Publisher’s Note
30 AFRICA’S LEADING FASHION & BEAUTY ELITES
The global fashion industry is currently estimated at $1.8 trillion, with Africa’s textile and clothing markets grossing a little over $36 billion. According to the AFDB report, Africa currently accounts for 1.9% of the global fashion industry. These poor statistics clearly elevate the question, “How does Africa take a key position in the global fashion industry?” Through the Cultural Fashion movement, opportunities abound for African fashion Elites to successfully compete in a global market for fashion.
The geometric increase in demand for African designs, styles, textiles, and garments is beyond the continent. Currently, in sub-Saharan Africa, the combined apparel and footwear market capacity is estimated at USD 31 billion. Fashion is a fundamental part of everyday life and a vital sector in the global economy. Today’s biggest textile-producing countries are China and India. However, “made in Africa” is gaining traction globally. We’ve seen many established brands moving their production from Asian to African countries due to low cost of labor; Ethiopia positioning itself as a leader in developing a textile industry in East Africa.
This issue sheds light on selected African Elites that are breaking boundaries in Africa’s global Fashion and Beauty Industry. Chita Zulu, Zambian Jeweller; Dapo Osaji, a veteran Nigerian fashion designer and founder of Effeci; Kenya’s Wendia Gichuru - founder of Vivo Activewear; Ghana’s Anna Cole, the founder of Pernia Couture; Nigeria’s Shoemaker, Claudia Oputa, founder of HFactory; Kenyan-Rwandan Jewellery Elite entrepreneur- Umutoni THuku-Benzinge of Kaleidoscope Beauty; and many more!
At Business Elites Africa, we are purposed to tell the stories of Africa’s Elites in every sector. We reinvent brands, entrepreneurs and business leaders. We are determined to elevate the continent of Africa. We’ll use the instrument of storytelling to accelerate entrepreneurs and transform business thinking.
Our core mission is to ensure that each edition of our esteemed publication delivers stories that matter. Africa cannot embark on full scale transformational changes desired for effecting growth in the continent without retooling. Hence, Business Elites Africa, your conduit for business analysis, executive briefs, company reports, and actionable articles.
Enjoy the read!
ETHELBERT NWANEGBO
Publisher/ Editor-in-Chief ethelbert.n@glimpse33.com
Disclaimer: The information on this magazine is for information purposes only. Business Elites Africa Magazine assumes no liability or responsibility for any inaccurate, delayed or incomplete information, nor for any actions taken in reliance thereon. All information can be withdrawn or changed without notice. Whilst every care has been taken in producing the information on this magazine, this does not guarantee the accuracy of the information. Business Elites Africa is not responsible for any opinion, expressed by its authors. Materials contained on this magazine are subject to copyright and other proprietary rights. No material on this magazine can be reproduced, adapted, distributed or stored in a retrievable system or transmission without a prior written consent from Business Elites Africa Magazine. © 2022 Business Elites Africa Magazine. All rights reserved.
Bimpe Onamoya : Tenacity, purpose, and becoming a shining light in the fashion industry 29
How Yomi Casual Earned His Right Of Place Among Nigeria’s Foremost Notable Fashion Brands 32
Tony Elumelu is Arguably Africa’s Most Stylish Business Leader 34
Amaka Osakwe’s Journey to Dressing Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, Others 40
How Zizi Cardow Revolutionalised African Fashion 41
Meet Ophelia Crossland, a Fashion Entrepreneur Making a Style Statement within and out of the shores of Africa 42
Meet Samata Pattinson, the Ghanaian Designer Dominating the Global Fashion Space 43
How Aisha Ayensu Grew Her Global Brand With No Initial Technical Skills 47
‘I’m Excited When I fail’ Chita Zulu , Zambian Jeweller 8 “I’m Used to Swimming Against the Tide” - Ejiro Amos Tafiri on Dumping Medicine for Fashion 12
Meet Anna Cole , the Ghanaian Designer Creating Must-have Assessories and Clothing 16
Umutoni : The Kenyan-Rwandan Beauty Entrepreneur with a Heart of Gold 18
How Ace Nigerian Fashion Designer Dapo Osaji Found Success 24
How Mai Atafo Dominated Nigeria’s Fashion Industry 28
NIGERIA : 5, Ogusiji Street, off Allen Avenue,Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria Tel: +234909 943 0429 +234916 473 4106
USA: 6620 Southpoint Drive S. Suite 511, Jacksonville, FL 32216 Tel: +904-240-7044
SOUTH AFRICA: 73 Booysens Road Conner Withycombe Street Johannesburg 2091, South Africa.
A Beauty Brand from a Bible Verse: Meet Ore Runsewe of Arami Essentials 52
Mimi Plange : The Ghanaian Designer Who Did Odd Jobs before Launching Her Clothing Line 53
Claudia Oputa , the Accidental Shoemaker Primed to “Capture the Heart of Africa” 58
Fikirte Addis is promoting Ethiopian cultural heritage through the fashion line Yefikir designs 62
‘I’m Excited When I fail’ – Chita Zulu, Zambian Jeweller
|| By Dimeji AkinloyeChita Mumba Zulu is an incredible Zambian entrepreneur. She was born in Zambia but grew up in Botswana where the family moved when she was six. She then moved to the UK after high school, for higher education. While in school, she had to work to support her family.
And in the spirit of the hustle, she turned to hair braiding, a self-taught skill that became a cash magnet for her until fate led her to what she would become widely known for.
Chita’s passion for events and the desire to give Zambian brides-to-be a perfect alternative to the expensive wedding / engagement rings available on the market spurred her to launch Eternal Jewellery, which provides genuine silver and gold engagement /wedding rings, and it was an instant hit in Zambia, and later in Botswana and Zimbabwe.
However, her backstory was a mixture of failures and struggles. Chita’s foray into the jewellery industry was the result of continuous research to find the right product, and her first products were silver plated rings that helped her discover a gap in the
market. She chronicles her thrilling journey in this interview with Business Elites Africa.
Considering that your Bachelor’s degree was in Theology and Town Planning for your Masters’, where did the interest in Jewellery come from?
The jewellery industry is connected because I have always been passionate about weddings and events. I tried different stuff, and in terms of weddings, I hosted a few events, like an exhibition. But that didn’t work out. So, I eventually stumbled upon the jewellery idea. Our jewellery is targeted mainly at people who are getting married.
How did you turn your passion for events into a business?
I will take you back to maybe when I was 18. I desired to start running my own company or making money for myself. That was when I just moved to the UK, and I started braiding hair. But during the time, I was still searching for the right business ideas because, in my head, I wanted to be self-sufficient financially. So, I kept weighing different ideas.
How did you narrow all the ideas down to Jewellery?
I could narrow it down because every idea I tried to execute failed. The Jewelry idea was maybe my sixth or seventh venture, and it took more than ten years for me to find what finally worked.
I would try an idea, fail, or sometimes it won’t build up to the exact growth I wanted, and then I would move on from that. But the one thing that I kept doing was hairdressing, and then, one day, in 2017, when I was travelling to Zambia for my cousin’s wedding, I stumbled upon this jewellery, and I thought I could buy some of it and sell them in Zambia.
This is where I’m going to start getting spiritual and religious! I believe there is that moment when you know it is God speaking to you about something. It’s beyond intuition. It felt right. So, I bought about 30 pieces from the UK and came with them to Zambia. It felt like the right thing to do, and I was 100% sure this was a good idea.
So how did you go from there?
I got to Zambia with the $50 worth of rings, and I realised that my friend ran a Facebook
page called ‘Brides of Zambia’, with about 200,000 followers at the time. I told her I needed to advertise the rings on her page, and as soon as I did that, calls started rolling in. I’d carry the rings in my handbag and deliver them to different malls in Lusaka. This friend is now my business partner, Mapesho Masonga, because I realised she would be very valuable in my journey.
I think I was in Zambia for about four weeks before returning to the UK, and I knew within myself that I couldn’t just let this idea go. I had found a gap in the market because people were looking for affordable rings. But I had to move on from that because those rings were made from copper and would eventually fade. I sold each for about 300 Zambian Kwacha, which is around 15 or 20 USD. So, I needed to reinforce this idea and create something people would trust and wear for a long period of time.
Zambians wanted cheaper jewellery, but at the same time, they would query its durability. So I found a source in the UK where I could get durable rings. But I didn’t want to over-exert myself financially, so I started a model where customers would pay a deposit upfront, which would be used to purchase the rings and send to them.
We also use Sterling Silver, which is also relatively affordable. It contains 97.5% pure silver. We’re just so close to having pure silver, but they’re not making it affordable. The metal we use for ladies’ rings is Sterling Silver.
After about three years of doing this, we were like, okay, now we can open ourselves up to occasion jewellery. If somebody wants to purchase something for a girlfriend or friend, wife or husband, we have necklaces and those that come with earrings. We have our own branded watches and in September 2022, we’ll be launching our men’s watch series. So that’s where we are now.
to decide what we would do next because things had really gotten bad.
We produce outside the country at the moment. We’ve moved to a place where we produce our own designs, and we have designs that are unique on the market that other people have never seen, and other stores don’t sell because of the relationship we’ve built with our manufacturers. Our long-term plan is to have a manufacturing company right here in Zambia.
We do sell to other African countries. We found that our neighbouring countries are quite interested in our products. We also get orders from people in the diaspora. They’ll just come to us and say, look, I want to buy something from you because I want to support local brands. We’ve had some American customers; we’ve had some customers in China, i.e. Africans in China.
And I think that’s one of the only times I felt like giving up. I didn’t understand; why was this not working out? But looking back, that was like a blessing in disguise. Tha was when we hired our first employee and got our first store.
Where I differentiate the price is the metals. We use Tungsten. It is quite affordable and the hardest metal in the world. It’s quite affordable, which allows us to sell our product at an affordable price to the average person.
Yes. There was one particular time, and that was what prompted us to move on to open our own store. Immediately after leaving Zambia for the UK, I left all the rings for sale at my aunt’s store on Cairo Road, Lusaka. After some time, we did not see eye to eye on a few things, which became a turning point. It was the point where we needed
The current challenges we are facing are competitors. These are not just competitors but people who see what we do and copy everything. They will even copy our social media posts word for word, and it’s quite frustrating because I feel like it’s an act that dilutes or tries to dilute our brand. That’s sheer piracy.
Do you now produce in Zambia or still purchase the rings from the UK?
How were you able to marry trying to get quality jewellery and make it affordable at the same time?
Do you manufacture only rings, or do you have other kinds of Jewellery pieces?
Do you only sell in Zambia or other African countries?
In your entrepreneur journey, were there times you felt like giving up?
What challenges do you face in your business as an African entrepreneur?
So, that’s one of the main challenges we face here in Zambia. People don’t want to think for themselves. They steal from brands that are doing really well. It is so bad that we have a particular business that copied the colour of our boxes and logo. Lack of originality is one of the things African businesses struggle with. That’s not to say that we cannot overcome it because, in business, what you do is what sets you apart.
And then, I would say capital is another challenge. There is a point where you’re scaling your business, and you need a huge injection of capital, and it’s very hard to find that.
How are you positioning your business to attract funding?
