We were lucky to catch up with Chanel Oji recently and have shared our conversation below.

Chanel , appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

The story behind my mission is simple: it’s to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ through a fashionable yet tangible lens. I created my faith and fashion blog in 2020 as an outlet to merge my faith and personal fashion, inspiring others to see that being Christian doesn’t mean you have to dress boring.

I would often have conversations with friends who wanted to know how they could dress modestly without sacrificing the uniqueness of their personal style. The common misconception is that to be a Christian, you have to wear unappealing clothes. I created my blog for my readers to explore the freedom in elevating one’s style while providing the biblical concepts and teachings behind modesty.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Chanel Oji. I’m a Nigerian-American creative, blogger, and designer originally from Houston, TX. However, I currently reside in the San Francisco Bay Area. Being an entrepreneur has always been a dream for me growing up. I’ve watched both of my parents achieve their entrepreneurial dreams in their respective fields, which has fueled me to follow in their footsteps. Although entrepreneurship has its challenges, it far outweighs them with its benefits.

I currently manage a faith and fashion blog and an online apparel brand, IMAKA, which will relaunch later this year. These two projects are dear to me because they are an extended reflection of me as a creative. I’m proud of my blog, chaneloji.com, because it allows me to vulnerably share the challenges and victories of being a Christian, in addition to sharing biblical views on fashion. I’m also proud to have my brand, IMAKA, because it’s the stylishly modern blend of my Nigerian and Southern roots through the expression of apparel, with a message to inspire customers to know that they are beautiful.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the positive feedback from my blog readers or customers, because it reassures me to keep going even when I’m unsure, scared, or nervous. I know that as long as I use my talents to glorify God, it won’t come back void. It’s such a rewarding feeling to know that what I’ve shared has touched or helped someone.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Being an entrepreneur, let alone a creative entrepreneur, as you can imagine, definitely has its ups and downs. For me, I’ve had to learn by trial and error. I faced financial challenges, confidence challenges like “Can I do this?”, burnout challenges, “Do I still want to do this?”, and every imaginable challenge in between.

In 2021, I experienced a major burnout with my brand, IMAKA. It became a bit overwhelming trying to manage a business by myself after a significant life-shifting move to California from Texas during the pandemic. I decided to take a much-needed break to attend to other affairs in my life and go back to the “drawing board,” in a sense. In hindsight, I’m grateful because that time has allowed me to rebrand and create concepts that I believe will best propel my brand moving forward.

The journey of entrepreneurship is not linear. However, throughout it all, I take great joy in the freedom of owning something that I can take pride in building from the ground up.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.chaneloji.com
• Instagram: @chanel_og And @imaka.shop