About Us

 

Before I had one sketch, I had the name O-Mara.  I believe in the power of fashion and I believe in the power of the tongue.  When I was brainstorming I asked my parents for some ideas mainly because I wanted to connect it to our Igbo culture.  I wanted the love I have for fashion to translate so anyone who wore anything from me felt the passion too.  Between the three of us, there wasn’t a word that seemed to capture the feeling.  One day I was coming into the kitchen, and my mother turned to me and said, “What about, omara?”

Boom.  The feeling felt captured in that simple word, that simple phrase.  And as time has passed it has only made more sense.  Omara is short for omaramma.  Omara and omaramma in the Igbo language can mean multiple things.   Omaramma is how we say someone or something is beautiful.  If you ever ask if someone is beautiful, the response would be, “omaramma.”   Omara is shorthand for saying, “beautiful” when speaking of a person or thing. 

Omaramma can also be a way to ask if someone or something is beautiful and omara can be the response.  Omara and omarmma on it’s own can be both the question and and the answer to the question. 

“Omaramma?” “Omaramma.”

“Omara?” “Omara.”

“Omarama?” “Omara”

“Omara?” “Omaramma”

It seems like a lot but what I really love about the word omara is that it’s a call and response.  I want you to know that the next time you question if you’re beautiful, the answer is already in the question.

 

Daalu,

Yvonne