Eunice Olumide

Olumide was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. She has dual British and Nigerian nationality.[2][3][3][4][5] The name "Olumide" means "God has come" or "My Hero has come" in the Yoruba language.[6]

She achieved a first-class Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Mass Media at Glasgow Caledonian University.[7] By the age of 21, she had a postgraduate degree in Film Studies at Queen Mary University of London and a MA in Metaphysics, after getting a scholarship to study at the University of Pennsylvania.

At 15, Olumide was spotted shopping in Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow,[3] and later scouted by Select models while visiting family in London.[8] At the time she knew nothing about the fashion industry. She took a break from modelling to go to university. Since then she has been working as a model and actor, and occasionally appeasred on BBC and SKY TV.[9] Over the years she has been signed with Premier, KOKO, Nemesis, Mega, La Agenica, VIVA, AMQ, Ford and IMM Düsseldorf.[8]

5 feet 9 inches tall with black hair, brown eyes, dress size six 930A"-24"-33"0, she has worked on runways, fashion weeks and shoots in Japan, Paris, Milan, Barcelona, Poland, Germany, UAE, USA, Africa and the UK.[7]

Olumide appeared in Dazed & Confused, Dry, London Fashion Week Daily, Dansk, Tank, I.D., Grazia, Luire Magazine Japan, Harpers Bazaar, Hunger, Oyster, Papercut, New York, Bahrain Confidential, WAD Magazine,[8] Retro, InStyle, Fabulous, Italian Vogue and British Vogue.[10] She has worked with Zandra Rhodes, Myleen Klass, Gio Pomodoro, Caryn Franklin, NKWO, JJ Noki, and designers including Swarovski, Christopher Kane, Jil Sander, Adidas, Evisu, Kswiss, Henry Holland, Jacob Kimmie, Prada, Georgina Harding, Gucci, Jean Paul Gaultier, Tom Ford, Alexander Wang and Jacob Birge.[11] Olumide has modelled for Top Shop, Mulberry, Tommy Hilfiger, Ugg, Lee Jeans, Toms, The Body Shop, Alexander Wang, Vivienne Westwood, Bunmi Koko, New Look and Harris Tweed.[12][13] She is also as an ambassador for Fashion Targets, Adopt an Intern, FAD and worked with Climate Revolution.[14] In 2018 Olumide's released her debut book ‘How To Get Into Fashion’, focusing on exploitation in the industry and the impact of Fast Fashion.[15] She was selected to appear at the prestigious Edinburgh International Book Festival, with a sell out show at The Spark Theatre, interviewed by Elizabeth Payton at The New York Times.[16] As a prominent equal rights campaigner and activist she deliver a speech at the Houses of Commons and worked with union Equity to produce policy and etiquette to protect models in the work place.[17][18] This led to regular appearances on Good Morning Britain hosted by Pierce Morgan.

Olumide's mother encouraged her to pursue design work. Olumide came up with a Scots-African collection, bought the material, made the clothes and returned to Scotland with a collection named after her mother.[9] Her debut spring summer collection was inspired by her Afro-Scottish background and ancestry, a balance of European/British style tailoring and traditionally African fabric and patterns.[3][19] In 2016 she collaborated with Puma, Top Shop and Evisu on selected pieces, and produced an accessories collection in 2017 consisting of spring summer and autumn winter sunglasses for men and women.[20] In 2018 some of this went to the National Museum of Scotland archive.[21]

Olumide produced an On-Schedule show for the British Fashion Council for London Fashion Week.[22] NGRGFW included question and answer sessions featuring Dennis Calpone, Afuah Hirsch, Emma Dabiri and Nish Kumar as well as a fashion show, commissioned by Lambeth Council at Lambeth Town Hall.[23] A Olumide used the event to draw attention to the plight of the Windrush Generation illegally deported from the United Kingdom in 2018 after a mistake by the then Primeminster Theresa May and Amber Rudd.[24]

Olumide is also a DJ and has worked with Dynamo, Grace Jones, Damian Marley and Nas. She has played at venues across Europe and the United States including The Apollo, Lovebox Festival, The Great Escapes Festival, The Groucho Club, Soho House, Glastonbury and Websterhall NYC with Matt Sorum.

Olumide performed with Skepta, Wiley and joined Roots Manuva's Banana Clan. Between April and June, she toured the United States with The Roots and Mos Def in Orlando, Miami, New York, Philadelphia and Atlanta, and at the Bonnaroo Music Festival, a four-day event in Tennessee in June. She also supported Police Academy's Michael Winslow in the U.S. and UK.[25]

In 2018, Olumide joined 26 other celebrities at Metropolis Studios and performed an original Christmas song called Rock With Rudolph. The song was recorded in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital and was released digitally on independent record label Saga Entertainment on the 30th November 2018. The music video debuted exclusively with The Sun on 29 November 2018 and had its first TV showing on Good Morning Britain on 30 November 2018. The song peaked at number two on the iTunes pop chart.[26][27]

Olumide played the character Afsha in BAFTA Award winning Trouble Sleeping. In 2017 she took on the role of Rosie in After Louise which starred Greg Wise. Olumide appeared in a short, One Sweet Oblivios Antidote', with Lenny Henry'.[25] She also had minor parts in Star Wars Rogue One, The Last Jedi and Absolutely Fabulous.[25][28] In 2019 she landed a role in Noughts and Crosses alongside rapper Stormzy, produced by Shawn Corey Carter also known as Jay Z at Roc Nation USA.

