Sheriff Showobi, Talent Manager (UK)

Sheriff Showobi shares what he gets up to outside the office, offering some nuggets of advice for anyone wanting to start a passion project.

1) What is your passion outside work?
I design and make sunglasses. Each pair is based on a vintage frame we’ve found on our travels or through collectors.

2) How long have you been doing it?
In 2015, all myself and my business partner knew was that we wanted to create. The path to sunnies was circuitous, but we got there in 2016 and launched our first collection last summer.

3) How do you balance it with life at AF?
There are two of us, which helps massively, as does an understanding that most evenings and weekends will be busy. Mostly though, it’s about being efficient, lots of coffee when that inevitably fails, and an acceptance of an estranged relationship with one’s bed.

4) What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a passion project?
Act. Nothing happens through talk alone. You have to act to make things happen and sometimes the smallest actions have a massive impact. Also, have patience. You’re on no one’s timetable but your own, and what you create represents you. Take your time to make sure it’s right.

5) Wild card question: wayfarers or aviators?
Neither! I’m currently really into a shape called crown panto. It originated in Paris in the 1940s, and combines strong angles and sweeping curves perfectly. Watch this space for the Oscar Deen take on this classic.

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