IN THE SPOTLIGHT WITH DR CLAIRE OGAH
Dr. Claire Ogah is an unapologetically layered woman. Artist, academic, speaker, storyteller, and the visionary mind behind Overlay Couture. Living with a chronic illness, Claire moves through the world with what she beautifully describes as "soft armour", graceful, grounded, and quietly fierce.
A cultural custodian and creative disruptor, Claire's work is a love letter to heritage and a protest against invisibility. Her pieces don't just accessorise; they speak. They remember. They resist. Through vibrant textiles, symbolic illustrations, and powerful conversations, she offers wearable stories that centre Black and African voices with pride.
Her academic work and artistry live in constant conversation; Claire lectures on decolonisation, gender, and public health with the same passion she brings to her studio practice. Every creation pulses with a commitment to representation, healing, and truth-telling.
From her current herbal tea ritual obsession to her favourite bold earrings, which she calls "exclamation marks for the soul," Claire embodies joyful rebellion, leading with softness, not speed, demonstrating that ambition doesn't have to be loud to be mighty.
SO, CLAIRE, WHAT’S YOUR STORY?
I'm a woman of many layers—artist, speaker, academic, storyteller, bespoke jewellery maker and much more, and I'm a warrior in soft armour, haha.
I am the creative director of Overlaycouture. A company borne from a deep longing to merge artistic beauty with meaning, creativity with commentary. I live with a disability, a condition that constantly reminds me of life's unpredictability but also its resilience. My art, in many ways, is my answer to pain. It's my way of saying: we're still here, we're still radiant, and we deserve to be seen. Overlaycouture isn't just a business; it's a part of me. Every piece I create holds memory, culture, and hope.
YOU'VE BUILT AN EXTRAORDINARY CAREER AS AN ARTIST, ACADEMIC, AND SPEAKER. WHAT FIRST INSPIRED YOU TO FUSE YOUR CREATIVE WORK WITH CULTURAL AND SOCIAL COMMENTARY?
It began with a question: Why aren't our stories being told through beauty?
I've always been drawn to fabric as embodied by my mother and grandmother, not just how it drapes across the body, but how it speaks across generations. Growing up, I realised that fashion, much like art, carries a voice. It can tell stories of identity, migration, joy, pain, and resistance. Overlaycouture was born out of that realisation. It became my way of responding to the silences I encountered both in academic spaces and in everyday life, especially around the lived experiences of African and Black women. My creative work fuses beauty with truth. Every piece I make is both an offering and an archive, preserving ancestral memory while confronting social injustices I've studied, witnessed, and endured. It's not just about making art. It's about making meaning.
OVERLAY COUTURE ISN'T JUST WEARABLE ART—IT'S A FORM OF CULTURAL STORYTELLING. WHAT CONVERSATIONS DO YOU HOPE YOUR PIECES SPARK?
Indeed, it is a form of cultural storytelling; I want my pieces to spark conversations that go deeper than, "Where did you get that?" I want people to ask, what story is this telling? Whose history is in this print? Whose spirit dances in this fabric? My goal is for every bag, scarf, and illustration to act as a gentle but bold reminder of heritage, dignity, pride, and identity, especially for African and diasporic women who are so often erased from mainstream narratives. I want us to wear our stories like amour and poetry.
YOU TALK AT UNIVERSITIES ABOUT GENDER STUDIES, PUBLIC HEALTH, AND CULTURAL COMPETENCY, MARGINALISATION AND DECOLONISATION. HOW DO THESE THEMES SHOW UP IN YOUR ART, AND HOW DO THEY INFLUENCE THE WAY YOU DESIGN AND CREATE?
My art isn't created in isolation from my academic or lived experience. It's a reflection of it. These themes show up in everything I make because they reflect the real stories of real people, especially women of African descent whose lives are shaped by both visible and invisible structures. Whether painting, illustrating, or designing wearable art, I'm always thinking about how identity, power, and culture intersect.
For instance, I use traditional African textiles, patterns, and symbolism to centre voices and histories that colonial frameworks have often dismissed or erased. My illustrations often feature women in expressive poses, adorned in regalia that speak not just to beauty but to resistance, memory, and cultural pride. It's my way of challenging narrow representations and reclaiming space.
My background in public health also influences how I see the body in art, not just as something aesthetic but as something political. Whose bodies are visible? Whose pain is acknowledged? Whose joy is celebrated? These questions guide my creative choices.
Ultimately, I create to provoke thought, honour complexity, and offer cultural storytelling as a tool for healing, empowerment, and change.
HOW DO YOU HANDLE CRITICISM?
At first, if I am honest, it was difficult. All I thought was, how can you not get this? But I have learnt to handle it with openness, but also boundaries. Living with a chronic illness teaches you not to carry what's too heavy. I listen to criticism when it's thoughtful and about growth, not ego. I've had to learn that not every voice deserves a seat at your creative table. Some criticism helps refine you; some just distract you. I try to stay anchored in my purpose and let that be my compass.
YOU MANAGE A BUSY CAREER WHILE LIVING WITH A CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITION. HOW DO YOU BALANCE ENERGY, AMBITION, AND SELF-CARE WHEN YOU'RE IN SUCH HIGH DEMAND?
I've learned to respect my body as much as my dreams. There are days I feel invincible and days I feel like the wind could blow me over. I no longer chase the hustle culture. Instead, I practice graceful ambition. I build rest into my schedule. I celebrate slow days. I ask for help. I pace myself, not because I'm weak, but because I want to sustain this life and work for the long haul. Self-care isn't a luxury for me; it's survival. It's also how I honour my creativity.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE PODCAST RECOMMENDATION FOR OUR READERS?
This changes with every season, but at the moment, I am loving The Slow Down with Ada Limón. It's a daily poetry podcast that invites you to just pause and breathe. In this fast-paced world, it reminds me to take in beauty in small doses. It's like a pocket-sized moment of peace.
WHETHER IT'S FROM ACADEMIA, ART, OR ENTREPRENEURSHIP, WHAT'S ONE LESSON YOU'VE LEARNED THAT'S TRULY SHAPED HOW YOU SHOW UP IN THE WORLD TODAY?
I have learnt that my voice is enough. And no one can bring what I bring to the table. Not because I am better but because I am different. There were years I tried to shrink myself, to sound more "academic," or to tone down my culture to fit in. But what's shaped me most is learning to lead from my truth, not someone else's expectation. I always put it this way: be true, be you, for everyone else is taken.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW FOR SURE?
I have come to know that becoming as a woman artist is a process. I know beauty and pain often live in the same house. I recognise rest as sacred. Culture is powerful and should never be ignored. And that women, especially Black women, deserve softness and safety, not just strength. I know that storytelling can heal us and that representation isn't just about visibility but dignity.
WHAT'S ONE THING YOU'RE CURRENTLY OBSESSED WITH THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH BUSINESS?
Creating my own herbal tea blends! There's something so soothing about steeping leaves and making a ritual of slowing down. I'm also a bit obsessed with bold earrings; they feel like exclamation marks for the soul!
WHO IS YOUR ULTIMATE STYLE ICON?
It's hard to choose, but I've always loved the styles of Vivienne Westwood and Aris Apfel. Yet I am drawn to Dr. Maya Angelou. She carried herself with the grace of a queen and the wisdom of a thousand lives. Her fashion was regal, intentional, and layered, just like her poetry. She's proof that true style begins within.
FOR YOUNG CREATIVES, ESPECIALLY THOSE FROM UNDERREPRESENTED BACKGROUNDS, WHAT WORDS OF WISDOM WOULD YOU OFFER ABOUT OWNING THEIR VOICE AND BUILDING A CAREER WITH IMPACT?
Don't apologise for being multifaceted. You can be both soft and fierce, both academic and artistic, both African and global. Build your work from your truth, not the version you think people want to hear. And remember, slow growth is still growth. Find your people, protect your joy, and don't wait for permission to create. You're already enough.
WHICH MOTIVATIONAL SONG WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO ADD TO THE CEO RADIO PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY FOR YOU?
It would be the song "Brand New Me" by Alicia Keys. It reflects where I am right now creatively, and it reminds me that change is a constant and you won't always have people's permission to change, but it's something you have to do for yourself. Different seasons call for different versions of us, and it's okay to embrace that.
WHAT WOULD WE FIND ON YOUR VISION BOARD RIGHT NOW?
A global creative residency in Newyork, Ghana or Morocco, a photo of a Vogue feature titled "African Artists to Watch", a peaceful studio overlooking the water, a quote that says: "Build it quietly, but boldly." and a smiling woman dressed vibrantly holding a megaphone and a paintbrush because that's how I see myself: amplifying culture through art.
A QUOTE YOU LIVE BY?
"Your crown has been bought and paid for. Put it on your head and wear it." - Dr. Maya Angelou.
It reminds me that my worth isn't up for negotiation. I carry generations of strength; my only job is to honour that.
If you want to know more about Claire and her work, check out Overlay Couture, Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook.