I’ve actually applied for a few funds that are obviously targeted at technology, but the feedback we’ve gotten is that even though you’re using technology to further some of the stuff you do, your operations are not full tech-based.
But we are making an effort to position ourselves as a tech-driven company. We’re working on a mobile app, and we are currently selling via our website and social media.
Let’s
We’ll start with the mentality. But then, moving away from that, the second part is education. Regardless of the feedback or the way customers might treat you, you need to be consistent as a brand. Consistency is what wins people over. Of course, it may not be fair. These foreign brands have been well established. They’ve been around for 100 years, 200 years.
I would say we should just continue being consistent, educating our customers and showing them the perks. For example, we’re a Zambian company. We source some things locally which is part of empowering
our people. We have Zambian employees, and we are the people that Zambians and Africans need to support more than anything. So, brands should educate people and give them value they can’t get anywhere else.
For example, we educate our customers on the products that they buy. You don’t just buy and walk away. We’ll discuss things with you so that you have a better understanding of what you’re purchasing. The main thing is educating them.
The other challenge is how customers overstep boundaries because they expect us to do what they want, when they want. I saw a post by a fellow entrepreneur the other day, and the person was complaining about how a customer would call you at 9pm and then if you don’t pick up the phone, they’re going to insult you and start calling it terrible customer service.
So, I think the only way we can get away from these issues is if we continually sensitize customers, if we don’t pick up calls after hours it doesn’t mean we don’t care about them. If we put company policies in place, it doesn’t mean we don’t care about them.
As you mentioned, you’ve failed in business a few times. What
Mapesho Masonga
were the lessons the experiences taught you?
Failure is part of life, and I’ve learnt that it’s okay to fail. Two, if you fail, you don’t just sit, you have to keep going, and that’s the key to success. When you encounter failure, you learn a lesson and keep moving. Because as you keep moving, that’s where the success will come from. You’re going to find something that is going to work eventually.
The reason why I find failure exciting is that it points you away from something. It redirects you on the right way to go or do things. It helps you focus better on the right idea.
Where do you see Eternal Jewelry in five years?
We recently just moved premises. We are now at a different place in town; we stay consistent and professional and want to be the best we can ever be. We currently have agents in different cities, so we need to build on that and create stores for people in those towns, especially for customers and agents who are consistent and good at the job. In five years, we definitely have to be where we are manufacturing everything locally within Zambia.
talk about getting Africans to embrace local brands. Do you think this is a colonial mentality?BUSINESS PARTNER
“I’m Used to Swimming Against the Tide” - Ejiro Amos Tafiri on Dumping Medicine for Fashion
Nigerian fashion export Ejiro Amos Tafiri is a fighter, a norm breaker, and a talented artist. Since she stepped foot in the Yabatech school of art at 14, she knew nothing would stop her from pursuing her dream of becoming a fashion designer. And she made it happen, but not without a fight.
In this interview with Business Elites Africa, Ejiro tells us how she tricked her parents into bending to her wishes, her struggle with fending for her family and her meteoric rise to mainstream relevance.
You defied
wanted you to study medicine, and you insisted on the fashion path. How did you win that battle because not many kids had their way back then?
As you rightly said, years ago, it was almost impossible for you to tell your parents or get African parents to agree. I knew that and found an alternative way to get what I wanted. Typically, you have to write JAMB (Joint Admissions Matriculation Board) to
get into the University, so luckily for me, we went late to the exam, and that was my way out. I had never failed any exam, so it was a no-brainer that I would pass Jamb. I did the exam, but didn’t finish. I got home and told my dad that I would definitely not pass. I told him, ‘this JAMB, forget about it, I’m not going to score above 210 because I did not finish the test.. ‘He was like, ‘okay, what do we do for another year?’
So, I said let me pick the Polytechnic JAMB forms in the meantime, but I never told him the idea was fashion. So we got the forms. I waited till the very last day it was closing, and I told him I wanted to fill fashion. He assumed that by default, I would choose Laboratory Tech, which is still in line with medicine, or at least Architecture, because I liked drawing; or better still, Engineering. He was flustered and losing patience with all these choices and running late to work at the same time, so he didn’t want all the detail. You are my daughter, and I know you will do the right thing. Just do what you think is best and submit that form. I was just 16 then. So I went upstairs to the family altar and prayed. I said, ‘oh God, let your will be done.’ I completed the forms, with fashion
as choice of study and submitted it. Then the result came out, and of course, I passed and my name came out in the newspapers.
My dad’s friend, who was the H.O.D. of the school of Fine Art in Yabatech called and told him, ‘your daughter is coming to the school of art?’ Of course, the man didn’t know the background drama. My dad was like, ‘no, how?’ When it finally dawned on him, he came home in a rage. He was angry, and he told me categorically that I was not going to get into that school. I said okay, fine. I became unruly and moody in the house. So, my Mom persuaded him to let me do it for one year while preparing for the main JAMB. She said, ‘let her go for fashion this time, and should still pursue medicine’. I wrote that JAMB two times, passed each time, but never told them I had passed. And here I am! I ended up staying through fashion school.
You were a straight ‘A’ student. Where did the interest in fashion come from?
It was always there, growing up. I think it came from my grandma. I don’t know if I
your parents! They
should call her a fashion designer, but she was not formally trained. She had acclaim across the villages. At a time, she had more than 20 apprentices. They were coming from different villages to learn. When my Mom started having us, my grandma had taken ill with diabetes, so she came to stay with us. She would make us thread with needles and sew things. So that was like my first foray into fashion. And then, in secondary school, even though I was a science student, I was always drawn to clothing and textiles - home economics. In my first clothing and textile class, which I participated in because I wanted something more fun, we had to go to Yabatech school of art for an exhibition. It was there I had the ‘aha’ moment. I just knew this would be my life. It combined all the things I loved and was good at. It was interesting and made sense. Even my classmates knew from then on that Ejiro wanted to be a designer though she is one of our best science students. I didn’t choose it; it just revealed itself to me.
over MKO Abiola’s death back then, my dad, who was a security expert, didn’t allow me to school in the North. Regardless, it remained ridiculous to him and the entire family that I’d turn from all that to settle for fashion.
I promised them I would make them proud or die trying. I was the best student from my first day at the art school till I graduated. I would say my journey into entrepreneurship started right when my dad had the stroke. Our entire family of four was pursuing higher
went to University. My dad was studying law and was just about to graduate when he had a stroke.
We had to look inwards because money wasn’t coming from anywhere. For me, I wanted to be the best student and art school was expensive. If I wanted to be the best in assignments, I had to look for the best material and do large-scale work, which was expensive, so I had to start working.
As part of the Polytechnic program in Nigeria, you must do an internship. So I did my first internship at Zizi Cardow and my second at Tiffany Amber. While in my HND 1 (Higher National Diploma), my dad suffered a stroke. I had to work to take care of myself for the rest of the HND program. At this point, I was already used to working. I was determined to be the best, having promised my parents that I would make them proud.
They were ashamed that their daughter, who used to be so good academically, went to study fashion. I was so good at sciences that I got a scholarship to study medicine from Lagos state government. I got into the Gifted school in Suleja. The school used to scout for geek kids to train as astronauts and all. But because of the political unrest
education simultaneously -- My Mom, my dad, my elder brother and myself. My dad was in his final year when he had a stroke; Mom was in year one or two and I was in year three. My Mom became the breadwinner and caregiver, all in one.
Did your parents go back to school?
My parents went to school when we went to school. My dad only had an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) before, and my mum had only secondary school qualification, so she had to do teachers’ training and then
Upon graduation, I enrolled and went off for my National Youth Service (NYSC). Since I already had a job before NYSC, I was redeployed back to Lagos from Enugu and continued my job. From there, I went on to work for two more years. My first job was at ‘Out of Africa.’ Prior to joining the NYSC, I had been promoted within the short period I got there, to the position of Creative Director. So after an additional year there, I saw it wasn’t matching the energy I wanted for my career. I wanted more. So I moved to Tiffany Amber, where I had worked as an intern. I became the Assistant to the Creative Director. I did that for two years and left because there was no higher position to aim for. I had done everything from assistant to creative director in one year, and there was no more promotion. This was like my learning period to figure out what I wanted to do. Even in school, I gave myself 10 to 15 years to work before starting my own company. At this time, my friends in the bank and other industries were already buying cars and moving into their own apartments, and I thought if I continued earning this same salary with my lifestyle, I would be nowhere in five years. So I resigned and went back home to start my business, and 12 years later, we are here.
No. Back in the day, my salary was N90,000. I had an official apartment, there was a company shared ride, and a driver. So I was living well by most people’s standards. My apartment was in Oniru. A driver would pick us up in the morning, take us to work,
When you finished at Yabatech, how did you find your footing in the fashion industry?
When you resigned, did you have some money stashed anywhere?
I would say my journey into entrepreneurship started right when my dad had a stroke.
My mum became the breadwinner and caregiver, and four of us were in the higher institution simultaneously.
and bring us back in the evening. Being an Island babe, I was living the Island life. So I didn’t have savings, but I had bought a sewing machine. I had one that was gifted to me when I turned 18. And then, I had to send money home, and there is the Island grooving. Whenever M.I Abaga performed anywhere, I’d be there with my best friend.
I had worked with top fashion brands, so I knew how things worked. And I was gunning for the international market. I was hoping for global visibility. I wasn’t going to play local even though I was in an obscured part of town. I knew I didn’t have friends in high places, nor did I have the pedigree to attract a certain class of people. What was going to attract them would be my work.
I would have to send them my lookbook. Thank God I already had that. So I quickly sent everything. I got approved, and I was able to pay for my spot early. Thankfully, I had gone to see the place earlier, so I picked a prime spot.
I am a ‘die trying’ or ‘do it afraid’ type of person. I went to fashion school with everyone in my life telling me I shouldn’t do it. I’m used to swimming against the tide. I know survival was sure by the work of my hand, or if it doesn’t work, I’d go and get a job. But I didn’t resign blindly, though. I had written a comprehensive business plan, designed my logo, and planned everything out carefully.
The plan clearly showed how many clothes I was going to sell in one month, two months, the first year, and the second year, and what was the possible goal for the next three years. I went as far as doing all the business requirements, branding, and everything. I got my friend to design the logo, and open a Facebook page and website. I catalogued everything and broke it down with a timeline. I had N40,000, and I had to spend it wisely. My first expense was N20,000, which was for a cutting table and stool, which I did for N15,000, and I bought an iron.
I was my first everything – first tailor, first fashion designer, first researcher. My boyfriend helped me with everything tech because he was a tech person. My best friend was into branding, so she was my brand manager. My first outfit was a wedding dress which I didn’t make any money from.
What was your breakthrough job or project?
The breakthrough came really quickly. When I started my business at my dad’s house in Ikotun (a Lagos suburb), I didn’t have clients like that. I took that time to create a collection.
So I created the collection and did a photoshoot. I used my friend, Seun, as the model, my friend Diana’s nice apartment for the shoot, and I was the photographer.
