Lights, Cameras, Chaos: Behind Fashion Evo X Olorisupergal X Made in Africa’s Big Moments
By the time the event started, it all looked effortless. Panels flowed, chairs were filled, cameras flashed. From the audience, it was a well paced celebration of fashion and purpose. But if you peeled back the layers, just a bit, you’d find that the real story was being written behind the scenes, in a flurry of last minute adjustments, whispered cues, and sweat wrapped grace.
Science of Trade’s third and final day, a collaboration amongst Fashion Evo, Olorisupergal and Made in Africa carried a kind of weighted beauty: the climax of three days of effort, emotion, and logistics. Yet what many didn’t see was the string of 30 minute delays that forced everyone to pivot in real time. Timings were tweaked, speaker lineups shuffled, and at one point, questions for the panel had to be reworked entirely, moments before the session went live.
At the center of it all stood Dr. Yetty Ogunnubi, founder of YD Company and the force behind Fashion Evo. She was a judge on paper, yes but in practice, she was the nerve center. Running the PR arm, directing staff movements, answering vendor calls, and somehow still gliding on stage for the day’s opening remarks with camera ready calm. One moment she was adjusting logistics with staff; the next, she was taking polished photos beside industry leaders and offering critiques during the debate.
There was Tomiwa, the silent fixer. She moved through the chaos with the calm of someone who had done this before: confirming run orders, handing out last minute instructions, monitoring panelists that were yet to arrive, and whispering fixes into ears seconds before go time. It was clear that this wasn’t her first backstage war zone, but it might have been one of her smoother victories.
In the middle of all this, the VIP Green Room was a world of contrasts. There were quiet corners with hors d’oeuvres and drinks, lights and tripods set up for interviews and media snippets, and a steady current of tête-à-têtes between fashion entrepreneurs, guests, and panelists.
One could catch a debater in the bathroom, rehearsing their opening statement to the mirror, trying to drown out the noise of nerves with precision and repetition. Meanwhile, guests continued to arrive, fashionably late, as expected, dressed in bold prints, crisp tailoring, and all the understated glamour that Lagos fashion insiders are known for.
The Master of Ceremony kept the energy up on stage, ensuring that the delays never made it past the curtain. Maryann and Nifemi, both visible but grounded, juggled their own contributions. Steady hands ensuring cue cards, sound, and stage direction moved along without a hitch.
Beyond the faces I could name, there were countless other hands quietly steering the wheel. From the ones moving chairs and fixing mics, to the team managing guest lists, adjusting lighting setups, and calming flustered vendors backstage. Their names may have escaped me, and their tasks may have unfolded in places I couldn’t reach, but their impact was undeniable. This kind of event doesn’t happen without an invisible army. Each person playing their part in a choreography that most of us will never fully see, but would immediately feel if it fell apart.
As the event finally crescendoed into the fashion debate, the earlier tension turned into sharp focus. The crowd listened, laughed, and clapped, oblivious to the behind the scenes efforts that kept the day moving. The winner walked away with 500,000 naira, but everyone involved in the production walked away with a different kind of reward: knowing they’d pulled off something worth remembering.
And me? I was somewhere on the edge, my Notes App in hand, lurking in the shadows, watching the whole thing like a low budget spy with a love for storytelling. Not part of the production crew. Not a panelist or guest. Just a curious observer taking notes on the little miracles that no one claps for.
It’s easy to forget that behind every polished panel and sharp outfit is a team that worked twice as hard to make it all feel smooth. But that’s the beauty of behind-the-scenes work: it doesn’t ask to be seen, it just asks to work.
