With
the fashion week saga well and truly behind us, I managed to snatch ELLE’s
latest intern away from the glamorous offices a stone throw into the bustling
streets of the popular entertainment district, Soho.
We’ve
arranged to meet at a quiet bar, Zebrano. I wonder aimlessly about pre-ordering
drinks; however, the idea is pushed to the back of my head by the questions I’m
about to bombard her with. “Why are you even nervous” my subconscious mind
confronts me. It’s a few short minutes before Kenke joins me at the table, and
it’s instantly clear that no matter where she works or who she brushes
shoulders with, she’s one of the most humble people I’ve ever met! She has her
feet planted firmly on the ground.
Kenke
Danmole is a 23 year old, headstrong girl born and bred on the streets of
Hackney. Sipping away on our drinks, the ice is long broken, as she lets me in on
what her name means. “God looks after me” she says with a smile, “It’s
Nigerian. Kenkey is a staple dish from Ghana served with stew, so it’s a very
peculiar name. Even Nigerians will sometimes be perplexed with my name, but
it’s short for Olukenke and it does mean God looks after me.”
Kenke
laughs as she reminisces about her childhood. She remembers her mischievous
ways that set her apart from her older siblings. And recalls the time her
mother uprooted the whole family to Milton Keynes at the age of 15. Kenke spent
a few years in what she refers to as “keeping myself to myself,” which a few
people often mistook for arrogance. However, she stresses that wasn’t the case
at all.
From
an early age, Kenke has always dreamed big. At just 10 years old her “cylinders
with flicks at the bottom” were the envy of the aspiring fashion designer’s
friends. When it came to her future she had no qualms about finding her place
in the world; she has always had a clear vision of what she wants to get out of
life. Kenke is a firm believer in helping others. Whilst in Brunel University
she saw an opportunity and brought together a group of motivated volunteers to
create an active committee called Fashion Society. “There were so many people
that I spoke to in and around University that were interested in fashion, so I
created an environment where we could get together and develop things. We put
together photo-shoots, workshops and fashion shows. It was very homegrown,” she
laughs. “But it created such a buzz on campus we even raised money for AIDS
awareness week.”
It
has only been four months, and already Kenke has forged a reputation as a
go-getter and a force to be reckoned with in the offices at ELLE. She is not
your typical tea-fetching intern, nor does she file paperwork, she is part of a
team working tirelessly to give us a “fly-on-the-wall” insight, granting us
privileged access to the day-to-day workings of the fashion team, new-in
products to buy now and looks straight from the catwalk into their rails.
“It’s
crazy,” she says. “We have samples coming in, we have things going out. No one
has a specific role; everyone knits into one team to make everything flow
better. Everyone’s presence is crucial. If the cupboard is out of control, then
it will potentially have a domino effect on everything else, but I just love
being there and having so much responsibility this soon.”
Talk
soon changes to Kenke’s everyday life. With such a hectic new job I can’t help
but wonder what she gets up to outside of ELLE Magazine. My suspicions are
confirmed. “It’s really sad,” she says with a huge smile on her face. “I’m
coming to terms with the fact that I need to start living. So spending time
with my family and friends is something I really cherish right now.” It might
seem like it’s all “work and no play” for the average person, but for a
self-proclaimed extrovert like herself, ELLE surely is the perfect place to be
to feed her gregarious personality. The girl who kept to herself as a teenager
is dead and buried.
One
thing is for sure, God is an essential part of her life, and always has been.
Talking about the recent ELLE Style Awards, one of the most glamorous nights on
the calendar, she recalls bumping into the likes of Pharrell Williams and Rita
Ora. “I’m not a fanatic sort of person, I guess you can say that I am not fazed
by celebrities. I just can’t, nope! We are both human beings. I mean, I may
appreciate what you do, for example someone influential in some way, but I
can’t knowingly put myself below someone. God is above all.”
She
has stayed grounded through her strong Christian faith and humbly gives God all
the credit for what she has achieved so far. “Being a God-fearing woman is the
driving force behind who I am today. It’s constantly my attitude check, and one
of my main reasons behind making sure I think about others in a sticky
situation. It also contributes to me being self-assured and confident in any
environment, both professional and personal. God looks after me.”
This
rising star has even bigger plans for her bright future. In five years time she
hopes to own her own business as a Creative Consultant, just like the good old
days in Brunel. “I want to carry on what I’ve been doing from day one, helping
others around me and giving them the same platform to be creative outside of
school curriculum that a charity called Creative Access specialising in finding
internships in the creative industry for talented young people from
under-represented black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds did for me.”
With an attitude like that, there is no denying we will be seeing more of Kenke
in the near future.
Nearly
an hour has whizzed by, and Kenke looking down on her watch reminds me that her
lunch is over, and that she has to dash back to her “crazy world.”
Words by: Mpho Sishuta
