Lifestyle Interview: Azah Awasum
For anyone that watches Big Brother on CBS, you may remember Azah Awasum from Season 23. Azah came in 3rd place and was part of the infamous alliance, "the cookout". The alliance consisted of the 6 Black members of the house, Azah and her cast mates Tiffany, Hannah, Xavier, Derek, and Kyland. The goal of this alliance was to have the show crown their first Black winner and they were indeed successful in this mission. Azah became a customer of D'IYANU back in 2020 so we sat down with her to talk all things fashion, lifestyle, and Big Brother.
When you first purchased from us in 2020, how did you first find out about us?
I love D’iyanu! My eyes came across D’iyanu when I was scrolling on Instagram. I saw a really cute guy wearing some gorgeous modern Africanwear and followed the page immediately! : D As I scrolled through the account, I was elated to find such gorgeous unique africanwear with a modern touch. I placed my order on a beautiful suit set and have been in love ever since.
How would you describe your fashion sense/style?
My style is what I call updated classic. I like clean lines and structured looks, but I love to break things up with and pops of color and worldly patterns. I tend to keep my accessories light but use my clothing as the statement piece!
Azah in our Cool Blue Adire Hana Dress
How do you incorporate your Cameroon heritage into your style and daily life?
My country has a lot of beautiful traditional patterns. One of the patterns is called atoghu. I use it in a lot of my daily looks, pairing items with atoghu scarves, crop tops, and dresses. I would say my Cameroon heritage is present all throughout my home. One of my favorite décor pieces are actually a prized possession of mine-a pair of spears from my tribe Mankon, handed down to me from my great grandfather.
What inspired you to start your YouTube channel and Tik Tok account recently?
I am a little bit of an old soul- I only started using Tiktok last year! After Big Brother, I wanted to utilize other forms of social media to leverage the platform I got catapulted into. I opened a YouTube channel to give my audience a peek in my life through vlogs. I’ve started to incorporate more of my passion for cooking on both platforms.
What trends are you seeing for Summer that you’re loving?
One trend I absolutely love are crochet knits! I picked up a beautiful knit crop top and bathing suit on my last visit to Ghana in April.
Which piece from our summer collection is your favorite and why?
I love the Hana African print stretch dress! The fabric is a blue resist style fabric that looks so similar to a resist style pattern in Cameroon called Ndop. It hugs my body perfectly and falls right in line with my style!
Azah is wearing an extra small in our Hana Dress
Do you have a style icon?
I am influenced by women in general. I love the bold choices Rihanna makes! Her no care attitude has given me the confidence to push the envelope every once in a while. However, I loved the way my grandmother would dress—very simple but extremely flattering to her body. She would keep dresses for years but they always looked wonderful on her. Her dressing is what has influenced me to not chase trends but choose timeless, classic pieces that never go out of style.
What motivated you to go on Big Brother initially?
I am what the Big Brother community calls a “superfan”. I’ve watched all the seasons and I watch the live feeds as well. I consider myself a social person and wanted to see how I would fare in the Big Brother house. I decided to send in an application and was elated to make it through the process and in the house out of 45,000 applicants! My experience is just another confirmation that you should always go for what you want! You can accomplish anything you set your mind to.
Did your background in pageants have an influence on your decision to compete on Big Brother? You're clearly a natural in front of the camera.
Thank you so much! Pageants have helped me in so many parts of my life! I wouldn’t say pageants influenced my decision, but they definitely helped me in Big Brother and so many parts of my life. How to carry yourself in front of others, how to think on the spot, how to speak eloquently in interviews, and how to stand out amongst competition -I’ve learned all of that through pageants.
Why was being in “the cookout” such an important thing for you and what does it mean to you?
Being in the Cookout meant so much to me. I love that America got to see so many different types of black people unite to accomplish a mission. The Cookout was able to show America that black people are not monolith and that there is diversity and variety in black culture. Being able to expose my proud Cameroon heritage through my clothing, food and style was a beautiful thing! People who had never heard of Cameroon now have desires to learn more about our beautiful country.
How does it feel to be a part of the Big Brother season that crowned their first Black winner?
Absolutely amazing! Having watched all the seasons, I have seen people who look like me bullied, ostracized, and attacked because of the color of their skin. To be able to do my part in paving the way for other little girls who look like me to go after their goals —even in the realm of a reality television game show is truly humbling!
Azah wears a size extra small in our Shanina Wrap Top
Thank you to Azah for taking the time to talk with us! You can find her on Instagram @wonderfulworldofaz