Then, I hired one more person to join me. I invested all the money I had in doing that exhibition. I went there, gun blazing and ready, my rack, hanger, everything I needed to position myself right. I already ordered my label from the UK, so I got them before the event. Plus, business cards and everything. I came looking like the top brands I had worked for. I didn’t look like I was new or working out of my bedroom. I borrowed my boyfriend’s boss’ television; we used his land rover. It was crazy. I had the audacity, I just dreamt ridiculous dreams, and I just went at it. And, don’t forget, I asked for help whenever and wherever needed. That was the beginning of everything. I started getting media exposure. City People magazine took an interest and also Complete Fashion. They were relaunching and coming out bigger at the time.
We did the lookbook and documented it. I didn’t have anywhere I was going to take this thing to. I just did it because that was what a serious fashion brand would do. And that was the second month into my own brand.
Luckily for me, we were having a 10-year reunion of my secondary school class at about that time. I told them I would bring my designs to the reunion. It was an opportunity to showcase my brand to them, and everyone was excited for me. I had a full box of clothes, and was informed that one of us had a marketplace she had started that was a great fit for my brand. It was a place stylists and different socialites discovered new designers. I asked and got the necessary information, showed up at the next event at the GET ARENA. This first visit was to survey the place. I met the organiser and told her I wanted to participate. She told me all it entailed, gave me the cost and said
They wanted to feature Omowunmi Akinnifesi on the cover. She had just won the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria pageant. So Omowunmi saw my clothes and asked to wear one of my pieces for her shoot. That was how my piece made it to the cover of that publication. And the next thing was seeing the magazine in traffic with the caption ‘Omowunmi Akinnifesi in Ejiro Amos Tafiri’; the magazine was the biggest fashion publication at the time. That was how the brand was born. We blew up, and I also got picked up to represent Nigeria for a fashion show in Mauritius at a USAID event. All the things I had laid out in that business plan began to line up, with fantastic visibility and the money too. Many people realised that I was serious and ready. We grew up quickly; of course, because I was prudent, there was no waste. I got more tailors and stayed as a researcher. As we grew organically, I made money from exhibitions, which we started doing monthly, and I got more customers from there. People would buy and keep ordering, and that was how we grew.
Knowing there was nothing to fall back on, was it not difficult to make the decision to resign?
I am a ‘die trying’ or ‘do it afraid’ type of person.
I went to fashion school with everyone in my life telling me I shouldn’t do it
African clothing and accessories are increasingly gaining international attention. And entrepreneurs like Anna Cole are at the forefront of this global expansion. Through her fashion label, Pernia Couture, Cole is creating irresistible African accessories and clothing.
We caught up with this trailblazer to uncover inspiring aspects of the booming African fashion space.
What inspired you to become a fashion designer?
When I was younger, I was good at visual art and loved it. My mom was a seamstress, and she was into designing as well, so I grew up in that environment. When I was going to school, I never thought I would launch a fashion brand. All I knew was that I was studying art; and that was in my secondary school. After school, I intended to do fashion, but my dad didn’t like the idea and wanted
Meet Anna Cole, the Ghanaian Designer Creating Musthave Assessories and Clothing
|| By Simeon Onojame to study something like accounting or law. So I did Business Studies and later traveled to London.
During my time in London, I studied accounting, but along the way, faced some obvious challenges. I stayed back in London for about nine years, but when I returned to Ghana, stressed and frustrated with life abroad, I didn’t know where to start or what to do. The first option was to get into design, but then I wasn’t quite sure.
I didn’t have the courage because I was out of the country for so long, and looking at the fashion industry at that time and the fact that I didn’t study fashion, I was scared to take up the challenge.
The only courage I had going into it was through my mother, my sisters, and now ex-husband, who saw that I had potential and could do it. This really encouraged me. We came up with the name of the business and the logo, and I launched Pernia Couture in 2012.
Launching a business in Africa is no easy task. What were the steps you took before you entered the market?
I did all the necessary registration and was lucky to have a few people who believed in me and gave me their work to do. After executing it, other people knew that I could do the job, and that was when they started patronising me. I started with clothing, but I had to switch to accessories in 2015 when I launched my first accessory collection.
What was the reception for your premium home-grown brand like in Ghana?
To be honest with you, the reception at the beginning wasn’t as good as I expected because, as I noticed in Ghana, it’s so difficult for them to adapt to new things. They are used to what they like and what they know, and with my brand, I was just trying to do something different, not trying to do what was the norm. It was difficult at the start. They didn’t really receive me as I wanted, but the interesting part was that I
got a better reception internationally than in Ghana. That was hard, and that’s one of the setbacks. It took a while before local customers got on board with my brand.
What were the biggest roadblocks you faced in the fashion industry?
I faced lots of challenges. One of the major challenges to founding a business in Africa is funding. Getting a loan is always difficult, especially if you are not lucky enough to be stable financially and you don’t have any family or friends to back you up or support you in any way.
I remember how difficult it was to get started. I was in the UK, but when I came to Ghana, I had to tell my dad I was going back, and that was how I could get funding to start up; funding was a problem.
My father was not in support of the business; he didn’t agree to it, but I had to do it anyway because that was what I wanted to do. Another challenge I had was finding workers; people with the kind of skills I wanted. I love my work, I pay attention to details, and I maintain a high standard, but most of the workers I found didn’t have the kind of finishing skills I had.
Talking about getting the right talent into your business, how were you able to solve the skill deficit with your team?
What I did was I took some people and trained them myself. Most of them were not ready to work because I was a bit strict, but I paid them a little extra percentage from time to time, which was something like an incentive to make them interested.
What’s your advice for entrepreneurs in Africa?
Most of the time, we are so scared of making mistakes or having setbacks, but we sometimes don’t realize it’s all part of the process. It doesn’t matter the mistake you make; making a mistake really shows that you are progressing. You learn from the mistake, and then you become better.
Another thing I would say is, when starting a business, you don’t have to use a huge sum of money because, most of the time, you don’t know if the business is going to work or not. If it flops, at least you will still have some money, which means you’ve not lost a whole lot of investment.
There are some businesses you don’t even need to start with money. You just need the idea, knowledge, and a few materials to start with, so you need to make that move. As you progress, then you can invest huge sums in the business.
Another thing is that you will need to set realistic goals that are achievable. Be
consistent. Sometimes when you are in the early phase of any business, you think people don’t notice you. Maybe you have not been seeing the customers come to like you want to, or people patronising your product. You don’t need to give up, all you need to do is be consistent and stick to it. The more consistent you are, the more people will get used to you and your brand, and then you’ll get the followers that you need.
How do you deal with stress?
I love reading, listening to music, and watching movies. And that’s basically how I get over stress.
Umutoni: The Kenyan-Rwandan Beauty Entrepreneur with a Heart of Gold
Umutoni Thuku-Benzinge is half Kenyan and half Rwandan but was born and raised in the UK. Umutoni has always had a strong affinity for her East African roots despite her birth and childhood circumstances. That connection is what has sparked her interest in empowering Kenyan communities.
However, she did not want to establish a non-profit organisation as a way to create a more sustainable model to support local communities.
Fast forward to the birth of her luxury jewellery brand, Kaleidoscope Beauty,
which was later rebranded to her name, Umutoni. She defied economic reasoning of producing her jewellery pieces in China or elsewhere outside Africa, where they could be cheaper. Instead, she deliberately left the production in the hands of talented Kenyan artisans and invested in them to produce the high-standard pieces ensuring the value add remains on the continent.
Umutoni says these artisans have families to fend for, which is the impact she’s always wanted to make in the communities.
In this interview with Business Elites Africa, she talks more about her work with the local artisans, struggles, and driving commercial success for the Umutoni brand.
Honestly, it was a combination of both. I had always wanted to have my own business or brand. When I became a teenager, I realised I wanted that business to be about beauty, but hadn’t decided how and where. As time progressed, I think I was inspired to launch my business after seeing the Black Panther movie. I actually used to sell jewellery as a teenager during my summer holiday in Kenya. I’m originally from Kenya and Rwanda, but I spent many of my summer holidays in Kenya, especially during my secondary school days.
One thing I used to do was get souvenirs for friends and family, typically in the form of jewellery. So I’d go to the Maasai market in Nairobi, where different artisans would come to sell their art and buy jewellery pieces. That’s one part of the story.
The other part of the story came into play through witnessing that unfortunately when there is a charity model in place there can be an overreliance on the giver to provide. As a young woman myself with limited resources, I knew we had to have a more sustainable model to create jobs within the community. That way everyone has a sense of responsibility.
So when it came to launching the business, I was like, I really wanted it to be an element of giving back, but I don’t want it to be like the usual charity system. I wanted it to be a bit more empowering and make it sustainable. That’s why I was really keen on working with these talented artisans. They were super determined to do that. They gained experience by the day but had some limitations regarding international connections, so I decided to launch the business.
As someone who schooled and lived in the UK, and only visited Kenya, how did you get around the know-how of starting a business
in an environment you were not so familiar with?
In 2014, I was involved in a beauty pageant called Miss Scuba International. It took place in Malaysia, and I represented Kenya. That caused a paradigm shift in my head, seeing that the organisers used a beauty pageant to push for the marine conservation cause. So because of the role I played, I was featured in some magazines, newspapers, radio, and television channels. The exposure introduced me to the public domain and ultimately taught me the importance of building relationships. In addition, I’m also blessed to have a huge family in Kenya, and I just started asking questions. I reached out to aunties and uncles.
One particular aunty of mine is key to helping me build some of my relationships in Kenya. I told her what I wanted to do because she’s really great with people. She actually set me up with my first artisans, and then I just went through building relationships from there. I started meeting artisans, inspecting samples, and it went from there, but I would say it was definitely a try and error time for me. The Scuba experience showed me that I had to go and learn how things work in Kenya. I can’t come with my own mentality and think I could do a copy and paste. It is a sure way of getting frustrated. There is a system that works, and I was the new one in the environment in Kenya. So that’s basically how we started.
What year did you launch the brand?
I launched in December 2018. I made the initial trip in October 2018. I took two weeks off from work, I was working in the I.T industry in the UK, and that was how we launched. Since then, we have made several changes
Looking back, would you say you’re making an impact?
Great question. In retrospect, I would say I wasn’t it running like a business in the beginning. I had a great idea and a great mission. I think I was very intentional, and I also had my 9 to 5, so this was definitely
like a side gig. If I were to go back in time, I would have changed a number of things.
I started by having a product and then building my market and audience. What I would have done instead if I was to start today is to build my audience and market first, then refine my product and service. So that is one mistake I made at the time. Entrepreneurship is all about failing forward, identifying your failures, rectifying them as they happen, and making changes. But we did have an impact; we provided job opportunities for Kenyan artisans.
Are you running the business in Kenya now, or do you still shuttle between Kenya and the UK?
I am still shuttling between Kenya and the UK. Last year, I refined my production processin Kenya. But I have a system in place that sees to the management of the artisans. We have also introduced gold plating. Again, I wanted the value-add in Kenya in line with our ethos. So, where I could have exported our base brass pieces to China or elsewhere, I wanted to ensure the value-add was in Kenya, which is probably a slightly longer route. That meant I bought the machinery in Italy and imported it into Kenya.
