Ifeanyi Kalu is a Lagos born actor, fashion designer and founder of the ‘Ifeanyi Kalu’ fashion brand.
Born on 13 February 1988 at Havannah Hospital in Surulere, Lagos State, Nigeria to Mr. and Mrs. Emmanuel Gilbert Kalu, Ifeanyi is an indigene of the Nwangele Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria. Having grown up in the popular town of Festac in Lagos, Ifeanyi attended primary and secondary school in the suburbs. Upon the completion of his secondary education, he went on to study Computer Science at Lagos State University. Desiring to utilize his creative abilities, Ifeanyi chose to follow his passion for acting, a pursuit that led him to run an acting program at Emem Isong’s Royal Art Academy. Ifeanyi got his big break in 2012 when he was featured in his first major movie, Uduak Isong Oguamanam’s “Kokomma.” Ifeanyi has since been featured in well over a hundred movies, bagging numerous awards and multiple nominations. The same Royal Art Academy whose acting program he ran at the inception of his acting career honored Ifeanyi with an award of excellence in recognition of his “notable strides and milestones achieved as a professional in the Nollywood industry.”
Ifeanyi’s heart and passion for fashion is clearly marked by having watched his mom make dresses with her sewing machine while growing up. Ifeanyi was so interested in the creative process of making wears that even as the only boy, he would readily offer fashion advice to his sisters who as he reckons, “totally appreciated it.”To excellently master the process of creating beautiful garments, Ifeanyi attached himself to a small road-side fashion house for a period of one year, learning all the basics of sewing. For Ifeanyi, this became the stepping stone into his fashion career, which in 2012 led him to enrol in the Zaris Fashion and Style Academy in Ikeja, Lagos where he studied Fashion Design. At the Zaris Fashion and Style Academy, Ifeanyi graduated as the “most promising student” and went on to be named in the institution’s hall of fame for “outstanding contribution and support to the academy.” To continue his pursuit of mastering fashion, Ifeanyi further interned with Mon Ami at Mon Ami Fashion House, taking on the role of a pattern drafter and designer. Excellent in his service, Ifeanyi’s skills earned him the right to also teach students at the fashion house. In 2019, Ifeanyi Kalu launched his ready- to-wear line to cater to the needs of what he underscores as the “The Fashionista”: the stylish, young-at-heart woman who wants to look chic, simple and classy. Away from movie sets and sketch pads, Ifeanyi loves playing with his dogs and singing his heart away
