When Muktar Onifade starts a new project, he looks at his message board, which reads, “Engineered to perfection, inspired through innovation.” In some manufacturing sectors, you’re either an engineer or a designer very rarely are you both. But Onifade has an aptitude for numbers and fashion.
By day, Onifade is a calibration engineer responsible for developing, validating and posting engine control module calibrations for all General Motors (No. 48 on the Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies list) vehicles and engine combination programs in North America. When he’s not at work, Onifade uses his engineering talent and technical skill to design high-end streetwear.
Now in its third collection, Onifade’s fashion label, VIZUVLGVDS (Visual Gods), combines the precision and chemistry of engineering with Onifade’s West African heritage. His collection has caught the attention of a number of fashion-forward outlets including PULSE NIGERIA, an African news and pop culture site. It named VIZUVLGVDS one of the Top 10 Menswear Brands of 2015 in Nigeria.
As part of Black History Month, the network NBCBLK featured Onifade, who’s 26, as one of its 2017 NBCBLK28, a group of 28 innovators, vanguards, trendsetters and pioneers under 28 years old who are redefining what it means to be young, gifted and Black.
ReadNBCBLK’s full story here.
