Dr. Sophia Omoro Talks Fashion and Design

Sophia Omoro MD, PhD, Otolaryngologist; Founder, Designer, CEO, odAOMO and Founder, Blooming Lily Foundation

Throughout Dr. Sophia Omoro’s childhood in Kenya, heads would turn when her family walked into church. That’s because her mother, a talented seamstress, kept the children impeccably dressed. Inheriting her mother’s style sense and her father’s faith in education as the road out of poverty, Omoro dreamed of becoming a doctor. She secured a scholarship to study in Canada, and subsequent education and training led to New Orleans, where she established a career as a head and neck surgeon.

Omoro maintained her flair for fashion, designing her own distinctive clothing and having it produced in Kenya. Trunk shows and appreciative audiences followed, and in 2014, she founded her brand, odAOMO.

It’s chaos, it’s loud. I call it coloring outside the lines,” said Omoro. The designer credits her lack of formal design training for a willingness to experiment with elements, silhouettes, and colors. She also appreciates New Orleans’ support for the “eclectic language of creativity… I love that for the brand because that’s what my culture is: no constraints.”

odAOMO designs reflect the spirit of the African continent, whether through subtle elements or more traditional pieces, in a way that Omoro believes is accessible to anyone. “Our goal is to bridge people,” she said. Nature plays a strong role in odAOMO’s custom fabrics, like the ANT:cestry line whose pattern incorporates tiny ants. Omoro designs apparel, jewelry, and accessories, working with creative director Quentin Alexander to bring visions to life and have all odAOMO items, including fabrics, manufactured by artisans in Kenya.

Today, odAOMO has three retail locations: the French Quarter, Nairobi, and Magazine Street (the newest), though Omoro aspires to a presence on every continent and traveling “experiential events.” The bicontinental professional practices “regimented time management” to balance the robust clinical load of a surgeon with the demands of odAOMO, including quarterly visits to Kenya to collaborate with team members. Omoro also founded the Blooming Lily Foundation to help girls and women find their “purpose path.”

“My biggest problem in life is that my dreams are so crazily huge,” said Omoro. “I would love my team members – I charge them with this all the time – to fulfill their [own] purpose… Because I am living mine.”

odaomo.com, @odaomo

 

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