Most people would have turned around and gone home. After all, going to the club three nights a week just to have a roof over your head isn't exactly the glamorous side of the fashion industry that gets posted on Instagram. But Halimotu Shokunbi isn't like most people.

The co-founder of 268 Studios has carved out a space where modeling, photography, creative direction, and production intersect— not as separate pursuits, but as complementary expressions of a singular vision rooted in authenticity and community. From sleeping on bunk beds in New York to buying a house in Nigeria, from viral controversies to award-winning short films, Shokunbi's journey reads like a masterclass in turning obstacles into opportunities. Her story isn't just about creative success; it's about the power of genuine connections, the courage to bet on yourself, and the importance of staying true to your roots while reaching for something bigger. In this candid conversation, Shokunbi opens up about the three identities that shape her worldview, the sacrifices that fueled her rise, and why she believes the best legacy isn't just what you create— it's who you inspire along the way.

Deeds: You’ve been called a “multi-hyphenate creative force”— model, designer, photographer, producer. When people ask what you do, how do you introduce yourself?

Halimotu Shokunbi: It depends on who I’m talking to, I’m not gonna lie. If I’m talking to somebody that’s a photographer, I’ll say I’m a photographer just so I can ask them questions. If I’m talking to somebody who’s a model, I really don’t say I’m a model because I feel like it’s a little vain to just be talking about how we’re all over billboards and stuff. But it just depends on who I’m talking to. Mostly I just introduce myself as a creative. I’m just an all-around creative. I kind of do anything and everything. And then if they ask me questions, I go deep into it.

Deeds: How do you manage to excel across so many disciplines without losing focus?

Halimotu Shokunbi: It’s cool because all my creative focuses are in the same realms— photo, modeling, video, creative directing. All these things fall in the same category. And also just my community, for real. There’s no way I can lose focus when everybody around me is doing some crazy-ass sh*t, and all of the things that we do kind of intertwine with each other. Can’t lose focus, man. I can’t.

Deeds: Looking back at that moment when you packed a single backpack and flew to New York for a Pat McGrath casting during the COVID 19 period, what gave you the courage to make that leap?

Halimotu Shokunbi: My mother gave me the courage to make that leap. I had a bad experience in modeling in 2018 when I first came to New York. I had a manager who made me think I wasn't capable of making it. So I moved back home. Then I saw this casting for Pat McGrath through Dionne Cochran. I told my mom, and she was like, "Just submit to the casting, you never know." I submitted and was asked to come in for a callback. I told the casting director that I was based in New York, but I was actually still in Texas, in the middle of my junior year at UNT, with a store I was running. I really only had the courage to submit because my mom always told me I could do this and to never let an opportunity pass me by. My mom gave me the last $500 in her account to get a ticket to go to that casting. I went, didn't end up getting that job, but I ended up posting some test shots my previous manager wasn't a fan of, and that got me signed. But because I only planned to be in New York for the week, I was stuck with a choice: "Go back to Texas and get my degree and come back? Or stay here, thug it out and see what happens?" I confided in my mom again, and she said, "I'd rather you stay there and fail, know this route isn't for you, than to sit here thinking 'what if I bet on myself one last time?'" And that's all the courage I needed, for real.

I stayed in New York with that backpack full of clothes for six months without going back home. I had to go to the club three nights a week to have a free place to stay for six months— every Monday, Thursday, and Friday. I couldn't miss a night because that would mean I had to pay my promoter $200. I didn't know what a net-90 was, so I had no money. I was wearing the same clothes over and over again, only eating on set or through a Neon coat. Man, I was just figuring out a whole bunch of sh*t.

Deeds: How did you manage that mentally?

Halimotu Shokunbi: I was just on autopilot. I don’t think I had any time to really sit down and think, “Oh damn, this is a lot.” It was more like, I don’t want to be here—how do I get out? And what do I need to do to make that happen? That was my mindset.

