Ottawa Kwami & Cherif Douamba | Image courtesy of Nest Model Management
Stepping off the runway and into the director’s chair, Ottawa Kwami and Cherif Douamba are proving their skills behind the camera. Known for working with brands like Louis Vuitton, Balmain, and Calvin Klein, the Top 50 models are now shifting the conversation towards a cause close to their homes, redefining Africa’s portrayal through their cinematic lens. As co-founders of the creative collection SIOH, the two have been dedicated to fostering community and dismantling stigmas while shooting in their home countries of Ivory Coast and Ghana. With the debut of their films One Day and Kubolor (which means vagabond in Ga), created in collaboration with Kloss Films and Hale Zero, Kwami and Douamba are not just making films, they are transforming their firsthand experiences into motivational moving images. Rich with themes of hope, religion, culture, colonization, and nonconformity, with subjects that the directors relate to, the filming process has been therapeutic for the both of them. Available for viewing across the film festival circuit this summer, Models.com spoke to Douamba and Kwami, fresh off men’s fashion week about how they met, learning from creative legends like Paolo Roversi, and the standout highlights of their careers.
What does Sioh (creative collective) stand for, and how does it connect back to your two respective West African perspectives?
Ottawa:
SIOH is more of a movement and a community for creativity and awareness. It’s about building a bridge between young African creatives and the rest of the world. It’s like a crossover featuring fashion, film, art, sculpture, and more. We want to create an atmosphere where young people from our backgrounds can feel inspired. If they can’t grasp one opportunity, they can grasp another. Anything they want, they can achieve. We also want to break the typical perception that Africa is impoverished. Through our films and images, we are focusing on the beauty that is often overlooked.
Cherif:
It’s also an empowerment platform for people with the same story as us like being born in Africa or being interested in film or fashion, as it connects the bridge between them.
Both short films, One Day and Kubolor, revolve around turning dreams into reality. Coming from Ivory Coast and Ghana, where both films were shot, and given your backgrounds, was it therapeutic at all for you to direct these films, and how so?
Cherif:
Definitely, especially One Day, which we filmed on the Ivory Coast last August —it was like therapy for us. It allowed us to let go. It’s hard to put into words the things you’ve been through or how you’re feeling, so we made it visual. We wanted people to understand our experiences and where we come from. One Day was a culmination of our experiences, reflecting how religion, tradition, and perceptions of the world and the fashion industry influenced us. It was a way to reassure our inner child that everything we’ve been through was worth it.
Ottawa:
If you know us, you know we hardly speak. People think we don’t even talk. So, to us, these two films were a way for us to express ourselves or open up to the world about ourselves and tell people what we are feeling and how we feel. It was 100% super therapeutic for us and life-changing.
Ottawa Kwami | Image courtesy of Nest Model Management
Cherif, I read that you were scouted after receiving your business law and management degree and then made your modeling debut at Zegna. Now, you’re a Top 50 model. Looking back at your career, what have been some memorable highlights?
Looking back, I realize that my career has been full of surprises. I never thought I would become a model, so being scouted was a drastic change. One highlight has been working with people I admired as a kid. Working with Pharrell at LV was major because everyone listened to Pharrell when we were kids. I remember seeing my sister dancing to his music on TV, and then having the opportunity to work with him and be part of his collections at LV was a big moment for me. Additionally, working with Sarah Burton at McQueen from the beginning of my career until she left McQueen means a lot to me.
Ottawa, I read that you studied computer programming before making your debut at Louis Vuitton. You’re also a Top 50 model. Reflecting on your career, what have been your highlights?
Ottawa:
I’ll always remember my first time in Paris and the opportunity to attend a Louis Vuitton casting. Fortunately, that was also Virgil Abloh’s first season as the creative director of Louis Vuitton. Being in that position, seeing someone who looked like me starting their journey, and being part of that journey myself was indescribable. Debuting as a semi-exclusive was surreal. I had a Jil Sander lookbook set to release at the time, but we couldn’t publish it if I did the semi-exclusive for Louis Vuitton. The team at Jil Sander, especially Luke and Lucy, were very understanding and supportive. They agreed to delay the release by a few days so I could do the show first. That small change played a huge role in my life and career. Working with Paolo Roversi and Ib Kamara, having a Louis Vuitton statue of me in Brooklyn Bridge Park, even before I got the chance to come to New York, was mind-blowing. It’s amazing how quickly life can change from Ghana to here. We had no idea where this journey would take us; we just had hope, prayers, and belief in ourselves. God has been good, and everything happens for a reason. Once you grasp your purpose and what you really want, the rest will follow.
How did the two of you meet? Can you walk me through your relationship?