The first time we wanted to use the equipment, we could not get experts in Kenya to operate it successfully. So in early 2022, I had to travel to Italy myself, and I asked the experts there to teach me how to handle the machinery and the chemical combinations. After I was trained, I returned to Kenya and trained the team, and now we have control of the entire production process. Then, about quality control, we have several layers of quality control built into it, which then gives me a bit more focus on being between Kenya and the UK. So our products are produced in Kenya.
What lessons has failure taught you?
Number one, it’s part of the process for anyone looking to be an entrepreneur in any field. It’s always important to surround yourself with people who are doing similar things as you. As an entrepreneur, I think you
Did you start your brand just because you wanted to start a business or were you more driven by your interest in empowering Kenyan artisans?
should have entrepreneur friends because there are days, like during the pandemic, when you feel things are not working. You feel like this is the end, and then you speak to a friend or a fellow entrepreneur, and they could be like, ‘oh no, this is just part of the journey. I had that issue last week, and this is how I resolved it.’ So I think it’s part of the process.
Number two, it builds a level of resilience about failing forward and also probably identifying your failures quickly. There is a level of accountability and a level of honesty that you have to build with yourself. I might launch a product that I love, and it might not be received well on social media and down to sales. Depending on how quick I am to notice what does or doesn’t work, it could cost me to invest in the wrong product, which will eventually result in a huge financial loss.
Were there times you were so frustrated and felt like giving up on the business?
Oh yes. Honestly, I have that thought, often. I used to work 9 to 5 and get my salary at the end of the month, and once it’s 5pm you close from work and no more troubles, and you continue with the rest of your life. Whereas in entrepreneurship, I don’t think it ends. Even if you are physically not working on your laptop, your brain is still processing. But again, my ‘why’ is the impact we have, the fact that we are working with local artisans, and the fact that there are men and women who can provide for their children’s school fees because of the work we are doing. It’s always beyond me. It’s beyond my emotions or my sentiments. As we grow, the impact will also grow. I think it’s really important to identify and remind yourself why you started in the first place.
Where do you see your brand in five years?
In five years, our mission is and will be transformative, sustainable luxury.
We just went through a rebrand. We used to be called Kaleidoscope Beauty but changed
to Umutoni, my name, in May 2022. We rebranded because we wanted to move into the luxury space. My experience with the capabilities and scales we have in Kenya and the community is vast. We started with brass and beaded jewellery, but we are now doing gold-plated pieces and will continue to evolve.
When we started, I asked many of our customers how they saw our brand, and many said they saw us as an African jewellery brand. On a surface, there is nothing wrong with that but ultimately, what that meant to me was that people did not see our jewellery as pieces they could integrate into their day-to-day lives, which was a problem. I was still working at my I.T job at the time, and
I realised I wasn’t even wearing my brand day-to-day because, at the time, they were statement pieces. You don’t want to wear them to work and not look like a serious employee. It was something customers saw as wearing to an event, traditional wedding and all. I didn’t want that to be the case. That has also led to some of our changes going forward.
The right jewellery can perfectly compliment and elevate your look. I see our pieces on red carpets as well as worn everyday. We really want to push a message of elevation.
Beyond the luxury positioning, Umutoni brand is here to serve a bigger purpose.
ABOVE AND BEYOND
She helps businesses define their brands, and develop customtailored marketing and sales strategies to grow into sustainable businesses.
Nelly Agbogu is the brain behind Naija Brand Chick and Nellies healthy food & snack company in the heart of Lagos, Nigeria
She started her business as an employee of a multinational oil service company and then transitioned from being an employee with a side hustle into full-time entrepreneurship with a customer base daily expanding and her business gradually being purported as one of the fast-growing healthy food brands in Nigeria.
Yemisi Isidi is an award-winning entrepreneur, best-selling author, international public speaker (who has spoken at a TEDx event), trainer and business growth strategist committed to the success of businesses, youth and communities in Africa.
Yewande Jinadu is the Founder of CareerLife Nigeria(careerlife.com.ng), Head, People and Culture for a leading Tech Startup and the Author of The All Inclusive Career Handbook.
She’s a Senior HR Professional passionate about shaping the culture of an organization towards improved productivity and a positive employee experience.
How Ace Nigerian Fashion Designer Dapo Osaji Found Success
tailor back then. So once the men couldn’t afford this big tailor, they would rush to my uncle, get the same tailoring quality and pay less. If you bring the scenario to the modern day, it’s like me copying the works of Gucci. My uncle was good by his own rights, but he didn’t have a lot of finesse that other fashion labels had. So rather than go to the big brands and pay a lot of money, these guys would come to him and bring more garments. They would bring about 10 to 15 Babariga garments at once. I saw all this happen, and the experience made me very in tune with men’s garments.
As you told us off-record, you were very popular in Unilag, and everybody wanted you to sew for them. Did you know you would pursue the fashion business after your studies?
Veteran Nigerian fashion designer and founder of Effeci, Oladapo Osaji is an interviewer’s favourite – welcoming, chatty, and eager to impart knowledge to the next generation. About 20 minutes before the Business Elites editor commenced this interview, held at his minimalistic showroom in Lagos, he had given us more than a sneak peek of his intriguing entrepreneurial journey, laced with invaluable lessons for African fashion designers and the ones coming after them.
Dapo’s passion for the fashion business runs deep. It hurts him to see many young fashion designers stepping into the industry with no sense of direction, sound knowledge of the commerce end of fashion, and a nearzero appetite to seek the proper guidance.
What inspired you to become a fashion designer?
I think it came from my love for clothes. I had a very fashionable father who, back in the day, would look very sharp in a shortsleeved shirt, a tie, and a nice pair of trousers every weekday. Then, on the weekend, he would don the most beautiful Agbada (a flowing native attire, traditionally worn by Nigerians and known as Babariga in Northern Nigeria). I think that forged my first idea of what a stylish man looks like, and that began to draw my thirst deeper and deeper into the world of fashion.
I remember sitting in my uncle’s store every day and watching the likes of Mike Akhigbe (Nigeria’s former Chief of Naval Staff) and a host of military men come to the store to get their Babariga made by my uncle, who was a renowned tailor at the time. He was a perfect substitute for a particular top-shot
I knew that was what I was going to do. I had already made up my mind because it brought me a lot of money. There was no way for me to think otherwise than keep pursuing it as a career. I stayed focused and started to make clothes for students, and when many of these customers graduated and began to work in different industries, they still came back to me for their suits. For the ones who wanted to get married, I made their wedding suits. So it was easier to just get into the business after school.
Let’s talk about the business of fashion. Many fashion designers pay more attention to the glamour and frontend side of things. How do you run a successful fashion business in a country like Nigeria?
You just touched a part of me that I have always expressed concerns about for the longest time, but nobody was listening. Truth be told, there are a lot of fashion designers in Nigeria who are very intuned with glamour; they understand design, draping, and everything. However, they
are not bankable. It’s one thing to know design, it’s another thing to understand the commerce part of it, and it takes a lot for you to know this part.
For instance, we have a community of about 250 young designers who call themselves designers, but they are not making much money or doing a lot of business for them to be bankable. So we sat at a forum, and I asked them, how many of you have made ten thousand garments this year? This was from January to October, but no hand went up. I brought it down to five thousand, no hand up, I brought it down to one thousand, no hand up. The first set of people who raised their hands made around fifty garments. It was very painful for me, so much that I cried.
So many of them were heading in the same direction without a sense of purpose. I told them that, sadly, we cannot all be fashion designers. Not all of us can be fashion designers. Some of us need to be the photographers cataloguing all the collections, and some need to take care of the merchandising and setting up stores. Some of us need to be the ones keeping the fashion history of Nigeria.
Look at Fela, for instance. He was a very fashionable man, but there is no record of who his tailor was. Have you thought about that? Who is keeping that history? Chief Obafemi Awolowo was one of the first to wear wool as Agbada; how did that fad start? The Ijebus pride themselves on being fashionable when it comes to traditional fashion; how did that start? Chief Obafemi Awolowo used to wear a particular cap style; what was the origin? How did it start? How did it go round? How did it transcend time? Nobody is keeping this fashion history.
When I was in New York, I went to the fashion museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), and I saw clothes made in the 1700s up to the present day. What that means is somebody was actually keeping the fashion history. Why is that not happening in Nigeria? Again, something else I learnt in my sojourn is that the least paid in the fashion value chain is the fashion designer. The fashion editor is the most paid; the person writing about every fashion designer earns more than the designer. So
why is everybody running to be a fashion designer? That’s the big question I always ask everybody in this industry.
But what if I’m drawn to it or I just desire to become a fashion designer? Is there anything wrong with that?
The problem is, for the longest time, we did not understand that you can move along the value chain. We were told that cut and sew is fashion designing, so we went to fashion school, and they imbibed in us the one-way street method - cut and sew. Nobody ever told us that you could actually earn from other areas in the value chain. So it became a big problem, and we were just fashionably broke, to say the least.
What business model would you prescribe for a struggling fashion designer?
What I will recommend, first of all, is a diagnosis of your person. I sat with my mentor, and he asked me, ‘what is your business?’ With my shoulder squared and deepened voice, I answered, ‘I’m in the business of fashion designing.’ He said no, you are wrong. You are in the business of making people look good. Once I heard that my mindset changed from that very day. It means my business is to make you look good, not make clothes for you. Making you look good involves a lot. I could be your barber; I could be the one selling you your ties; I could be the one selling you your accessories; I could be your tailor, or I could be the one selling you your shoes. In essence, that statement changed my approach to fashion.
Maybe the right question is, who is a fashion designer in the true sense?
The question you need to ask is, what is your business? Once you answer that question, the next question should be who is your customer? Once you have answered these two questions, you can know the direction you want to move. It’s just like saying I’m going from Ikeja to Ojuelegba (Lagos suburbs). I must decide from Ikeja that I’m going to Ojuelegba. I don’t just get up and be going
and then decide on the way that I’m going to Ojuelegba. I must have a route carefully mapped out as I go. It makes no sense to decide my destination on the way. It means I cannot go through a path that doesn’t lead to Ojuelegba or prolongs my journey.
So essentially, what we all need to do as fashion entrepreneurs is to answer these two pertinent questions. Even along the value chain in fashion designing, there are different levels. There is bespoke, there is ready-to-wear, there is couture, and there are all sorts. So you really need to decide what part of the market you want to face.
Do you mean a bespoke tailor doesn’t need to bother about mass production?
Oh yes, absolutely. Again, this talks about what I have said before. If you know where you are going, you know how to pitch your tent and the business model to use. As a bespoke tailor, you must have fabrics in your store; you must have one or two ready-made garments in your store for display purposes, of which you will have the ones that are waiting for delivery, the ones sent back for alterations, and all. The setting would be different from somebody who is selling inventory.
Bespoke customers come to your store, get measured, and return for fitting before picking the final garment. For ready-to-wear, it’s not the same model. Ready-to-wear is already made; you buy it as it is. Many people do not even understand what they are doing in the first place; they don’t even know who they are selling to. How do you want to reach your target market if you don’t know who you are selling to? How do you want to know the kind of advert you should run and who to target? I tell people that my customers are not on social media. Somebody asked me, ‘why don’t you have a shop at the airport?’ I told the person jokingly, ‘my customers don’t take public flights; they fly private jets.’ You need to be clear about who your customers are.