Olumide produced and directed a show Metamorph through Open Art Surgery at the Traverse Theatre and foundedThe Official Youth on the Fringe at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, then went on to secure the lead role in The Chicken Trial at the Pleasance courtyard.[29][30] In 2017 she performed live at The Stand headlined by Stephen K Amos, Katherine Ryan, Trevor Noah and Dane Batiste.[31] Olumide also produced rap comedy battles with a host of comedy talent including Romesh Ranganathan.

Olumide has appeared on BBC, Channel 5, ITV and Sky television. She went on to report live at the BAFTA Awards,[32] and the Screen Nation Awards.[33] and at Cannes Film Festival. Olumide interviewed Usain Bolt at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and went on to present on BBC Radio Scotland's late night show Music Match.[34] In 2019 she presented The Sista Collective on BBC Radio 5 Live, interviewing Director Amma Asante and Singer Jamelia which in 2020 was nominated for the UK Arias Awards.[35] Olumide featured in several episodes of John Bishop's Britain and BBC Learning Zone.[36] She appears regularly on BBC Radio and BBC Radio Scotland Olumide produced an exclusive feature with Vice magazine's Andy Capper on his film Reincarnated starring Snoop Dogg (also known as Snoop Lion).[37] In 2014, she did a feature on Andy Murray's win at Wimbledon with Judy Murray. Olumide has also interviewed comedians Doc Brown and Stephen K Amos.

In 2018 she presented on BBC Scotland's Loop, and made several appearances on the Victoria Derbyshire Show, Secrets of The Royal Wardrobe and Question Time. Olumide was also a contributor on BBC One's "Scotland's Treasures". In 2019 she was selected by the Mobo Awards, to interview Adrian Lester and Josie Rourke at the premier of Mary Queen of Scots starring Saoirse Ronan.[38] She also participated as a panelist at the premier of The Hate You Give with George The Poet and featured on ITV's hit seris Lorraine.

Olumide runs several youth groups; in Glasgow at Hillhead High School, and in Edinburgh in Calder, Granton and another in Muirhouse called G-Code.[39] She also runs workshops for young people throughout the United Kingdom for all ages and abilities including confidence building, music, dance and graffiti.

She is an ambassador for Zero Waste Scotland,[40] dedicating much of her life to conservation and sutainability. Olumide is also an ambassador for Fashion Targets, joining the ranks of Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Sharon and Kelly Osbourne and Alan Carr.[41][42] She has helped fund raise for numerous charities including Children's Hospice Association Scotland,[2] The Well Foundation and Love Music Hate Racism.[8] Olumide is a patron for Best Beginnings, alongside the Duchess of Cambridge,[43] and for Adopt an Intern,[44] helping to get women who have had a career break back into work.

In 2015 Olumide founded her own art gallery representing artists including Richard Wilson and Nick Walker.[45] She has worked with the Victoria and Albert Museum both in Scotland and in London and curated a permanent exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland.[46] She also set up Olumide set up Enigmatic Production and Promotion, through the Prince's Business Youth Trust,.[8]

Olumide was nominated for the Model of the Year in the Scottish Fashion Awards, sponsored by Vogue in 2011, 2013, 2015. She won Model of the Year in 2018 at the SMA and BBE Awards. In 2017 she was featured alongside supermodels Stella Tennant, Winnie Harlow and Brenda Finn.[10][47] She appeared on the Front Cover of The Evening Standard with supermodel Adwoa Aboah. Olumide was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting, the arts, and charity.[48] In 2018 she was awarded the prestigious title of V & A Design Champion by the Victoria Albert Museum.[49] She went on to curate a variety of exhibitions at the V & A, Tate Modern and British Museum called Next Generation Regeneration, aimed at increasing sustainability with brand Uniqlo.[50][51][52]

• Black British
• British Nigerian

• Official website
• Eunice Olumide on IMDb
• eunice olumide. Fashions Finest. 6 June 2011
• Olowu, Yemi. Model Watch! All eyes on her – Eunice Olumide speaks on conquering Scotland. YNaija. 14 September 2011
• Interview: model and fashion designer Eunice Olumide. The Daily Buzz. 29 February 2012
• Young, Caroline. Meet the Model: Eunice Olumide. Herald Scotland. 28 March 2013