On top of that, my Mum and my brothers were a big help. I talked to my Mum five to seven times a day. I was praying my five daily prayers, going to the masjid every Friday. That helped me a lot. The year I came to New York, I didn’t have any friends. I changed my phone number. I deleted my Instagram. I was focused on making it in modeling, getting out of that situation, and helping my family back home.

Deeds: What would you tell that version of yourself today?

Halimotu Shokunbi: “Girl, you’re gonna be good.” I would tell my 2018 self who was sitting in a promoter’s apartment, getting ready to go to the club at 11 PM just to have a roof over her head: “You’re going to be fine. Keep going. Don’t change what you’re doing. Don’t look for friends. Keep it up.”

Deeds: You mentioned there should be “no egos involved” when collaborating. As a co-founder of 268 Studios, what’s your philosophy on fostering genuine collaboration?

Halimotu Shokunbi: I don’t have a set philosophy because that’s just how I’ve lived my whole life. Genuine connections— I’ve said this in every interview— My community has given me every opportunity I have now. All the jobs I’ve gotten, even our company for the most part, have been through connections, recommendations, and just being real people doing good work. Once you’re a real person and the work is there, it might take a little time, but it’ll work out.

So anybody we work with— no egos. At 268, we’re four women who do amazing work together.

Deeds: What gaps did you see in the creative community that you wanted to fill?

Halimotu Shokunbi: When I moved to New York, the community to me was P96, PJ. When I would go to his events, I would feel real community. That’s the kind of energy I felt back home in Texas. My friends and I— 20 of us chilling at the crib on Thanksgiving at my mama’s place— that's a real community. Not the hashtag version.

I’m talking about when I need my apartment packed, I know who to call. Or we’re just sitting in the crib eating, having game nights. We don’t need to dress up, put on a camera, go out to a club, or be at an event to call it community.

Deeds: Your “3 Identities” self-portrait series sounds deeply personal. What drew you to explore identity through your own lens?

Halimotu Shokunbi: I wanted to start shooting my own self-portraits mainly because it was cool. I was inspired by Gabriel Moses. He did a cover story with Louis Vuitton and Hommes magazine. And when I saw that, I thought, damn, shooting a self-portrait on the Mamiya is actually kind of cool.

The three identities I recognize myself with are being Black American, African, and a Muslim woman. I was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and I didn’t visit Nigeria or any part of Africa until 2022. I identified with being Black American. Growing up in Texas, I feel like if my name wasn’t Halima, people would probably think I was American more than African. But I’m African first—first-gen Nigerian, first-gen African here. My parents were both born in Ogun State.

Going to Nigeria in 2022, I was able to truly identify myself as Nigerian. It’s silly, but I felt like I was too American for the Nigerians and too African for the Americans. When I went home to Nigeria for the first time, I thought, damn, this is home. I’m really Nigerian for real. Whether I can speak the language or not, I’m Nigerian.

And then being Muslim, born and raised as a Muslim woman. My name is Halimat. My parents are deeply rooted in our religion. I am getting better in my faith, but I will be a Muslim to the day I die. Those are my big three identities.

Deeds: Reuniting with your father after 20 years and then buying a house in Nigeria— these seem like full-circle moments. How do these personal victories fuel your creative work?

Halimotu Shokunbi: I don’t know how I would say they fuel my creative work because, to be fair, I think I do a good job of separating my real life from my creative life. It definitely made me feel good, and I was happy to be there.

Being in Nigeria for the first time or seeing my dad after 20 years didn’t inspire me to make a documentary or photo series based on that. I like living in the moment. It inspired me to be closer to my family and go home more. Since my first trip in 2022, I’ve been back eight times. So it inspired me to return more often—less about creativity, more about real life, because creativity already consumes my life.

Deeds: After the Rema controversy, you said “the love has been louder than the hate.” You’ve also spoken about being a Black woman, Muslim woman, and African woman in fashion— all identities with odds stacked against you. How do you transform these challenges into strength?