Did you get your financial record right early on, or were you like most entrepreneurs who can’t
separate personal finance from business funds?
In the beginning, everything came into one purse, and because you are trying to live your best life, you always spend the money carelessly. But before long, I discovered that if I continued like that, I and the business would cease to exist one day. So the need for proper financial records started to happen.
I started by myself, doing the basic profit and loss accounting. Then as it grew bigger and broader, I had to do a separation. Many of my mentors would say, ‘Dapo, next time you give me your personal account as your bank account for business, I’m not going to patronise you anymore.’ I started to bank bit by bit, and it became a part of me after some time. You then understand what those people were saying at the time, that they were not really against you.
Once I understood how to do costing for my business, which is the basis for everything, things got better. You must understand costing. At what point are you losing money? At what point do you know that you are making money? What does it actually cost you to give the product or service? How can you put a mark on it that doesn’t make you exuberant or makes you appealing to your customers?
For instance, if your cost is maybe twenty, I like to use the rule of x3 or at least x2.5. So if I produce for twenty naira, my selling price will be x3; that’s the formula I use. Then when you want to do something like sales, {there is actually nothing like sales, it’s just a gimmick], what you do is, change your 2.5 mark up to 1.5, you will still make a profit, even though it’s smaller profit.
You mentioned you don’t like to use the word ‘luxury’ because it’s been abused by many fashion designers. So, what is luxury?
Luxury is everything. When you say luxury, what fabric are you using? They will say ‘luxury Kaftan,’ and they will use 1,500 naira fabric, and that’s luxury to them. They will use plastic buttons, and it’s luxury to them. So luxury is relative to them. Some people
have not seen a certain height of luxury before. What is luxury in someone’s eye is not the same for another person. It depends on people’s exposure. I like to use the word premium because we have considered that the fabrics, the trimmings, and other things are on a certain price level.
Premium has everything to do with, first and foremost, the look and feel of your own store, the look and feel of you as the person selling the product. You don’t expect me to come into a store at the back of nowhere, and you want to sell luxury to me. You should be driving a particular car brand for you even to understand luxury. You are entering a danfo and telling me you want to sell luxury to me.
If you drive a fancy car and try to catch people within that social class, each will give you their kind. That’s why I always look forward to high-level customers. I try to lean into them because they will give me their kind. Like my customer who just left, if he refers five persons to me, I’m sure three of them will be like him, and the remaining two are on their way to that status. So for me, pricing is a function of many things, from your space to your customers.
You cater to the tier one customer base, but you didn’t start like that.
How did you position yourself to attract high-level clients?
As I said, I started with friends, classmates, family members, and students. These students became working-class people, and they went on and on and on. See, there is a way excellence speaks for you when you know how to do your stuff. Even the bible says that any man who is diligent in what he does, who understands the trappings and the workings of everything that he does, will not stand before mere men, but he’ll stand before kings. Let’s take kings as captains of industries. Using your own diction, let’s take kings as the tier one people and the elites. There is a way you sell to the elites; your mannerisms and the things you do must align.
I always tell my students that you cannot be more than you are. You cannot be worth ten naira and say you are worth a hundred naira; people can see through you. If your shoes don’t give you away, how you are dressed will give you away. If that does not give you away, your car will give you away, and even the way you talk or speak will give you away. You cannot sell for more than what you are. So as you mature in your ability to sell, you must also be mature in how other people perceive you.
Kenya’s Wendia Gichuru is an Inspiration for Aspiring and Industry Fashion Entrepreneurs
Message to a young generation: embrace your vibrance while being ethical
Many young people enter the entrepreneurial space with the get-rich-quick mentality, or they simply don’t want to follow due process. Many controversies have arisen around ethics for some of the leading startups across Africa.
From Gichuru’s perspective, there’s a level of impatience that comes with this generation of entrepreneurs. She said, “There’s a frustration with too much structure, too much containment. There are two sides to every coin. Is that a lack or a plus? It depends on how you look at it.
Wandia Gichuru quit her high-paying job as an analyst for agencies like the United Nations Development Programme and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development to pursue her entrepreneurial goals.
The trailblazer had a passion for clothing and believed she could leverage the opportunities in Kenya’s fashion industry. In 2011, Gichuru launched Vivo Activewear. The brand has long since expanded to 14 stores, with a fashion e-commerce platform, ShopZetu, under its belt.
The cost of sacrifice
Wendy Gichuru set things in motion when she decided to leave a great job to pursue her passion. She said in a session back in
2018, “I still haven’t recovered in terms of income. I used to earn a lot more when I was employed than I do now.” Looking that the trajectory of her brand, it’s safe to say that Wendy is the better for decision.
“Your income levels go down, you have to change, you can’t maybe stay at the hotel you usually do when you go on holiday…I used to buy a lot of art. I can’t really afford to do that anymore, but there’s nothing that outweighs the gains of starting a business. Having the opportunity to develop something from scratch and have a bit more control and freedom, I wouldn’t give it up,” she added.
So if you’re looking to turn your idea into something that provides value for people, now is the time. You might have to give up that high-paying job or comfort zone and give up some luxury for some time. Learning from Gichuru, the benefits can outweigh the sacrifice.
You might find they were able to achieve more because they believed it could happen, while the older generation wouldn’t have tried. I think they are great”. If you’re one the young bloods, you need to start seeing your energy as a force for good whilst upholding the right ethics.
Gichuru’s daring business model
Vivo used to import many of its clothes, but now almost all of them are made in Nairobi. However, this is a daring move on Gichuru’s path. As it turns out, manufacturing in Kenya may be more expensive than manufacturing in a nation such as China.
Gichuru, on the other hand, believes that local production has advantages. The company places a strong emphasis on testing a product’s popularity before releasing it in larger quantities; having its own factory allows Vivo to experiment as much as it can. It also means less time spent waiting for items from other countries to arrive. Gichuru said it’s all in a bid to provide more diversity in Kenya’s fashion industry.
How Mai Atafo Dominated Nigeria’s Fashion Industry
The fashion icon discovered his area of expertise and gave the brand its great debut in the production of high-end clothing, showcasing glamorous dresses for women and well-crafted bespoke tailored suits for men. Participating in various fashion weeks while Creating exceptional fashion styles with extra passion also drew a lot of attention to Atafo’s brand. The more he produced, the more attention his brand got.
Just by his looks, one can guess his area of expertise. Ohimai Atafo, popularly known as Mai Atafo, has succeeded in showing Africans the real deal when it comes to fashion. His story instantly reveals how he dominated the bespoke tailoring scene and curbed the need for imported designed garments.
Coming from Edo State,Mai was born in Ile-Ife, Osun State on the 15th of November, 1977. He started his early education at University Staff School in Benin, concluded his secondary education at Federal Government College, Ido-Ano in Ondo State. Atafo proceeded to study Agricultural Economy and Extension at Edo State University for his first degree and soon moved to bag his second degree at City University, London, where he studied Information System Technology.
Looking back at his educational background, one would say that it was not related to fashion. But even though he didn’t study fashion in school, Atafo had a passion for it even as a child. While in school, he was known for having a unique specialty in understanding the quality of clothes, and to him, his educational journey was a form of exposure to the fashion world.
Shortly after his master’s degree, Atafo came back to Nigeria in 2002 to make a career for himself. He landed his first job as a brand marketer at British American Tobacco
Following the Callings of Fashion
While working as a brand manager at Diageo, Atafo’s creative and multitasking nature dug into fashion as well. Not long, he opened his own fashion brand, which he named “Mai Atafo Inspired”, which he actually started up as a mere side hustle, offering little tailoring services to his close friends and making aso-oke waistcoats for weddings. He was able to joggle between his career and evolving fashion brand for three years before he took the big leap and resigned from Diageo.
“I was just working to make a living until the passion for fashion took over, and I decided to do something in fashion. It wasn’t a plan that when I finished working here I would want to go into fashion. Not at all! My passion for fashion just drove me into fashion.” Atafo said in an interview.
Birth of the ATAFO Fashion Brand
After starting his new company in 2010, he began accepting jobs from people, particularly celebrities. Even with countless challenges as a starter, Atafo experienced a quick boost in his brand after dressing Pasuma and Omowunmi Akinnifest for a reality dance TV show known as “Celebrity Takes Two.”
Mai Atafo hit a major milestone in 2011 after he launched a bridal line named “Weddings By MAI”, which uniquely specialised in evening dresses and wedding gowns. He gave women a chance to celebrate their special day with uniquely designed fairlytale gowns to match the order of the day.
Aside from the several national and international awards his fashion brand has garnered the young fashionista has also in 2017 launched a fashion campaign, Follow Mai Heart, in partnership with Moet and Chandon on his 40th birthday celebration. Atafo said. “This collection is an ode to brides and an inspiration to others because I always FollowMaiHeart.”
Soon, he rebranded his fashion line in 2019 from being known as “Mai Atafo Inspired” to just “ATAFO”, with his reason being that he needed to separate his person from the brand, to enable the brand grow and attain its potential outside of him. New categories of design in children’s clothing, streetwear, and accessories were also introduced as a result of this rebranding.
ATAFO still upholds its daring and inventive designs with the sole intention of serving more clients, developing a platform to empower people, enhancing brand marketing and going global. “I want to be the best suit tailor in Africa.” “ I’m not a sucker for going international because those internationals are trying to come to Africa, so let’s be the champions of Africa before going out to the rest of the world,” Mai Atafo said.
Bimpe Onamoya: Tenacity, purpose, and becoming a shining light in the fashion industry
scenario for their African counterparts and other people of colour. This is because in the long years of fashion shows, there has been no person of colour with a marked strong showing in these fashion stages.
In 2014, Bimpe became the first Black African Makeup Artist to work backstage with models alongside other world class Makeup Artists and Fashion Designers at the New York Fashion week of that year.
Starting Out
In 2013, she signed on to be an artistic director with Maybelline when L’Oreal expanded into Africa. Then by 2014, she got the opportunity to work backstage at the New York Fashion Week for the first time.
Behind the scenes, she has worked with popular models like Jourdan Dunn and Alek Wek, as well as numerous brands, like Jason Wu and DKNY.
One of the leading African makeup artists, Bimpe Onamoya has consistently stood tall among Nigeria’s leading names within the fashion and beauty industry. She is the artistic director of Maybelline New York in Nigeria.
Charting a path
Growing up with a dream to pursue a unique career path which is not so popular and mainstream, can be an arduous journey for any young person especially in a country like Nigeria. This was exactly the case for Bimpe Onakoya. Hers was that of becoming a makeup stylist, something that many in this day and age see do not see as fit to be seen as a profession but rather something you do on the sides.
According to her: “People used to ask me, ‘Apart from makeup, what else do you do?’ And I would respond, ‘Makeup!’. Then, they’d ask me if it pays the bills”.
She has successfully turned what many snuff at into a career and has gone on to make it to the global stage as an authority in the makeup and fashion world.
Bimpe has over sixteen years of experience as a makeup artist and runs a studio that offers various types of makeup packages such as bridal makeup, campaign makeup, fashion makeup and photo shoots.
