Chukwunonso Ezekwueche (aka Dr. Nonso); Looking fabulous and making a statement

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

From the moment I met Chukwunonso (aka, Dr. Nonso), I knew that I was dealing with an entirely different energy. When I met this pharmacist turned fashion influencer, he stood out in a very unique way; he was wearing a colourful, bold jacket, with no shirt, and gold chain placed strategically between his chest bones. His shoes were slender, lightweight looking, and pointed; he had a charisma about him that was distinguishable, and his attitude could be considered by some as haughty, but I learned after speaking with him that it was because he oozed of natural confidence. I could tell right away that this was a man who took great pride in his appearance, and his over 75,000 followers on Instagram are testament to the legacy that Dr. Nonso is creating for himself. It is time to step into the world of men’s fashion; I would like to introduce to you Classic Man, Chukwunonso Ezekwueche.

It took a while for us to actually get our interview set up; we had connected at African Fashion Week, and since then I have been following him on Instagram. Dr. Nonso has a way of standing out, and looking ever like a proper gentleman. His style is recognizable, and he can shift from wearing very structured fitting suits, to casual fabrics with a less tailored fit. He can pull off coloured and decorated leather shoes and can wear a Blake stitch, giving him a slimmer silhouette that looks out of balance with some North American fashion trends, but looks perfect with an Italian suit. When talking with Dr. Nonso, I learned that he has two passions: fashion and pharmaceuticals, hence the Dr that he puts in front of Nonso.

“Tell me a little bit about your life before you came to Canada Nonso, “ I asked. “Of course Simone! I am from the beautiful country of Nigeria and I am the youngest child. My parents moved back to Anambra after they had sojourned in Minna (Niger state, Nigeria) for a few years. My mom is a retired banker, and my late father was a businessman. I completed my primary and secondary school education in Anambra state, Nigeria and then went ahead to get my degree in Pharmacy (PharmD) from the University of Benin (Edo State, Nigeria). It took me six years to attain my degree, so when I moved to Canada in 2017, I was a little disappointed that in order to utilize my degree here, I would have to pretty much start all over again.”

“Would you say that this discouraged you?” I asked. “It did and it didn’t. Working in the pharmaceutical industry is something that I know I am destined to do, but I also knew that I had another passion that I could dive into as I worked on getting into the pharmaceutical industry here in Canada.” “And this is how you sprung into the fashion industry,” I replied. “Yes, but I had already been doing this before I even came to Canada.”

Nonso continues, “I come from a line of fashionistas; I watched my father and my older brothers dress up all the time, and I saw the type of attention that they garnered dressing the way they did. I also noticed how men like Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, and Adebayo Jones were able to take a look, and grab the attention of millions. When I came to Canada, I noticed that not as much interest was paid to men’s fashion, as it was to women’s fashion. Men’s fashion was just not where it was supposed to be, so I decided to brand myself as an ambassador, and I started a crusade to show men how to dress without breaking the bank.”

“What has the reaction been to you since you started this crusade?” I questioned. “It has definitely been a very positive one, which has only encouraged me to do more of what I do.”

Nonso has had the opportunity to work with a handful of men’s fashion and lifestyle brands in Canada, and the United States of America. Doing so has helped these brands enter into new target markets, and he does it by creating eye-catching, and stylish content in the form of pictures and videos. A look at his Instagram page shows how serious Nonso takes his influencer role, and because of this he has been asked to work with brands including: Fashion Nova Mens, Original Penguin, World Remit, Daniel Wellington, Alfred Sung, and Peter Hunt. He has been featured in: Vanguard, The Nation, Sun News Online, Legit, and PM news, and most recently Business Day. He has also had the opportunity to contribute his expertise to www.pulse.ng where he educates men on how to develop their own style.

“What would you say is your favourite style because you rock so many of them?” I asked. “I don’t have a particular style; I am versatile. My ideal look is a dress shirt, some loafers and some pants,” was Nonso’s response. “What is something about you that people may not know?” “ I love networking and I actually really enjoy singing,” Nonso tells me chuckling, “I used to be in the choir at church, and secretly, I think it would be cool to be a wedding singer or something.”

 Nonso attributes his success to God, a creative mind, his thousands of supporters, and the tools he has been provided with for content creation. “I am always on the look out for brands who would like to do some work together. I would love everyone to check out my Instagram page @_nonsky, and let me know what you think.”

Fashion is one aspect of our lives that will never go out of style, and now our community has a great man of influence to help lead the way into our fashion future.