Red is Overrated, says Brian Babu

A red dress on Valentine’s Day may seem boring to extroverts and too loud for introverts. Break the rules this year and opt for subtle colours.

“Red is overrated and women should wear other colours. Just wear something that is classy with subtle colours which will be able to bring out a person’s inner beauty,” says Brian Babu, a stylist who has made a name for himself in the fashion industry styling young professionals and musicians.

For someone whose final outfit creation is nothing less than a kaleidoscope of colours and patterns, Brian mostly wears black outfits.

“My style is very minimalistic with emphasis on cuts,” he says.

Although he became known when styling ‘Coke Studio’ artistes, his passion started when he was younger.

“It is something that I had since childhood; my mother was a stylist who used to dress TV personalities like Christine Nguku and Catherine Kasavuli. Watching her inspired me,” he says.

He is quick to add that it does not mean that he studied fashion or spent most of his time stitching materials with his mother. “I studied to become a financial economist,” he says.

Being a fashion stylist may seem glamorous; but not to Babu. He says his day starts at 4am, preparing client’s presentations, followed by doing photo-shoots.

“It is not a walk in the park as many people think. You have to create a look, send it to a client, and if they give a go ahead you start sourcing for the items,” he says, adding that he prefers creating an image or look for a person, a process that takes months, instead of doing one-off fashion upgrades.

He has worked with Sauti Sol among others, but says he did not know them beforehand. Some of his favourite designers include Katungulu Mwenda, Kiko Romeo and Afrostreet collection.

“Many young people desire to become renowned stylists but they do not put their all or go all the way, they do the minimum,” he says.