Nonso Ezekwueche, a fashion and lifestyle Influencer shares with Allure Vanguard  some insights about what he does and how to get into the field.

Nonso Ezekwueche

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Chukwunonso (Nonso) Ezekwueche aka Dr. Nonsky. I am from Anambra state and currently residing permanently in Toronto, Canada. I graduated from the prestigious University of Benin, Edo state (UNIBEN) as a Doctor of Pharmacy degree (PharmD) holder. I moved to Canada in 2017 where I am currently pursuing my passion as a men’s fashion and lifestyle influencer/content creator. My major platform is Instagram (@_nonsky)
I have had the privilege of working with several brands both locally here in Canada and internationally to increase brand awareness, brand recognition, and brand loyalty. This is achieved by creating visually appealing and highly resonating content in the form of pictures and videos showcasing brands’ merchandise.
My tagline is “showing men how to dress without breaking the bank’

I would love to make an impact in the men’s fashion industry and to teach men that they don’t necessarily need big name labels to look fabulous. I am super grateful for this opportunity.

Nonso Ezekwueche

How long have you been on Instagram and what made you choose to go into the fashion niche?

For six years and some change. I have always had a flair for fashion as a little boy and I am just expressing myself how I know best.
After I moved to Canada, I noticed that the mens’ fashion culture is not as remarkable as that in Europe or America so I decided to start a crusade that shows men how to use tiny bits and pieces of what they already have in their closet to create a fabulous look without running into debt.

What are your 3 favorite tools for creating good contents for your audience?

My imagination, my camera and my editing apps.

First of all I imagine what would look good on me, I then select a banging outfit combination to work with and come up with pictures poses, locations etc. I like to see my posts from the eyes of my audience and this helps my judgment. I hire a photographer to shoot me and I tweak the pictures a little in Adobe lightroom. The goal here is to as much as possible create visually appealing contents that would resonate with my audience because as they say, content is king.

How do you approach brands for collaborations?

I would search for the brand’s PR email address and pitch them using my pitch email template and media kit. On the flip side, brands also reach out to me for collaborations.

Nonso Ezekwueche

What are your favorite brands to collaborate with?

Fashionnovamen, Original Penguin, Daniel Wellington Huawei, World Remit to mention a few.

What advice would you give to Influencers that want to pitch brands but don’t know where to start?

I would advise them to take the first plunge and to not be scared.
There is bound to be lots of rejections at first for sure but staying consistent and creating good contents sets you apart from others.
Content is definitely king!
I would recommend scouting for brands on Instagram explore pages as well as top Influencers pages. This I do all the time.
You could also register on Influencers marketing platforms like Aspire IQ, Collabor8, Brandbassador, Glambassador. They pair you up with brands when there is a match.

Nonso Ezekwueche

What keeps you going when things get tough in your business?

Perseverance and commitment. Good work definitely does not go unnoticed There will be good and bad days. There are days I felt like throwing in the towel but when I remembered why I started in the first place and the number of people inspired by my posts, I sucked it up and moved forward. Also, this is something I have passion for so I am not perturbed when there is a downtime as it is only a matter of time before things pick up again.

What would you say is the #1 key to success in your business?

God and hard work. It has not been easy running around the whole city creating content to keep my page afloat. Hard work most certainly pays off.

Talk about your challenges as an Influencer?

Staying creative and relevant. There is lot of competition out there and I always strive to do better than my last project. Also, getting profitable paid sponsorship can be a bit of a hassle sometimes but things are definitely looking up.

What does a typical day in your week look like?

I am an early riser. I would wake up at 5am to pray and brainstorm on my next project. I would go shopping for new gears, take a couple of shots to complete my outstanding projects then come back to my office to make magic out of all I have created for the day. At other times, I am study for my license exams to practice as a pharmacist here in Canada.

What are your goals for your IG channel?

I would love to be recognized as a highly rated go to mens’ fashion/lifestyle Influencer making his mark in the industry and to be sponsored by brands worldwide. Ultimately, my long-term goal is to have my own fashion line.

What tips do you have for fashion Influencer that are aiming for a cohesive feed?

Take pictures with a professional DSLR camera and edit in Adobe Lightroom using a unique preset.
I plan my posts with a planner app such as Planoly to see how my feed would look before I post on my Instagram feed.