A Beginner’s Guide to Building Taste

And no, it’s not about being rich.

Let’s start with the truth: taste is not something you’re born with. It’s something you build, layer by layer, like a perfectly curated outfit, a balanced meal, or an artful home.

You don’t need money to have it. You don’t need a European passport or access to fashion week or a degree in design to cultivate it. But you do need curiosity, consistency, and a little bit of courage.

So, what exactly is taste?

Taste is the unspoken compass behind the way we style ourselves, the furniture we choose, the scents we gravitate toward, the art we hang, the music we hum, the books we highlight, even the way we speak. It’s the filter through which we interact with the world and it tells people more about us than we often realize.

And for Nigerians especially, where culture, creativity, and class often intersect, it’s an opportunity to express depth beyond trends or wealth. Taste is not about copying aesthetics you saw online. It’s about refinement. Discernment. And authenticity.

So here’s your guide to building it from the ground up!

1. Study what speaks to you

Scroll if you must, but scroll with intention. If you find yourself drawn to a style, interior, fashion, or otherwise. Pause and ask: Why do I like this? Is it the simplicity? The texture? The nostalgia? Start saving things you love. Outfits, colors, photography, architecture, product design. Don’t rush to recreate them, just observe. This is your first mood board, and it’s for your eyes only. In time, you’ll start to notice patterns. Themes. Preferences.

Taste begins with noticing. And the best place to start? The FashionEVO Instagram, a curated scroll of African creativity, intention, and style.

2. Refine your palette. Literally and metaphorically

Try things. Explore new cuisines, new genres of music, new designers (especially Nigerian ones). Don’t just eat jollof rice at every function. Try a banga soup from Delta. Sip zobo with cloves and compare it to hibiscus tea. Wear a raffia bag to brunch. Watch a black and white film. Smell oud and musk side by side.

Taste comes from experiencing a range, not sticking to what’s familiar. You can’t build taste on autopilot. Explore the extremes so you can better locate the nuances you genuinely love.

3. Ditch loud for lasting

True taste often whispers. It doesn’t always need logomania or viral color blocking to make a point. That’s not to say bold is bad. Bold can be breathtaking. But if you’re just starting out, loud can be a mask for insecurity. Building taste means asking “Would I still love this if it weren’t trending?”

In a world obsessed with the new new, real taste is timeless. A white button down. A woven stool from Ilorin. A favorite scent that lingers on your scarf. These are the things that anchor you.

4. Curate your environment

Your taste isn’t limited to what you wear. It lives in your space too. What does your room say about you? Does it reflect what you love? Or just what was available at the closest shop?

You don’t need to break the bank. Taste is in how you fold your towels. The playlist you queue. The way your books sit by your bed. The kind of art (or photos or magazine pages) you frame.

Make your space feel like someone interesting lives there. Because someone interesting does.

5. Let people you admire influence you, without becoming them

Taste is inspired, not stolen. You can love Ini Dima-Okojie’s vibe and still wear sneakers and minimal makeup. You can admire Tems and still express yourself in your own way. You can like what someone else likes without losing your own perspective.

Let their choices educate your eye. But then remix it. That’s how you build authenticity.

6. Keep evolving

Taste isn’t fixed. If you do it right, it changes with you. You may go from maximalism to monochrome. From Afrobeats to soul. From lace to linen. From liking one thing to deeply understanding why it matters.

And that’s okay. That’s the whole point.

Too Long, Didn’t Read? (But you should really read):

Taste is not elitist. Taste is intentional.

It’s built in the tiny choices. It’s built in observation. It’s built in slowing down and saying “this! Yes, this feels like me”. Even if no one else gets it yet. So light that candle. Stack your coffee table books. Choose your colors on purpose. Buy fewer things, but better ones. Support Nigerian designers (of course), not because it’s trendy but because it matters.

Building taste takes time, but so do all the best things.