Halimotu Shokunbi: Exactly how I handled the Rema thing. I think that was a good example of how I live my life. If people are making fun of me or saying things they don’t like, if I can make lemonade out of lemons, if I can make water from nothing, that’s what I’m going to do.

At that moment, as much as I knew what they were saying wasn’t true— y’all know I’m not ugly. I’m not tooting my own horn, but y’all knew I wasn’t ugly. They knew it had nothing to do with my looks. But reading those comments, I thought, okay, I can do a couple of things. I can get on TikTok right now, make a video cussing them out— cool, but that might live for a day or two.

Or I could do something where I’m speaking for people who’ve been through the same thing and also make the people talking about me eat their words. The best way was through that article. I was DMing and emailing every publication, so many writers I knew. I wanted someone to cover it so I wouldn’t have to keep talking about it and it gets lost. And at the end of the day, I wanted people to eat their sh*t. If y’all want to talk sh*t about me, let me at least get some PR out of it. Thank you Mankaprr and Rollingstone for seeing the value in my story and many other dark skin women. 

Deeds: You’ve been vocal about colourism and featurism in the industry. How do you balance being a voice for change while focusing on your own creative growth?

Halimotu Shokunbi: I’m good at doing what I can with what I have. I’m not here to be an activist. I’m an activist for myself and the things I care about when I care about them. But I’m not here to be the face of the colorism campaign or the dark-skinned women campaign.

When these things bother me and affect me or the people around me, I speak up. But I don’t make it my personality. I focus on my creativity and my work. If something pops up— like with colorism— I speak on it when it needs to be addressed.

Deeds: You’ve worked across Nigeria, New York, London, and Milan. How do those different creative environments inspire different aspects of your work?

Halimotu Shokunbi: They definitely do. Nigeria and Africa in general inspire me to create beautiful work. I relate it to a lot of Afrobeats music videos. No story, just beautiful things to look at— scenery, colour, hair, outfits. I just want to create beauty there.

In America, I feel more hustle. It’s like, I need to create something that’s going to take me out of the hood. In Europe and London, it’s more collaborative— a balance of creating beauty and telling a story while still striving for more. But in America, when you’re struggling, that’s when your best ideas and your drive show up.

Deeds: You’ve talked about wanting to leave a legacy. What does that look like for LIMA SS, 268 Studios, and the communities you’re building? What’s still on your vision board that we haven’t seen yet?

Halimotu Shokunbi: For 268, I want it to be the production house. The way people think of Netflix for movies, Amazon for shopping, YSL or Louis Vuitton for fashion— I want 268 to be that for production, film, and movies.

I want our life and the way we have moved in the creative space to inspire people. I want our blueprint—how we did what we did, even if it’s just making our own backdrops— to make people think, “I can do that too.” Our latest short film, written and directed by Catia Correia, was shot with less than $500 and in collaboration with a creative community in Ghana called Small crowd. And we’ve already won 3 awards for it! I want people to be inspired by what we do because they know it’s possible. Not only that, but to show people, we can ALL win. It’s enough money in the world for us all to shine together.

For my personal brand, I live day by day. I just want to leave a legacy, whether in film, fashion, modeling, philanthropy, or writing. When I pass, I want people to say, “Damn, Halima lived the life she wanted to live. She created and touched as many people as she wanted to touch.” That’s the legacy I want.

There's something refreshing about talking to someone who genuinely doesn't care about being put in a category. Halimotu Shokunbi will introduce herself differently depending on who's asking, work across multiple continents without losing her Texas roots, and turn online hate into magazine features. She's not even trying to be inspirational— she's just living her life out loud.

Looking back at everything she's shared, from those brutal six months of club-hopping to survive, to buying a house in Nigeria, to building 268 Studios into what it is today— one thing becomes clear: Halimotu has never tried to be anyone other than herself. And maybe that's the real lesson here. In a world full of people trying to fit into boxes that were never meant for them, Halimotu just kept being Halimotu, and with perseverance the success followed. That's exactly what makes her story worth telling.

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