We were lucky to catch up with Emeka Ukaga recently and have shared our conversation below.

Emeka, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

Since I was young my parents always pushed two things on my siblings and me. First, was to strive to be excellent in anything we did. They were Nigerian immigrants to the US, and with that came a strong work ethic and a sense of duty that they sought to instill in my siblings and me. Whether it was homework or chores, learning to drive or sports, my parents pushed us to not only do our best but to continually challenge ourselves to get better. The second thing they sought to instill in us was a sense of individualism. While at times I often felt my Nigerian parents were quite strict compared to my friends’ and peers’ parents, from as far back as I can remember they always ensured we knew we had the final say in the decisions we wanted to make in our own lives. If I chose to switch sports, pursue a new creative art, or even while selecting which college to attend, my parents would always let their advice be known but allowed us the freedom to make our own life decisions. This, however, was paired with an understanding that we, and us alone, were responsible for the outcome of our lives. I believe that this has helped shape my worldview to this day and I know that my siblings and I have often found it increasingly easy to go against the grain, explore new ideas, and also remain accountable for our actions because, from a young age, we felt fully responsible for the outcome of our lives.

I remember back in kindergarten each parent used to come in once a month to volunteer and support the teachers. Since I was 2 I was OBSESSED with legos and I often sped through my homework assignments just to maximize the amount of time I would get afterward to play with my teacher Mrs. John’s lego sets. I have a distinct memory of each time my Mom would come in to volunteer with the class as my typical rushing through assignments was met with a warm but critical response. I would spend a few minutes rushing through writing out my ABCs and completing my basic math assignments before turning in my homework and settling down to play with legos. But each time my Mom would review my work, and if she found errors would circle them in red so “the teacher wouldn’t have to spend as much time correcting”. Eventually, I would feel guilty, stop playing with my legos, and would work to correct any mistakes I made. As the school year went on, I realized that if I spent a little more time making sure I got everything right the first time, I would be interrupted a lot less once I finished up and wanted to play with my legos. While this initially was happening only on the days my Mom was in class helping volunteer, eventually, I developed a sense of individual responsibility. I wanted to make sure I got the work done right. I wanted to make sure that it was accurate. I wanted to make sure that when my teacher graded it my work reflected me in a good light. This interesting lesson I picked up at 5 has followed me throughout my whole life and I continually remind myself of the importance of being excellent in all that I do while also remembering that the only person who is responsible for what I do and who I become at the end of the day is myself.

Emeka, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Emeka Ukaga and I am a Phoenix-based engineer, architect, and designer. I’ve worked as an architect and engineer for the past 9 years and have also run the fashion brand SENTI Designs since 2019.

SENTI is a Phoenix-based male fashion brand pairing West African design inspirations with modern silhouettes. SENTI borrows from, iterates on, and modernizes the rich West African design tradition while also highlighting it for a global market of consumers. SENTI is developing a unique modern West African style that is recognized the world over and which in turn influences design traditions in markets around the globe.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Whether for fashion, engineering, or architecture, I have found my best source of new clients has always been word of mouth. If you take care of your customers and over-deliver in providing value to them on a consistent basis, they will always be willing to talk about how great the work you do is and the best new client is one who has heard great things about you from someone they deeply trust.

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sentidesigns.com
• Instagram: @sentidesigns
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SentiDesigns/

Image Credits
Natalie H — Instagram: @nataliehcreative – Personal Photo Serkan Atrek — Instagram: @serkanatrekstudio – Brand Photos