Meet OMEGA

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to OMEGA. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi OMEGA, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
Imposter syndrome is a condition that afflicts many highly motivated and high-achieving people. It is fueled by a belief that you are not deserving of earned accolades and/or that you have little to no reason to be proud of your achievements. I am a self-critical person. I hold myself to a very high standard across all aspects of my life. However, I learned that mentality can develop into a negative personality trait if left unchecked and unbalanced. I have dealt with a version of imposter syndrome in which I saw my current accomplishments as “not good enough” or sub-standard. I looked in the mirror and impatiently expected the ideal version of myself that I hold in my mind. have an understanding that there is so much more to be achieved in this world, even though my accomplishments are positive steps towards my ultimate goals. Holding my ultimate goals above my current position and seeing myself as the finished product is how I developed imposter syndrome. Initially I used this divide between my current position and where I envisioned myself as a sort of negative reinforcement; I began telling myself that the divide between where I am now and where I want to be can only closed by persistence and work ethic. Maintaining this level of motivation is necessary but ultimately unsustainable. I decided to take my lessons from nature itself: even the best yielding plants bear their fruits only when the season is correct. This allowed me to learn how to take a step back and find a balance between consistent production, planning, and reconciliation. I overcame my imposter syndrome by learning to celebrate my progress, documenting my work/progress to remind myself of my worth, and surrounding myself with like-minded people who naturally remind me of my worth and accomplishments. Celebrating my progress is one of the hardest things I’ve had to learn how to do. I started my personal development journey understanding that I had to make major changes within my life to begin to walk a righteous path. This led me to establish a zero tolerance policy with myself; I was not to tolerate any deviation from the path I deemed to be the right path. Initially, this type of drastic measure worked for my benefit allowing me to cut out detrimental habits and install new, healthy habits within a short period of time. I quickly found out that deploying a tactic as extreme as this could only be effective within a 3-4 months span.
One method I used to overcome imposter syndrome is to document my work/progress. Documenting my work/progress in detail allows me to have a tangible history of my everything I’ve created so far. Having a work history available is a great tool in combatting imposter syndrome because it is first-hand evidence of work towards your goal. Documented progress is a perfect counter to self-directed negative emotions brought on by imposter syndrome. Tracking work/progress also allows me to track my improvements over time. Seeing work done towards my goals is a great motivation and seeing my work consistently getting better has had a multiplying effect on my confidence.
My father always told me show me your friends and I will tell you who you are. I believe the people I choose to surround myself with are a direct reflection of who I am as a person. Celebrating my progress was made easier when I began to share my accomplishments with trusted friends and family. Their exuberant reactions to accomplishments I saw as routine milestones added context and a depth of emotion I never had before. Sharing my work with trusted friends also allowed me to get honest feedback from people who wanted to see me reach my full potential. This type of feedback is invaluable and allows me to see things from perspectives I hadn’t previously considered.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
EKPEN is a bridge between contemporary West African fashion and modern western fashion. Our tagline is “Culturally Rich”, meaning we bring our culture in its rawest form wherever we are. EKPEN speaks to the stories, cultures, and experiences of Africans living in diaspora, by circumstance or by choice. We proudly advertise our ability to create “Made in Nigeria” products which allow us to directly give back to our native communities.

EKPEN speaks to the realities of Africans living in diaspora. We are determined to tell our own stories from our perspectives in order to take control of the narrative and our ultimate destinies.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Looking back on my journey, I can identify three key skills and areas of knowledge that got me where I am today. The first is a knowledge of self. This means gaining an understanding of my principles, purpose, and personal boundaries. The second is an insatiable hunger for knowledge. This mean remaining open to learning more and challenging the points of knowledge I feel I already understand. The third and final point is an understanding that life is about people. The deep connections I make with other humans are more valuable than any material asset.

Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
EKPEN creates superior garments for the ultra modern. Our brand’s ideology is based on creating our own realities by taking control of our narrative and telling our own stories. EKPEN is rooted in West African culture. Having a strong cultural root allows us to draw from the energy of our ancestors and spiritual anchors to amplify the message and reach like-minded individuals. EKPEN’s mission lies in establishing a new renaissance – an African renaissance – where an army of like-minded people band together to move the culture forward and establish new ways to relate with ourselves and our communities, both at home and abroad.

EKPEN creates superior garments for the ultra modern. “Ultra modern” is a term we minted to describe our target audience. We had to create this term because there was no other term available that could describe the type of people we want to attract and bring into our orbit. Ultra modern describes the mentality of an individual that is rooted in their native culture while simultaneously being a flagbearer for progressive cultural growth. The closest historical example we found were the individuals responsible for the 17th century European Renaissance period. This is also why we describe ourselves as bringing about a new renaissance – an African Renaissance. EKPEN enables the next generation of storytellers and visionaries by providing a platform for the next wave of renaissance men and women.

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