REMI
LAGOS. Before then, I randomly visited her boutique at Mega and treated myself
to her flirty, floaty, fluid boubous and kaftans. I really used to marvel
at the fact that she took everything in her stride; she lived her life on her
own terms and always seemed like someone who had no issues. She would make
light of her challenges and never hesitated to say kind words about Genevieve
and salute my perseverance.
Remi was bold and very
confident in herself; on one of my visits to her, a friend from Dubai had
called to say she was in town and could she come over? I was a bit wary of her
coming to meet me at Remi’s boutique because she was a designer who specialised
in a near similar line as Remi although she was based in Dubai. I was still
thinking of how to work out the logistics when my friend called to say she was
at Mega, so I had no choice but to ask her to meet me at Remi’s. When she
walked in, I made the introductions and added that my friend was in the fashion
line as she. And what do you know? Remi immediately began to tap her brain
about taking the Remi brand to Dubai too. My friend was too happy to share her
business modus operandi with Remi. In no time at all both hit it off and my
friend reciprocated Remi’s openness with frank business ideas that Remi found
very valuable. She said to my friend later “oh, thank you” and went ahead to
ask if she made what she was wearing and proceeded to shower compliments on
her. And we all chatted as if we had planned the meeting.
Remi was mighty proud
of her brand and she hardly wore anything else. She loved her black and
hardly wore make up. She lived her life just the way she wanted to live it, she
never masked who she was. She was real and was her own best cheerleader.
She believed in her brand and relished in her own creativity and style.
We had a few face-offs
especially concerning her adverts in Genevieve. She always insisted that her
adverts must be run on the right side and not on the left page of the
magazine. Once or twice we ran foul of that and she breezed into the
office fuming and re-affirming her stance on her adverts. My marketing team on
the other hand had insisted that there’s a surcharge for special positions.
Caught in the middle I allowed her have her way and that became the order for
Remi’s adverts in Genevieve magazine.
The last time I saw
her was in August at a friend’s mother’s 80th birthday party in Lekki; as
always she wore her signature kaftan but this one was emblazoned with Nigeria’s
coat of arms; very proudly Nigerian was the message. I kept trying to get up and
go say hello but I soon lost sight of her… and that was it!
“Why do you like pink
so much” Remi asked as we sipped wine on the Prest boat that afternoon. “Even
your pen is pink” she observed. Then, it was time to go take some
snapshots on the sunny deck; “look” she said “her sunshades are pink
too”, she giggled and we cracked up laughing. Remi laughed a lot, her smile was
her make-up so she didn’t mask her face with all the beauty paraphernalia most
of us can’t do without. Her bubbly laughter was a symbol of her free spirit.
When I was told she
had cancer, I thought she would beat it even if the cancer was at an advanced
stage. Then the news of her death broke on Saturday leaving me numb and
then angry at death. DEATH!
Not another death, I
sighed. Not another death to cancer… but Remi is at peace now, free from pain
and fear of death’s blow. For us however, the struggle continues. In all these
struggles and every day upheaval it would be a good thing if we took time out
for ourselves. We must factor our health into our TO DO LIST.
Adieu friend.
REMI, REST IN PEACE.
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