[Font=Lucida Sans itc] Lately, he has not been gracing many movie sets. An actor and entrepreneur, Jim Iyke, has for years, remained a constant figure in the Nigerian entertainment scene. Sometimes dubbed Nollywood’s bad boy, there is no denying the fact that he is a style icon. To him, style is simply looking good.
“Whether it is trending or not, it is important I go with the trend. I have a stylist. You always have to be on-point because someone is watching you. I like pulling the formal look,” he says.

A sunglass freak and footwear collector, he says he pays attention to his appearance and is also not crazy about brand labels. “I am not brand crazy. The designer labels cost a lot of money but there is a healthy competition; which is why I find the fashion market very interesting. I have been to factories that make goods for Gucci. These are people working on a smaller scale and these are the ones I hire to make my clothes and they give me what I want. However, I always buy what I know I would look good in.

“I have about 125 pairs of sunglasses. I think I own about 200 pairs of shoes and sneakers and it is not something to brag about. I like shoes and I collect them. I get shoes that are much branded and are limited edition. For, me it is not just about making a fashion statement anymore, it is art,” he explains.

Having evolved from that little boy born and bred in Libreville, Gabon, whose foray into Nollywood began in 2001, he has gone on to become one of Africa’s finest role interpreters. The 38-year-old actor speaks about some of the shifts his acting career has been experiencing lately:

“When you arrive at the pinnacle of a career pursuit where else do you go? I surmounted that apex long in my prime. I was the guy that made 38 films in a year! I had created the work-machine image and inevitably also made myself socially redundant. I couldn’t glean at the moment of my decision till late what else that world had for me. It was a vicious circle of constant, monotonous engagement.

“Nothing was challenging anymore. It (Nollywood) was too easy, too perpetual, having travelled same circles and faced same obstacles. I also earned same bracket, produced and invested in the same suffocating projects. The secret of the constantly progressive individual is the ability to discern when to shift focus and reinvent even if it’s temporarily. I took all I had, the vast contacts I had gathered, and moved into the world of business and facilitation,” he reveals.
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