The Woodcutter, my thesis project, is my story of resilience told through fashion. Inspired by my experience of having to cut wood to survive when I was 13 years old, my collection transforms manual labor into a symbol of self-invention and quiet strength. Rooted in the Zen Buddhist adage “Chop wood, carry water,” which argues that enlightenment comes from daily labor, the collection reflects the discipline, repetition, and craftsmanship I’ve relied on to overcome adversity. 

I reimagine industrial textiles, workwear elements, and wood-based fibers through a futurist, avant-garde lens. Drawing on Nigerian scarification practices and militaristic visual codes, the fashion pieces honor both ancestral resilience and my own evolution. The Woodcutter lives in the space between solitude and connection; it was made for those who have had to fight to be seen and who wear their story with pride.