Rihanna made history last month after she became the first woman to release an exclusive brand at the LVMH luxury items collective, home to Givenchy, Dior and Louis Vuitton. Although the launch was held on May 10 in Paris France, the Fenty Maison brand is preparing for an official launch, and to tease it, a sequence of stylistic pictures has been released by the product, some of which Nigerian photographer Ruth Ossai shot.
Born and raised in Southeastern Nigeria, Ruth Ossai developed love for photography after her mother gifted her a camera as a teenager.
The 28-year-old is currently based in West Yorkshire, UK where she identifies as an “Igbo/Yorkshire warrior”.
“An Igbo/Yorkshire warrior refers to my dual heritage,” Ruth explains in an interview with Its Nice That. “Igbo is my tribe in Nigeria. It’s the first thing I always get asked whatever country I am in or online, as people can’t really work out where I am from. The warrior refers to who I am as a person. A warrior to me is someone who is fearless, has great strength and willpower. There is an Igbo proverb my father always said to me growing up ‘If life dey show u pepper, my daughter make pepper soup from am.’ To me, that is what a warrior represents.”
She is mostly known for her portrait and studio photography that empowers Nigerian communities by creating narratives with her subjects that celebrate their personal identities.
“With my work I believe I try to show texture, depth and love. [I also try to show] the strength, tenacity and ingenuity of eastern Nigerians in order to celebrate Nigerian identity and to also give a visual insight to others.” She tells Coeval Magazine.
The photographer whose backdrops and editing are inspired by her love for old Igbo gospel videos, Nigerian homemade DVDs (weddings, burials, ceremonies etc) and Nollywood films is big on the need for Africans to embrace who they are and tell their own stories.
“It becomes very problematic when Nigerians — and other Africans — cannot tell their own stories: it becomes too often incomplete, inaccurate and stereotyped. This narrative has needed changing for too long now.”
Apart from being among the heavily talented team behind Rihanna’s Fenty Campaign, Ruth Ossai has registered numerous achievements under her belt in her less than a decade career span. She has appeared and had her work featured in the world’s most prestigious fashion magazine Vogue, published her own photo book and collaborated with filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr on a short film for fashion powerhouse Kenzo.
Ruth also balances her career with youth development work in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Yorkshire.
