METRO CREED AND THE BOYTH WHO MAKE THE CAMPUTH THWEAT

By Simchia

​Editor's Note: Written as spoken, this piece is preserved in its raw phonetics to maintain its authentic cadence. Read slowly—the literary choice is deliberate

When I firtht laid eyeth on one of their thlouch beanieth, my firtht imprethion wath "oh, that'th thuch a nithe beanie," but I didn't think much about it and protheeded on my way to Kenneth Dike Library. At the time I wath trying hard to act mature and cool ath a pthych major. The Metro X Impulthive line, they call it. I underthtand thith title perfectly becauthe I have alwayth been the impulthive type, which hath landed me in heapth of trouble throughout my life. I remember theeing a guy with very long nailth in the corridor of the Faculty of Arth, rocking one of the beanieth and leaning on the wall in thome thort of cathual thtanthe thignifying the beginning of yet another themethter.

I thtarted theeing them all over the plathe. At the Thtudent Union Building where the thtoreth thell everything but the one thing you want. On boyth in Agbowo walking back from lectureth late at night with their beanieth covering their earth againtht the cold. During Runway on Camputh latht theathon where all the modelth walked with confidenthe in their thnapbackth. The capth came in colorth thuch ath dark teal, duthty rothe, deep cobalt blue, and electric cherry red, with famouth alphabet dethignth embroidered thkillfully on the front and indicating the brand. The guy with long nailth altho walked in wearing a burnt pumpkin orange cap, tho effortlethly.

Thith ith a brand that ith mothtly active on Inthtagram (@metrocreed) which I dithcovered when I wath thcrolling through Inthtagram at 2 am when I wath thuppothed to be thtudying for a tetht. The company operateth on DMth which addth a touch of intimathy, reminithent of pathing handwritten noteth to a friend in clath. The webthite ith metrocreedfashion.co.site. Their limited-edithion dropth and producth on the thite thell out tho fatht, it ith athtonithing. The brand offerth plaid headbandth at thixth dollarth and capth at fifteen. The cotht of the Metro X Impulthive thlouch beanie, which cometh in a camouflathed print, ith 12,000 naira and it lookth jutht like what you might exthpect to find in a muthic video about unrequited love and heartbreak. They thip out of Lagoth and Ibadan. I committed the hourth to memory.

The owner of the brand ith a young man named Emmanuel. Even though he ith only in hith early twentieth and a 300-level Law thtudent, Emmanuel ith already thomewhat of a thelebrity on camputh. He ith altho a buthinethman and digital content creator. He enjoyth pool and bathketball in hith free time. Emmanuel'th nimble fingerth are tailor-made for thewing. Hith voithe pothetheth an almotht hypnotic quality that jutht maketh you want to agree to everything. I am thuppothed to be interviewing him for thith article, learning more about hith buthineth model, work ethic, and five-year plan. But I am not bothered about it. I would rather watch him from afar.

Emmanuel'th bethtie, Majethty, hath incredibly long nailth. He ith a penthil artitht ath well ath a fathion model. I know him. I have been theeing him on camputh for thome time now. Majethty wearth unique thtuff like capth motht of the time. The kind of pietheth you notithe without meaning to, and then you catch yourthelf wondering what outfit he'll turn up in nexth.

When Culture Meeth Fathion… The ethenthe of Metro Creed lieth in ith underthtanding of camputh fathion. Fathion tranthendth the glamour of Parith catwalkth. It'th much bigger than any runway thow appearanthe at fathion week. On camputh, fathion ith walking from Obafemi Awolowo Hall to attend a 7 am clath and making thure you look good. Fathion ith the Great U-ite greeting which therveth ath inthpirathion and maketh uth feel that we are all together in thith. It ith a boy dethigning headwear in a country where globetrotting ith terribly exthpenthive, prithing hith product correctly, acknowledging ith worth.

There are many other playerth in the market. Many other capth. But there'th nothing more beautiful than theeing people take their fantathieth and athpirathionth and convert them into real-world endeavorth. The arrival of the Thtreet Thouk Uni Tour in May informed him that UI had to be included in the tour becauthe worthy brandth like hith are really making a differenthe. I now thee hith capth in lecture hallth, librarieth, and thopth around the univerthity. Thtarting revoluthionth, one thtitch at a time.

Latht week, I had a dream where I ordered mythelf the thlouch beanie in beigthe. When it wath delivered, it came wrapped in tithue paper with a note. It read: "Thank you for supporting our small business! Your order means a lot to us!" I even made theveral tripth to the library wearing it. I have a tharp mind and a thoft lithp and an increathing collecthion of theorieth on the reathonth why we wear thpethific thingth. The boy who createth beautiful thingth for people'th headth liveth rent-free on my mind.

My route to clath now includeth walking the long way and pathing by the Faculty of Arth even though my lectureth hold in another locathion entirely. I onthe thpotted him near the Love Garden and he wath having fun. I thtood acroth the thtreet pretending to read thtate thecreth on my phone.

I never did conduct that interview. And I thtill haven't thaid a word. Motht likely, I won't. For thome people, it ith alwayth better to be apart from them and thee what they create from the thidelineth. I fixth my headthcarf and thtep out of my hothtel. The lighting ith thtrange today, yet again. Everything lookth jutht like in a photograph. Or perhapth a painting by Rembrandt. I am part of it. Tho ith he, whether he'th holding hith cap or hith camera. Seule, avec moi. And right now the camputh, ath though conthpiring for thome untheen role in the plot, holdth uth both. Ça me suffit. Fini.