Edinyanga Uko & Itoro Okopide: Redefining cultural luxury one business at a time

Edinyanga Uko and Itoro Okopide are two sisters who give new meaning to “sister power”. Edinyanga is the founder of Travel Kulture and co-founder of Eami’s Place, a curated melting pot of cultur...

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Published 6 Dec 2025

By Tobi Awodipe

Giving new meaning to power: Founders of Ace & Breathe on the cover of Guardian Life Magazine

Edinyanga Uko and Itoro Okopide are two sisters who give new meaning to “sister power”. Edinyanga is the founder of Travel Kulture and co-founder of Eami’s Place, a curated melting pot of culture and luxury, alongside her sister, Itoro. With the debut of Ace and Breathe, they discuss how culture and luxury work hand-in-hand, how they collaborate without clashing, and why Ace and Breathe aim to become a game-changer for CEOs, high achievers, and decision makers.

You describe Eami’s Place as a melting pot of culture and luxury; how do you define cultural luxury, and why is it important for your brands to root luxury in heritage rather than in exclusivity alone?

(Itoro) Well, I didn’t describe it that way; our guests did. Cultural luxury, to me, is the meeting point of heritage, craftsmanship, and intentional living. Culture adds life to everything. I value heritage because it acts as a bridge between the past and the future. Shaping these stories is where true luxury lies.

Eami’s Place began as a rare-souvenir space and has evolved into a full cultural space; what inspired this shift from curated objects alone to offering curated cultural experiences?

(Itoro) The guests we pulled didn’t just want to buy pieces; they wanted the story behind them. That curiosity made the transition natural. We expanded from souvenirs to full cultural immersion because people wanted to experience what they were collecting.

Ace and Breathe is a recent concept from you. How are you looking to redefine rest for high-performing leaders with this?

(Edinyanga) With Ace and Breathe, we see rest as a whole-person reset: mind, body, emotions, and vision. It’s not about running away from your life; it’s about stepping aside for a moment to see it clearly. We design experiences where leaders can slow down, reflect, have honest conversations, listen to what their own hearts are saying, and then go back with clarity and strength, not just with nice photos.

For us, rest also includes community. A lot of high achievers feel alone in their responsibilities. At our retreats and gatherings, they meet peers who understand the weight they carry, but who are also committed to living well, not just working hard. If we can help leaders build a rhythm where rest is normal, protected and respected, not something they have to “earn” when they are already exhausted, then we’ve done what Ace and Breathe was created to do.

What is the inspiration behind Ace and Breathe, and who are you looking to cater to?

(Edinyanga) Ace and Breathe grew out of many conversations between myself and Dr Seleipiri Akobo who wrote about how leaders are carrying so much on the inside, even when everything looks fine on the outside. We realised that for many CEOs and decision-makers, “rest” has been reduced to quick escapes, a weekend away, or simply sleeping when the body finally crashes. We wanted to redefine it as something deeper and more intentional, and that is what we are doing with Ace and Breathe.

Some might say the luxury experience is saturated; how does Ace and Breathe plan to stand out?

(Edinyanga) Real luxury isn’t saturated, if you ask me. We stand out because this encounter is designed to make leaders feel renewed. My 10+ years of planning travel for clients and my personal retreat experience shape what Ace and Breathe offers.

Both your brands seem deeply invested in building cultural capital. How intentional is this, and what does building cultural capital look like day-to-day?

(Itoro) We are very intentional. We do the work. We research, travel, engage with local communities, and appreciate culture wherever we go. Most importantly, we return home and continue with the same commitment, offering the same to those who value and appreciate culture.

Can you share what your intimate, culturally immersive experiences entail and how they help clients form deeper emotional connections with themselves and culture as a whole?

(Edinyanga) Honestly, these experiences are better lived than described. But a hint: at Eami’s Place, it may be a Musk Tahara pulse-point scent grounding for a woman walking in; at Ace and Breathe, it may be a sound bath for a leader stepping into retreat. Ultimately, they’re better experienced than narrated.

Many brands borrow from culture; few preserve it. How do you ensure your products and experiences contribute to preservation rather than aesthetics alone?

(Itoro) Eami’s Place works directly with origin communities, artisans, and cultural custodians. That is why the need for cultural storytelling arose, and that is why we have experiences like the Quiet Curator Mornings, where we host select women to a cultural storytelling experience spotlighting a country’s souvenir and its history.

So far, I have covered several souvenirs at these women-led experiences — Thai Silk, Berber rugs, and raffia bags from Ikot-Ekpene, to name a few. Also, our curator one on one sessions take our guests through our archive collection (the first souvenir pieces at Eami’s Place) and their history. For us, preservation means culture benefits from being shared, not exploited.

As sisters running two rising brands, how do your strengths merge to shape a unified vision of cultural luxury?

(Itoro) We merge strategy and cultural sensitivity. Edinyanga’s strengths are in idea creation. She generates lots of ideas. She is the founder of Eami’s Place as a souvenir store; I expanded that vision and now have several experiences and products. Together, we’ve built a brand world grounded in purpose.

Storytelling is central to your work. How do you decide which stories deserve to be told and how objects become vessels for those stories?

(Edinyanga) At Eami’s Place, behind every souvenir, there is a story of craftsmanship, family traditions, and heritage. A piece must hold cultural depth as well as beauty. That’s what makes it worthy of being shared. For Ace and Breathe, Dr Akobo wrote an insightful, relatable personal story on burnout, which is the reality most leaders face and highlights the need for a community where leaders are seen and heard.

You describe your work as legacy-building. What does legacy mean to you, and how does your model ensure longevity of the traditions you showcase?

(Itoro) Legacy is continuity, ensuring culture outlives us. Our model reinvests in artisans, archives, and cultural education. And for our collectors, these souvenirs become heirlooms. For Ace and Breathe, legacy also means normalising rest in families led by visionaries: one person models it, and others follow.

What moments in your upbringing shaped your understanding of culture as something meaningful?

(Itoro) We grew up surrounded by paintings. Our father loved to acquire paintings and introduced us to music from around the world, and our home, thoughtfully designed by our mother, was a sanctuary that exuded calm, serenity, and heritage. This has shaped our mindset and the experiences we choose to indulge in. By the way, Eami’s Place has one of the best playlists, and our guests never fail to ask us for that. In addition, we also offer souvenir styling for homes.

How has the reception been? Are clients becoming more curious or more informed because of your work?

(Edinyanga) Absolutely. We are a year and three months old, and we offer one-on-one curator sessions to educate our guests about culture, the countries we source from, and the stories behind the souvenirs. We also offer intimate cultural experiences. So far, our guests appreciate the depth of hospitality at Eami’s Place. And with Ace and Breathe being relatively new, we look forward to introducing the concept of rest, well-being, and mental clarity to leaders at our private mixer in February 2026.

How do you navigate the ethical responsibilities of cultural curation — representation, authenticity, and respect for origin communities?

(Itoro) At Eami’s Place, we pride ourselves on being a sustainable souvenir store. All of our pieces are sourced ethically and directly from local artisans. We also invest in deep research and build genuine relationships with artisans, historians, and cultural custodians. Authenticity is a core value for us here, and that guides every decision.

How do you see your brands evolving in the next few years, and what role do you hope your brands will play?

(Edinyanga) We strongly believe the world is shifting towards slowness, intentionality, and cultural intelligence. We see culture becoming the new currency of luxury and rest becoming the strategy for growth and scale. With Eami’s Place and Ace and Breathe, we hope to lead that shift and expand our offerings in the coming years.

Guardian Life