Breaking the Ceiling
While it’s a regular thing to see various British and French nationals keying at the major fashion festivals, it’s a completely different
She has created looks for Laquan Smith, a New York based luxury women’s wear fashion designer who has dressed the likes of pop stars Eyince, Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, Serena Williams and many other notable fashion conscious female celebrities.
On the home front, she has been the Key Artist for two of the biggest fashion Weeks in Nigeria, the Lagos Fashion Week and Arise Fashion Week.
Bimpe’s rise to fame and prominence in the global makeup and fashion industry is one that shows that with tenacity and clarity of purpose, just about anything can be achieved.
If you faint not, but stay consistent on a journey, standing out with excellence and total commitment, all things good will sooner than later come your way.
“I Didn’t Choose Fashion; it chose me,” Deola Sagoe’s Journey to Destiny
She worked in the company and her mother’s fashion workshop at her father’s insistence.
While working with her mother, she harnessed her skills, and in 1988, she established the House of Deola. Since what she knows how to do best is fashion, the mother of three said, “I didn’t choose fashion, it chose me...I feel I produce more intelligent clothing as a result.”
Her fashion accomplishment
Though Deola Ade-Ojo came into the limelight in 1998 during the MNET Face of Africa, her career became pronounced when she won the MNET Anglo Gold African Design Award in 2000 after being nominated by U.S. Vogue Editor Andre Leon Tally.
Deola Ade-Ojo Sagoe is the perfect definition of the saying that your certificate does not define your career path. As a certified business administration and Finance professional, she pivoted into the fashion world and grew her mother’s traditional embroidered menswear business by incorporating it with contemporary styles.
By blending Nigerian and modern cultures, she created a brand that withstood the test of time. “I try to fuse African cultural style with a modern approach to design,” she says. “I love the dynamism of creating modernity out of something steeped in history. I think it’s what gives my collection such a cultural mix.”
Her fashion sense, combined with her exceptional entrepreneurial skill, has seen her nurture the business to what it is today. Deola’s decision to join her mother’s fashion
business made her an iconic designer in her field both within and outside Nigeria and earned her several awards and recognition.
The life of Deola Ade-Ojo sagoe
The Nigerian-born and raised designer is the first child of her parents, chief Micheal Ade-Ojo, the founder of Elizade Group.
After completing her secondary education, she attended the University of Florida, where she graduated with a degree in business administration. It was during this period she discovered her fancy for the fashion space. Despite this discovery, she furthered her education at the University of Lagos when she returned to Nigeria. There, she obtained her master’s degree in Finance.
Girded with business knowledge, her father asked her to join the family business. Sagoe was against the idea and opted to work in her mother’s traditional embroidery business.
The following year, she was ranked 37 on the African Almanac scale of 100 most influential Africans globally. In 2004, she set the pace for the African fashion industry by becoming the first black woman to present African-infused clothing to the Alta Roma Alta Moda Fashion week in Rome.
In 2007, she received the Platinum Quality Award for her superior clothing at the 10th International Star Awards in Paris. The following year, she received the International Quality Award in the diamond category of Excellence and Business prestige at the Quality Summit in New York.
Her brand was seen as a Super Brand and received the Super Brand’s Certificate of Excellence in Fashion Design and Label category in 2010. She was also part of the October 1 movie, directed by Kunle Afolayan. Sagoe created the costumes used for the story written by Tunde Babalola. This earned her the Multichoice - Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Award for Best Costume Designer.
Also, her designs have been used by Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, top American models Lydia Hearst and Alek Wek, and several African first ladies and famous personalities.
The name Yomin Casual is arguably one of the most popular names, with a top of mind recall when Nigerian fashion brands came up as a subject of discussion.
How Yomi Casual Earned His Right Of Place Among Nigeria’s Foremost Notable Fashion Brands
Yomi Makun, younger brother to Ayo Makun, popular comedian and show host, has come a long way with his Yomi Casual brand. From a disastrous JAMB application error in his chosen course of study, he has gone on through consistency and hard work to earn his place among Nigeria’s most versatile and respected fashion brands.
Born Olorunyomi Omoniyi Makun, he is the last of seven children of the Makun family.
He is known to design catchy and beautiful attires for young and upwardly mobile
Nigerians with a taste for a feel from the regular. He launched the brand back in 2007 and since then he has not looked back.
He has gone on to cloth notable Nigerian celebrities, among whom are Alibaba, 9ice, AY, Alex Ekubo, Ramsey Nouah Jnr Zack Orji, Uti Nwachukwu, Desmond Elliot, Majid Mitchell, JJ Okocha, Sammie Okposo, Timaya, Chidi Mokeme, Chioma Chukwuka, Seyi Law, Bovi, Uti, DJ Jimmy Jatt, Ebube Nwagbo, IK Ogbonna, Iyanya, Aki and Paw Paw and many others.
The Yomi Casual brand features African designs that come in very easy to wear and casual styles. His designs are made with
African prints with stylish prints which can be worn by men and women both as traditional wear and as smart corporate casuals.
The Yomi Casual brand has been featured in fashion exhibitions across the world.
Journey into the fashion world
For Yomi, his discovery and eventual adoption of fashion as a career path came entirely by accident.
According to him, it was not his intention to become a designer. He says his elder sister made a mistake while filling out his Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board forms in 2002, in the bid to get him into the university. Instead of filling in Fine and Applied Art, she filled in Fashion Design.
So, he was accepted into Fashion Design in some untaught error. And that was how Providence directed him away from studying fine arts into a field that has rather brought the best out of him, and given him a life and legacy he would never have dreamt of in a million years.
When asked if he thinks he would have been as successful as he is now if he had decided to continue life as an artist, instead, he replied saying, “It depends. Maybe by now, I would be in one country or the other exhibiting my work. On the other hand, the case could be worse as I could have been under the bridge showing off my painting.
However, I believe God never fails. I believe it was God’s plan for me (to be a fashion designer).”
Controversy surrounding his lifestyle
Yomi, known to live a flashy lifestyle along with some of his friends in the Nigerian entertainment industry, has had his fair share of controversies especially relating to chatters about him being involved in internet fraud or what is popularly known as ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ in local parlance.
He has successfully debunked such rumours with simple retorts, that many who accuse him of such things do not know his story and how far he has come in the fashion business. While speaking on ‘Lunch Date with Vanguard’ he said: “You know there is one thing about Nigerians or people that are in the same business with you. And if they are not doing well as you’re doing, they try to compensate themselves with such words.
“No be the same work we they do? Na im dey sew pass? Wetin happen? (Typical pidgin English jabs, usually stemming out of peer jealousy) “I get that a lot. We need to educate them…..”
He went further to say, “Some people are very young in the business; some of them joined two years ago. And if you asked them ‘how do you even find yourself as a fashion designer?’ You’ll hear many of them, 80% of them trust me, will say it’s due to “hunger” because there is no job.
“They don’t know what you’re going through because I look so young. They don’t know I’ve been in the business for more than a decade. It’s 15 years, going to 16 now. That’s no beans. That’s a long time.
“And that’s not even how it should be when you’re in the industry because there are some that have been there for 20 years and not even make as much as you make.
“But, I understand my card, I play my card so well. And there’s money in the fashion business. People don’t know. There is so much money in the business,” he concluded.
Awards and recognitions
He has won quite a number of awards and recognitions for his creative designs. He won both the fashion designer of the year award and the Effizzy Awards for new designer of the year. He also won the City People’s Hottest Designer award for the year 2011 among several others.
Tony Elumelu is Arguably Africa’s Most Stylish Business Leader
Of all the top entrepreneurs in Nigeria and Africa, Tony Elumelu holds a special place in the hearts of many. His devotion to raising and supporting other entrepreneurs through the Tony Elumelu Foundation is only one part of the puzzle.
The other part that provokes admiration is his fashion style and fitness lifestyle, both of which are pointers to a man who is obviously occupied with building a business empire but not too busy that he loses touch with himself.
Tony Onyemaechi Elumelu, fondly referred to as T.O.E, was born in Jos, Plateau state, Nigeria, on March 22, 1963. After his first degree in Economics from Bendel State University and a Master’s degree from the University of Lagos, he secured a job at the Allstates Trust Bank as an entry-level analyst. Within a year, he had grown to become the youngest branch manager, only 27 years old at the time. Though Elumelu always recounts that luck played a huge part in his rapid growth, one cannot rule out the place of his hardwork and competence.
By 1997, he took a very unexpected shift when he led a group of investors to take over a nearly bankrupt commercial bank in Lagos – Standard Trust Bank – and then changed the story to make it one of the top players in the banking sector. The turnaround story of this bank is a very interesting one, and Elumelu recounts applying some key business principles to achieve it.
In 2005, he led a merger with the United Bank for Africa (UBA) and his bank, with the resulting bank keeping the name UBA, as it had the depth of history they wanted the new bank to inherit. With Elumelu’s Midas touch, UBA grew within the next decade, spreading its presence into 19 other African countries. By the time Elumelu left his position as Chief Executive Officer in
2010, the bank was already comfortably seated among the top 5 banks in Nigeria.
Leaving UBA gave TOE the time and freedom to start Heirs Holding, a family-owned Investment Company with a portfolio that cuts across the power, financial services, oil and gas, hospitality, real estate, and healthcare sectors. The company operates in twenty-three countries worldwide.
He also started the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) shortly after, with the intention to democratise access to opportunities for African entrepreneurs.
The Foundation has now created a digital ecosystem where entrepreneurs are mentored, trained and funded. It has financed thousands of entrepreneurs and continues to welcome applications many more entrepreneurs annually.
Tony Elumelu chairs the Transcorp Group, one of Nigeria’s largest quoted conglomerates with subsidiaries like Transcorp Power and Transcorp Hotels Plc.
Elumelu was a recipient of the African banker of the year by African Banker magazine in 2008, the African Business leader of the year by Africa Investor magazine, and listed as one of “Africa’s 20 Most Powerful People in 2012” by Forbes Magazine. In addition to his reputation as a versatile and competent businessman, his fashionable and fitness persona is unmissable.
A cursory look through his social media handles will show the acclaimed CEO in several advanced yoga poses, fit clothing and sometimes urban casual outfits. The consistency in all of these – his identity across social media, his outfits, and his lifestyle – points to a clear direction in his personal
For instance, where would you find the picture of TOE in a suit without a trace of the signature red colour somewhere?
Interestingly, red is a prevalent colour across different brands he is associated with – United Bank for Africa plc, Heirs Holding, Transcorp – and maybe a personal favourite colour of Sir Elumelu as well.
One must admit, on and off social media, Tony Elumelu’s image, reputation, and voice is one to reckon with.
Global, Social CEO survey posts that C-suite executives who actively engage on social media create more transparency for the brand, and a channel for the public to have sustained engagement with a company’s stakeholders. It is a means of gaining and maintaining sufficient goodwill beyond their current position and company. It is a strategy that has worked well for Elumelu and could work well for every other business
How Shelley Mokoena and Keneilwe Mothoa Turned Their Thrift Shop Clothing into Luxury Fashion
on social media, they received a tremendous amount of attention.
What started as a collection of used clothes developed into a high-end apparel line, whilst still retaining their recognisable, simple and original appearances.
Prime Obsession
This high-end brand skillfully combines colours that are opposite but complementing. The fact that the majority of their designs are in black and white colour schemes is not surprising.
