Why Should Every Life Moment Require Travel?

There was a time when finding the right outfit meant preparing for a journey.

When my parents moved to Ogijo in 2016, fashion was probably the least of our immediate concerns. We were settling into a new environment, building a home, and adjusting to a different pace of life.

But my mother had impeccable taste in clothing.

She loved pieces that were elegant, affordable, different, and just unique enough to stand out.

Every year, she bought our Christmas clothes in October.

At the time, I thought it was simply good planning.

Years later, I realized there was a strategy behind it.

By October, many stores were clearing older collections to make room for new arrivals. My mother knew that some of the most beautiful pieces could still be found among those collections. They were no longer considered "in season," but they were elegant, distinctive, and perfect for Christmas.

There was just one problem.

Shopping meant traveling from Ogijo to Eko.

And that journey wasn't a quick one.

A shopping trip required waking up at 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning and returning home around 7:00 in the evening.

The round trip could easily take six hours or more.

Looking back, I realize that I accepted those journeys as normal because they were all I knew.

As I grew older, I began shopping outside Ogijo myself.

And whenever I wore those pieces, I received compliments.

But I also noticed something else.

The women who shaped me often had only two choices.

They could wear Ankara.

Or they could spend significantly more on ready-to-wear pieces.

There didn't seem to be much in between.

Yet these women needed clothing for real life.

They needed elegant outfits for church.

Beautiful dresses for family celebrations.

Simple but polished pieces for a date.

Comfortable looks for brunch.

And every one of those moments seemed to come with the same hidden cost: