- What She Told City People About Her 14yr Movie Career
Liz Da Silva is one of the very good actresses in the Yoruba movie industry. She is very versatile and has over the past 2 decades featured in so many movies. The fact that she is good at what she does has helped her get good roles. She is also a down to earth person. And there are no airs around her. She is natural. What you see is what you get. No pretences.
The big news is that this pretty actress has veered into the fashion business and she is leveraging on her brand. The name she has built for herself in the movie world has helped her fashion business. She calls herself a Tailor, instead of a fashion designer.
“I cut and sew myself”, she explains “I learnt how to sew from a local tailor. There is no need to pretend or form what you are not. I am quick to tell people I am a tailor and thank God many people have taken me for who I am. The demand for my tailoring services has been huge.
I thank God for that”.
“Many people don’t know that I learnt tailoring during my secondary school days. Its something I knew how to do well. And I had wanted to do it since. I started last year.”
“Its been working well for me. I never expected the turn out. So, I am like why have I not been doing this since. What has helped me is my name. Some people want to sew with me because its Liz Dasilva.”
“I have a strong brand. But there are those who feel that I will be expensive so they don’t want to come”.
How does she combine acting with tailoring? “Its about commitment,” she explains. “I am committed to acting. I believe in myself, I believe in my capabilities. Keep at it. Keep praying until you hit the bottom. I am not there yet. I am still growing. It is a mindset thing. In acting we are not really making money. But if you are committed to what you are doing, you will derive joy in it.”
“You will derive happiness from it. I am not doing it because of the monetary aspect I have a passion for it. You can either stay there or leave. But some of us have chosen to stay”.
People say one unique thing about Liz Da Silva. And that is she is down-to-earth. She is comfortable in her own skin. How did she achieve that? “I have always been myself. I don’t live fake life. I don’t copy. I do what pleases me. I am very simple. I am very easy going”.
What is her background like? Where was she born? Where did she grow up? “I was born here in Lagos, on the Island. I am a Lagos Island babe. Omo Eko ni mi. I am a Lagosian. I grew up in Obalende at No 33, Ajeniya, I am a confirmed Omo elewa, Lagosian.
I grew up at Obalende. I went to Girls Modern Academy for my primary school. And for my secondary school, I went to Ireti Grammar School and then to LASU (Anthony Campus) to study Marketing”.
At what point did she decide to go into acting? “I have been doing acting before I got into school. In secondary school, I took active part in cultural activities. So, I developed the interest from there. I came into the industry through a friend”.
How come Liz Da Silva has stayed on in a business where she is not making money? “Its by doing it well. If you do it well, you will make the money. If you are not doing it well, you won’t make your money. Do whatever you want to do right. Use the right Cast and Crew. If you do it right, money will come. I have some projects that I am working on that will come out towards the end of this year”.
How come Liz loves to wear a natural look? Atimes, she goes out without making up or painting her nails. “Well, there are times, I like to dress down and before. I am an artiste, a creative artiste, this is me. Like today, I am not going for an award. I am not going to a party. It’s a weekday. This is me any day, any time. I don’t need to change my look. I can, if I want to or if I need to.”
“I always like to carry my natural look”.
For how many years has Liz been acting? “I started in 2004 and I have enjoyed every bit of it, all the way, with its ups and down.” How come she called her fashion business Tekovi D Tailor? “That is my native name. Tekovi. I believe I should use my name”.
Why does she like calling herself a Tailor and not a fashion designer? “I am a Tailor. So why call myself something else? I am not only a tailor, I learnt how to sew. I am not just a designer. I learnt tailoring the local way. I can cut. I can sew. I can do anything”.
What is new with Liz Da Silva? “I have started work on my yearly Ankara show. This year I am calling it Ankara Chain. Its all about celebrating the fabric called Ankara. This year I plan to empower some youths. On that day we would have like 5 of them to make different Ankara fabrics. I will be giving out some sewing machines to empower them.”
-Seye Kehinde
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