From turning thrift shop wear into spectacular fashion to being in top publications like Vogue, visionaries and designers, Shelley Mokoena and Keneilwe Mothoa have put their love for fashion on a global scale by launching their brand, Prime Obsession.
Launched in 2014 as their flagship initiative, Prime Obsession immediately gained the attention of the public which rippled into opportunities with local and international brands like Country Road and Woolworths.
These young ladies have presented their collections at the Design Indaba Festival, South African Fashion Week, and Mercedes Fashion Week. They have launched their first store in Newtown, Johannesburg creating jobs for young people in South Africa. They continue to gain momentum both locally and abroad.
Their bold and intriguing designs are altering the look of South African fashion with their structured, monochromatic color scheme approach.
How Prime Obsession was launched
Shelley Mokoena has always been creative. She enjoy using her hands to make things. This fascination led her to pursue interior design, where she eventually met Keneilwe Mothoa, her personal friend and business partner. While in college, Shelley Mokoena and Keneilwe Mothoa could not afford luxury clothing for themselves.
They took to secondhand apparel, which they then modified to make unique pieces for their closets. They decided to launch a clothing business because of the admiration and interest their designs garnered among their friends. In an interview with Kenny Morifi-Winslow, Keneilwe Mothoa stated,
“People worry too much about searching for the new when there is so much quality in the places people are afraid to look.”
The Beginning of a Clothing Line
Shelley Mokoena and Keneilwe Mothoa did not want to mess with pricey and unreliable models. They then posed in their own creations and requested photography help from friends. When they posted their work
By combining various tones of the same colour, Prime Obsession also shines in monochrome. It is clear that the designers are using their expertise in interior design to produce expressive works of art.
They take advantage of materials like polycotton, organza, and chiffon. Additionally, their basic silhouettes flatter a variety of body types. Prime Obsession’s general aesthetics come with a hip-hop influence, which appeals to the younger generation. Shelley reveals where they got their inspiration in an interview with Lindi Brownell Meiring of Visi magazine.
“Our clothing is inspired by different traditions, cultures, religions as well as social issues. These creations translate in a very structural, yet moving and emotional manner, with simple details.’’
The increasing accolades for Prime Obsession
Following the debut of their clothing line, Shelley and Keneilwe received invitations to work with prominent companies like Calvin Klein and Country Road.
They’ve been highlighted in Vogue and have presented their creations at the Mercedes Fashion Week.
Africa is home to countless raw materials that are yet to be exploited. The continent also has the population numbers, which makes it a good market for any brand looking for consumers. Countless opportunities abound in virtually every industry on the continent.
Fashion and beauty industry sub-sectors, with so many opportunities, are prominent in this list.
With the continent’s population expected to double to about 2.4 billion by 2050, a rising middle class, and an increased urbanisation push, the beauty market is expected to double in the next decade as appetites increase for fashion and fashion accessories.
The figures
According to market research, the beauty industry in the Middle East and Africa was estimated at about $27.1 billion as of 2018was and reported to increase by between 8% and 10%, a higher rate when compared with the global market growth rate of 4%.
Of this, South Africa represents $4.5 billion, while Nigeria and Kenya place second and third, respectively. This growth and the potential therein is shown in the number of foreign brands that are trooping in to cash in on the opportunities. Brands like Oriflame, L’Oreal, Maybelline, and Unilever have set up a notable presence on the continent.
What’s responsible for this growth?
The answer to this lies in the young population of the continent. You only need to look at the demographics of individual countries to see this.
It is reported that about three-quarters of the population of sub-Saharan Africa is below the age of 30, and these are the people most interested in beauty products, perfumes, and hair care. With a willingness to dole out any amount just to look good.
Opportunities in Africa’s Fashion and Beauty Industry
Business Trends || By Wale AmeenSub-Saharan Africa is seen on many fronts as the next frontier in terms of market penetration and reach. And this is hugely understandable.
This age bracket is continually fuelling the growth of the industry and oiling the wheels of beauty care companies.
Nigeria is a good example of this drive. With a strong population growth that includes a good section of young, urban female population and a growing middle class connoting that they have more money to spend and western influences, there is a growing appetite for beauty care products, human hair, and the likes.
Today, with the accessibility of social media and the internet, Africa’s young populations are increasingly trying to look sophisticated with styles copied from pop stars and musicians like Beyonce.
Again, Nigeria and South Africa are not just the only countries experiencing this; other African countries like Cameroon, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Ghana are closely following suit. In essence, Africa’s middle class is growing, with women having more purchasing power than ever before, thus fueling the growth of these beauty companies.
The opportunities
With the numbers of young people growing and the appetite to look good and trendy on the increase, so are the opportunities in the fashion and beauty industry.
According to a Deloitte report, “Africa’s middle class has tripled over the last 30 years,
with one in three people now considered to be living above the poverty line – but not among the wealthy. The current trend suggests that the African middle class will grow to 1.1 billion (42%) by the year 2060. As African economies are growing (7 of the 10 fastest growing in the world are African), the wealth is trickling down and Africa now has the fastest growing middle class in the world.”
This shows that opportunities in this field are certainly going to be on the increase in the coming years with demand surging.
There are a number of opportunities in specific niches within the fashion and beauty industries on the continent. Some of these niches include cosmetics and skin care, human hair, fashion, and accessories.
Although the fashion and beauty industries were off to a rather slow and sluggish start on the continent, they are, however, gaining momentum even as foreign brands appear to be making more headway when compared to indigenous brands.
In fact, reports have it that there has been a rise in the sale of cosmetics in Africa, and this is just the beginning. The predictions are that African economies will continue to expand in the coming decade and take a bigger share of the world market.
Let’s take a look at the individual niches and how each stacks out in terms of numbers.
Fashion: Africa’s traditional fabric space is a goldmine that needs to be exploited more by Africans. There is an increasingly growing demand for Africa’s traditional fabrics and attires by not just Africans but foreigners as well. Indigenous brands need to look more into exporting our fabrics and ready-to-wear sections in this regard.
Cosmetics: This is another section that needs to be exploited more. Right now, more foreign brands are dominating this section. More indigenous African brands need to come up and develop products that will appeal more to the African skin.
Hair care: The beauty of any woman, and any African woman for that matter, is her hair. A woman will go to any length to get the best hairdo or even purchase attachment human hair to meet their needs. At the moment, much of the human hair being sold to Africans is imported. This is an opportunity for indigenous brands to come up with factories that will turn this tide. This will generate employment and even bring the cost of these products down as they are manufactured here.
Conclusion
Opportunities in Africa’s fashion and beauty industry are indeed limitless. With a growing population, the next decade holds infinite opportunities for entrepreneurs willing and looking to go into the fashion and beauty subsectors. What’s more, this growth is evidenced by the growing numbers of African fashion entrepreneurs who are currently pushing the boundaries and offering homegrown inspiration pieces and products to the African consumer.
Amaka Osakwe’s Journey to Dressing Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, Others
Considering that Adire has almost become a dying art due to the time-consuming and laborious process of making it, Maki Oh’s design with the craft earns even more attention and recognition. It is just like telling stories with the designs; something Africans are well-tuned with.
Maki Oh is identified with clothing collections that directly address issues like feminism, sexism, racism and other issues that many consider the norm. To summarise it, Amaka Osakwe plays on themes of female empowerment, seduction, and autonomy; thus challenging the general picture of the stereotypical African woman.
The fashion and clothing industry is ever-evolving, with new trends and designs everyday. To remain notable in this industry, one must not be afraid to evolve and innovate. One must not be afraid to challenge the standards of conventional fashion in order to make clothing choices that reflect one’s personality. Simply put, one must not be afraid to be like Amaka Osakwe.
Amaka Osakwe, arguably one of Africa’s top creative and notable designers, is the founder of the African-based fashion label Maki Oh. One can say without fear of contradiction that Maki Oh is one of the biggest fashion brand stories to come out of Nigeria.
Amaka Osakwe was born in 1987 and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. Her path into the fashion space was defined quite early as she enjoyed drawing pretty dresses as a hobby and even started designing her own clothes as
a teenager. Osakwe took this hobby further when she chose to take Fashion Studies at the Arts University Bournemouth in Poole, England. After obtaining her B.A. in fashion studies, she returned to Nigeria and launched her label in 2010.
The woman’s wear label was inspired by rural Ghana’s Dipo rites-of-passage ceremony, a spring-time festival where girls taking part are ornately adorned in partial naked wears. Based on this inspiration, Osakwe would develop designs that make an intricate play on cloaking and ornamentation, using traditional African fabrics.
It was fairly easy for Osakwe to stand out with her unique designs like the signature use of the Yoruba indigo-dyed textile called adire, a cultural speciality whose practice revolves around modern-day Ogun and Osun states in western Nigeria; as well as the unique combination of native materials and motifs with Western silhouettes.
In less than three years from the label’s launch, Maki Oh had been discovered by the United States fashion industry, with a chance to present her designs at the New York Fashion Week in 2012.
Not only is the label present on the international scene, Maki Oh outfits have been worn by notable personalities, including the then United States First Lady, Michelle Obama, Lupita Nyong’o, Solange Knowles, Lady Gaga, Issa Rae, and Leelee Sobieski and by Nigerian TV presenter Eku Edewor. Michelle Obama would later invite Osakwe to join her at the “Celebration of Design” event at the White House.
Maki Oh continues to appear at New York Fashion Week. Since 2010, her designs have been showcased at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, the Vitra Design Museum, and the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery.
Osakwe was named “Designer of the Year” by African fashion magazine ARISE. She was nominated and became a finalist for the LVMH Prize in 2014.
How Zizi Cardow Revolutionalised African Fashion
Zizi Cardow is a veteran Nigerian fashion designer and a forerunner in contemporary African fashion. She founded her eponymous haute couture label in 2000 and kickstarted a revolution for African fabrics with a view to globalisation. After her debut year in the Nigerian fashion scene, Zizi received the prestigious Designer of the Year award at the Nigerian Fashion Show (NFS).
This marked the launch of her designs across the continent and internationally. In 2001, her clothes were on the runways of South Africa, Italy, France and the UK. In 2002, she staged a high-class fashion show dubbed ‘’Jungle Renaissance” which received rave reviews from local and international critics. By 2006, Zizi Cardow had become a household name.
Zizi, as she is fondly called, grew up in an expatriate community in Apapa, Lagos. Her dream was to become a forensic profiler. That ambition changed when she turned 17.
She landed her first job at a boutique owned by an Italian. This sparked her interest in fashion, and four years later, she left the job to set up her label, Zizi.
She later floated Zizi Industrial, which solely produced corporate uniforms. The company serviced hotels and shipping lines. In 2000, she decided to pursue her passion for fashion by working with the Ankara fabric. At the time, the fabric was relegated to market women who typically had it made into iro and buba. Zizi’s vision was to create an identity for Nigerians to replace the Senegalese and linen most Nigerians wore at the time.
Growing up in an expatriate community, no one paid attention to what you wore. This helped Zizi identify her love for fashion. In the 80s, the punk age, she would wear six belts on her waist. As the 11th child in a family of 15, she was constantly trying to be heard. With so many brothers ahead of her, Zizi was somewhat a tomboy and that helped her develop a strong personality.
