Eunice Olumide

Eunice Olumide MBE is a true trailblazer—a model in every sense of the word, an author and director with a passion for impactful storytelling, and an actress whose career spans industries and continents.

Recognised for her exceptional contributions to broadcasting, charity, and the arts, Eunice was honoured with an MBE in 2017, cementing her status as a global icon in fashion, culture, and creativity.

She started her career as a young model at the age of 15 after being scouted in Glasgow, UK.

But after some time in the industry, she was keen to further her knowledge and enrolled on the BA Media and Communications course at Glasgow Caledonian.

“We studied everything from marketing to philosophy to semiotics and discourse. Analysing everything that we use in what we call the media or the mass media.

“The course was absolutely phenomenal in terms of enriching you in your understanding of how the media developed and taking us right through to where we are today. I can say I loved it because not only did you have the academic work, but you also had some of the actual filmmaking work.”

Eunice was the first of her generation in her family to attend university, so beginning her studies at Glasgow Caledonian “felt like right a really big deal at the time.”

However, it quickly became apparent that it was, in fact, the right move for her, and she found herself using the expertise she learned on the course to help her navigate her way through the fashion industry.

“One of the most interesting and fascinating aspects if we think about marketing and advertising, which we learned a lot about in the course, and which I can say really changed my entire outlook on the industry as well as the types of brands that I work with, was understanding that in terms of being a fashion model, I was, in fact, the face of advertising.

“So, it was important to me to be very exclusive in the way that I operated. On the one hand, this was bad for business because it meant I couldn't have access to a lot of the top-paying jobs that were more commercial and lucrative.

“But on the other hand, in terms of me as a person and my core beliefs, I tended more to work with brands that had [those values] at their core as well. So, those that were concerned with looking after society, as well as fair trade and social, economic and environmental issues.”

Recognising the potential to broaden her career and creative impact, Eunice decided to embrace new opportunities and explore multiple disciplines.

“A lot of the people who inspired me, they were multifaceted. They were comedians, actors, filmmakers. So, in my head, I suppose I thought it was quite normal to try to be excellent at many things.

“I always say to young people when I'm mentoring them that it's better to do one thing and be excellent at that one thing than to try to do more than that.

“I don't feel like anything is dislocated or disjointed. It's kind of like I master one thing and then I want to continue growing.”

Eunice consciously weaves her values into everything she does, taking purposeful action to create a positive impact and champion activism through her work.

She’s worked on key projects like Next Generation Regeneration, which started in Scotland and culminated at the Tate Modern in London.

“This was focused on connecting us intergenerationally and ensuring that we have an understanding of those who came before us, not only their contribution to society, but just in terms of recognition of those who laid the foundation and the blueprint for us to follow today.

“My drive for the Common Good, as with Glasgow Caledonian University, is something that has become entrenched in all of the work that I do.

This commitment is reflected in her latest project – Secret Lives: The Untold Story of British Hip Hop.

The documentary is Eunice’s directional debut and spotlights the pioneers of the underground hip-hop scene in the United Kingdom.

“All too often we have to look, particularly in the Afro-Caribbean community, to the United States of America to essentially plug in the gaping holes in our history and archive.

“All the other documentaries I'd seen tended to focus on the commercial talent that is already well-known, whereas I was more interested in looking at those people who fundamentally changed the course of Black music in the UK.

“Since it's become more commercial, hip-hop music has been greatly focused on materialism, hyper-sexualisation and vanity. And as a consequence of that, I would argue that it's had a deep impact on not just Afro-Caribbean communities, but on all of our communities.

“So, this film is particularly important because it shows the audience where the music came from and why it's so important to understand the origins.”