Mayowa Nicholas Takes Flight in '60s Woman Style for ELLE US September 2021

Nigerian born, rising star model Mayowa Nicholas the beginning of air travel in ‘Mayowa Nicholas Takes Flight’, an ELLE US fashion story channeling the retro chic style of ‘60s-influenced tailored silhouettes. and women on the move as part of the second wave of feminism.

Women’s wings spread as far as Afghanistan and Sudan, with a universal view of women escaping patriarchal influences and tribal customs. Images from these countries are incomprehensible to process mentally against today’s international political landscape.

As many American women like myself weep in fear for the futures of Afghan women, Mayowa Nicholas reminds us that triumph remains a very real possibility for the world’s women. And in the late ‘60s-early’70s, everything seemed possible for women worldwide.

Alex White styles Nichols in tailored, ‘Express Lane’ , neutral-colors luxury from Alaïa, Bottega Veneta, Burberry, Dior, Fendi, Hermès, Isabel Marant, Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors Collection, Valentino, Versace. Photographer Chris Colls [IG] makes the fashion capture for the September 2021 issue. See all the product credits at ELLE.

In fact, Mayowa Nichols intended to become an accountant, not a model. When Mayowa Nicholas was six, her father died. There was no mental health support of any kind in Nigeria [and not much in America, AOC adds] “We were living in one room—the bathroom, kitchen, all in one room,” she recalls to ELLE. With “no family support,” her mother “still made sure that we went to school and there was food on the table.” That determination was what she later tapped into as a self-described “tiny girl from Nigeria trying to break into the industry.”

Mayowa Nicholas is flattered with comparisons of her to Naomi Campbell, although she doesn’t see much resemblance.

AOC has covered Mayowa Nicholas extensively. Read her AOC archives at the end of fashion story and check out product credits at ELLE.