Cherif:
We met in Ghana because we were at the same model agency, and that’s how we became friends. Ottawa was returning from his first season, and then I was just in Ghana practicing my English, and he came into the agency.
Ottawa:
We immediately just connected. I think we just probably just saw each other and started laughing.
Cherif:
Since then, we’ve been traveling together. During Fashion Week, we always stay at the same hotel, and we go to castings together.
Were you both interested in directing? And how does a creative role like directing intertwine with your modeling career? Do your fashion perspectives aid in the production process?
Cherif:
It started with photography, as that was the primary focus. Initially, SIOH was just a job as a photographer. Then, we shot our first big project in Ghana, a campaign for Arket. We felt much more comfortable from there, especially when shooting at home. With photography, we can create a narrative that resonates with our roots. So, every time we visit our family in December, we try to create stories. Eventually, we asked ourselves why not turn those pictures into a moving image, which led to making a film. Being a model helped me become a director because it gave me the opportunity to work with amazing photographers and directors. We are very curious, ask a lot of questions on set, and try to apply what we learn to create our own techniques. Being a model is like an open gate to the world; it serves as a vessel. You might start modeling without thinking about it, but then you learn to love it and grow into who you are now. You meet so many people who not only work in the fashion industry but might also work in film, architecture, or law, and they all connect to the fashion world. Modeling opened the gate for us to discover who we want to be and helped us realize that we can achieve anything if we really want it. Without modeling, we wouldn’t be here having this conversation.
Ottawa:
The interest came from feeling like we had accomplished a lot in the modeling industry and wanting to share and add to this world we’re now part of. Coming from Africa and starting as models, we’ve been doing this for a few years and felt an urge to share something meaningful. We love photography, but visualizing and telling a story through film feels different. Modeling played a huge role because we got to be on set with so many talented people and see the technical process—the set design, creative direction, and production. Everything we’ve done has been self-taught since we didn’t go to film school. The industry has been our teacher, and we’ve been students this whole time, constantly learning.
What was the process of collaborating with Kloss Films and Hale Zero to bring these to life?
Ottawa:
To be honest, Kloss is a huge mentor for us. One thing we realized is that filming the footage is just the first step. Post-production can take another two or three months and determines whether your film catches people’s attention. It can completely change the narrative you’re trying to portray. Having a group of people who understand what you want to produce and communicate is really important. That’s where Kloss and Hale Zero came in. We met with them a few months before our first screening and exchanged ideas. Looking at the film now, we are so grateful to have them on board, to collaborate with them, and to be in the same space, asking questions and learning from them.
Cherif:
Kloss is a really nice person. When we finished filming, we had all the footage on a hard drive but didn’t know how to turn it into a film. So, we set up a meeting with Kloss and asked for his help, and he agreed. We had several meetings with him and his team, and they were very understanding. Kloss always tried to understand our vision and kept asking, “What’s the message?” We also brought in our friends at Hale Zero, making it a true family affair.
Religion, colonization, culture, and non-conformity were prominent themes in each film. Could you explain why you focused on these themes and your connections to the main characters Isaac, Acer, and Yhaw?
Ottawa:
Religion and tradition were huge themes because, to us, we felt like religion was chains on our hands. Coming from a country where there is little to nothing to believe in, people hold on so firmly to religion. To Ghanaians, the majority of that is Christianity, and they hold on so dear to it to the point where people can’t be themselves. I’m not against religion, but it can limit how far we can move as a country or as a people, especially with Africans, because colonialism brought in modern-day religion. So, it works hand in hand. Police will literally stop people because of how they look. Even in Ghana right now, they’re working on passing an anti-LGBTQIA+ bill, and this mindset is closely tied to religious beliefs and is hindering progress. As humans, everybody has the right to freedom and be who they are.
Cherif:
It’s something that’s also been killing a lot of people’s dreams because there are so many people that have the talent and they have so much to offer, but because of religion/traditions they give up on those dreams. For example, I grew up in a Muslim family, and when I got scouted, I got some members of my family saying, “No, modeling or fashion, that’s against the religion. No one does that; it’s not normal.” And I told them that there are models that wear hijab, and then there are photoshoots where the model wears the clothes that you’re wearing to go to the mosque, but it didn’t matter. It’s a lot of stigma. We are trying to showcase that you do not have to limit yourself just because of your religion; it doesn’t have to put you in a box. There has been a lot of brainwashing due to colonization, and we wanted to break free of that and show people that they can dream, be free, and express themselves.
What do you hope viewers take away from watching your directorial debuts?
Ottawa:
As this is our debut, we want people to get to know us in a more intimate way and appreciate and understand our stories. We want to build this community where we inspire those who look like us. If we come together as a collective and as Africans, what could we achieve? What stories can we tell?
Cherif Douamba | Image courtesy of Nest Model Management