Considering Zizi’s impact on African fashion, one would have thought she had extensive formal education, but she was largely selftaught. She didn’t attend a university even though she gained admission to study Law at the University of Benin. She didn’t pursue it due to what she described as “family reasons”. However, she later bagged an honorary doctorate due to her extensive work that had a major influence on African fashion.
“I launched my way into the Nigerian fashion scene with asymmetrical designs, and more than a decade after, it has gone mainstream. One of the perks and joys I derive from my job is seeing people appreciate my designs. When I founded my label, we worked majorly with Ankara fabrics and I still am an Ankara-based brand. Today, the fabric is being appreciated all over the world. I have always wanted to see Ankara worn to red-carpet events and that is currently happening,” says Zizi.
Speaking on the growth of the fashion industry, Zizi Cardow adds, “Even though the industry has grown in leaps and bounds from the time we started, we have room for more growth. I particularly love the expressive turn that fashion has taken; people are no longer afraid to be adventurous with their fashion choices. My cuts have always been different. It’s mostly fluid and I love things that accentuate the curves.”
Meet Ophelia Crossland, a Fashion Entrepreneur Making a Style Statement within and out of the shores of Africa
customers who thought it was a plus-size brand. With time, she resolved this perception and reoriented people about her brand.
This has seen the Ghanaian-born and raised fashion designer, during her eighteen years in the industry design spiffy clothes for prominent people within and outside Ghana, ranging from politicians to celebrities.
Some of clients are Nana Konadu AgyemanRawlings (former First Lady of Ghana), Mrs Samira Bawumia (Second Lady of Ghana), Fatima Bio (First Lady of Sierra Leone), Amb. Claire Marie Weah (First Lady of Liberia), Hidna Deby (First Lady of Chad), Georgina Theodora Woods (the First Female Chief Justice), and former Speaker of Parliament, Joyce Bamford-Addo.
Workshop Award for being the best designer and brand ambassador.
In 2018, Akpene Diata Hoggar, the Miss Universe Ghana, also credited Crossland for the evening gown she wore for the 2018 Miss Universe finale in Thailand. This earned her the ‘Official National Customer’ award for the Miss Universe 2018 grand finale. In the same year, she won the GlitzStyle award for the womenswear designer of the year.
The following year, she became the only participant and representative of Africa and Ghana at the Global Qipao Exhibition held at the China National Silk Museum in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.
Ophelia Crossland is a Ghanaian fashion entrepreneur frontlining the industry in her country and the rest of Africa. Ophelia developed her passion for the sector from her grandmother, who doubled as a fashion designer and a former Miss Ghana and her mother, a fabric merchant.
While learning from her grandmother, she sewed for herself and her friends. She went on to attend the Vogue Style School of Fashion and Design in a bid to hone her skill.
After graduating in 2004 as the best in class, she decided to launch her brand, Ophelia Crossland Designs, in the same year. With resilience, she has built her brand to be one of the reputable forces and go-to brands in Ghana, Africa and internationally. This milestone is, however, not without hiccups.
At the initial stage of her business, she found it challenging to get well-skilled employees. This, in turn, made the work stressful. Also, when she started her brand, plus-sized customers patronised her the most. This left the wrong impression on prospective
She is known to have designed the custom outfits for the cast of the movie ‘Love or Something Like That’ in 2014.
The success of her brand saw its expansion to some African countries, such as Angola and Ivory Coast and collaboration with retail outlets in the United Kingdom. In 2009, she launched a kiddies section called Ohemaa Kids Klub after her first daughter ‘Ohemaa’.
Milestones in the industry
The success of the movie ‘Love or Something Like That’ earned Ophelia Crossland the Ghana Movie Awards for ‘Best Wardrobe and Costume Designer’ in 2014.
Her diverse representation of Africa to the world via her styles earned her the West African Ambassador for Swarovski in 2017. She represented Swarovski at the Fashion Exhibition held in Dubai.
For her, “The Swarovski Exposé was a high point in my career, and the response from Ghana was overwhelming.” During this period, she received the Swarovski Training
Her exhibition at the event saw the integration of the Kente fabric to express the ‘Wedding’ theme. She believes it is the best fabric to express African creativity and ingenuity.
She said, “For me, Kente represents Ghana best, and so when we applied for the Qipao challenge, I had no option but to use the intricately woven Kente, and it went well, hence our call up into the final 10.”
This made her the first African designer to have her work permanently displayed in the leading fashion gallery that showcases more than 40,000 pieces of Western and Chinese textile production. The success of the Qipao gown she made launched her into international space.
The same year, she received the Ghana industry Chief Executive Officer (CEO) award for ‘Ghana’s Most Respected CEO in Fashion and Lifestyle’.
The happily married mother of three girls and the wife of Ghanaian Broadcaster and fashion designer Kofi Okyere Darko advised aspiring fashion entrepreneurs as follows, “If ‘Ophelia’, a girl from Osu, can do it, then nothing can stop you from achieving your dreams. Go out and create your magic.”
Meet Samata Pattinson, the Ghanaian Designer Dominating the Global Fashion Space
from creative people, editors, designers; garments and textile engineers.
With more understanding of the industry, she quickly took up a career as a public relations (PR) Director for King’s Road boutique Elival. In 2005, with her experience, she created her clothing label with Ken Livingstone at the Festival of Youth Arts Fashion in Piccadilly Circus. Her business was self-funded. She redirected every income she earned into the business and quickly grew beyond boundaries.
fashion summit and the U.S. department of state bureau of international information programs.
As a media person and author
Samata Pattinson, British-born Ghanaian award-winning designer who also doubles as a writer, broadcaster, and entrepreneur. She is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Suzy Amis Cameron’s Red Carpet Green Dress (RCGD), a sustainable fashion and apparel brand, based WHERE???.
In her entrepreneurial journey, this selftaught fashion mogul has more than 15 years of experience in this space. Though an economist by qualification, she’s attained remarkable milestones in fashion and media.
How Samata got into fashion
Samata Pattison was born and raised in Cambridge, England. To further her education, she attended the Queen Mary University of London. There, she earned her Master’s degree in economics, finance and management. This period also served as her formative year as a fashion designer.
Though she lacked the industry’s fundamentals, she was guided by her sense of creativity and passion for fashion, especially the red carpet type of fashion. So when she moved to London to start her master’s degree, she used the opportunity to immerse herself in the fashion industry. She related; and learnt
This made her the first black British female to feature during the Nolcha Fashion Week, New York. Her creative work in the industry earned her an invite to Number 10 Downing Street by both Gordon Brown and the Cameron administrations.
Taking a new step on the right path
The recognition of her work saw her take new steps in her fashion career. In 2011, she contested and won the Suzy Amis Cameron’s Red Carpet Green Dress young designer contest, an international sustainable design initiative on the Oscars’ red carpet.
This marked her entry into Red Carpet Green Dress company. With her creative insight, she climbed the fashion ladder and became the campaign director and later vice president. In 2019, she was appointed Red Carpet Green Dress’s chief executive officer (CEO). Since assuming the office, she annually promoted sustainable fashion on the red carpet at the Oscars. She has been working with brands such as Louis Vuitton, Armani, and Vivienne Westwood to achieve sustainable goals in the industry.
Her expertise in eco-design solutions and business has seen her work with prime ministers, business leaders; notable summits and platforms. This includes IT TVnews, South by Southwest Eco, Copenhagen
Apart from being an accomplished fashion expert, Samata Pattinson has made a name for herself in the media industry. This has seen her frontline some sustainable fashion work with notable media brands in the industry, such as The Talent Magazine and The Guardian.bShe has interviewed the likes of Suzy Amis Cameron, Missi Pyle, Dame Vivienne Westwood, Christopher Bailey and Christopher Raeburn.
In 2016, she narrated, co-directed and co-produced a short documentary about sustainable fashion. It was titled Designing Change with Suzy Amis Cameron. Still in the creative space, in 2013, Pattinson authored ‘Fashion Designer’s Resource Book’. She also published ‘The Tribe Empowerment Journal’.
Samata Pattinson’s The Tribe
Samata Pattinson founded ‘The Tribe’ in 2016 as a global women’s only event and collective. While it serves as a brand, it is also a community that brings and connects women worldwide to inspire, encourage and support each other.
This is done through online conversation, THE TRIBE Empowerment Journal, forums, engagement, or physical events.
The platform is not exclusive to women in the fashion industry. It encompasses women from sectors such as Media, Business, Law, Food, Drink, Art & Design, Lifestyle, Sport & Entertainment, Science and Public Life.
As an all-encompassing brand, it has interviewed people such as Vandana Shiva (an environmentalist), Priyanka Bose (actor) and Stephanie Schierholz (NASA Public Affairs Officer).
Dumebi Iyamah: The NigerianCanadian Designer Infusing Cultural Ethics Into Her Designs
Obsessed with colours and ethnic cultures, Nigerian fashion designer Dumebi Iyamah
created a clothing line, Andrea Iyamah.
She developed her tailoring abilities and educated herself about design because she had a passion for the arts and fashion. This sparked the creation of her brand at the young age of 17.
Although Andrea Iyamah is well known for its distinctive and unconventional approach to swimwear, employing vivid colours and cuts influenced by a variety of African
cultures. The company also specialises in ready-to-wear specially produced gowns for special occasions.
The colours and concepts of the brand’s first official swimwear collection, which debuted in 2013, were heavily influenced by the African background of the company and a fusion of retro and other cultures.
The brand, which is based in Ontario, Canada, caters to females globally who want to attend
an event in style or go on a sizzling vacation wearing an edgy bathing suit.
Dumebi Iyamah has been offering ethnic wear with a contemporary twist since 2011 while still paying close attention to the cuts and details. The Andrea Iyamah team works extensively to ensure that each piece they produce tells a story.
The company aspires to contribute to vacation memories through its designs and to provide
its customers with the chance to participate in a cultural narrative through their clothing. Dumebi Iyamah has launched a store in Lagos, Nigeria in an effort to return to her roots and better serve the local clientele.
Early life
Iyamah, the fourth of four children born to Andrew and Onyi Iyamah, both of Ika of Agbor descent in Delta state, was born in Lagos. She had her early education at Lagos Grange School. She graduated from McMaster University with a bachelor’s degree in communication and multimedia.
Iyamah started her clothing brand in Ontario, Canada. With the assistance of her family and close friends, she established the fashion label while a 17-year-old student at McMaster University.
The fourth child to be born to Andrew and Onyi Iyamah. Her mother was a beautician who had a clothing boutique and a hair salon, while her father was an engineer by profession.
During her early years, both of her parents were self-employed business owners. She lost her father when she was just seven years old. She grew up under the lone care of her Mom and older sister Somkele (an actress), who would at this time become the Director of the Andrea Iyamah fashion line.
The start of the Andrea Iyamah fashion brand
At the age of 17, Dumebi Iyamah began working on her clothing line, Andrea Iyamah. “Andrea Iyamah” has its corporate office in Toronto and a flagship store in Lagos that opened its doors in 2017. In an interview with The Folklore Group, Dumebi Iyamah said,
“I initially started with a simple blog to share my sketches and artwork, but that quickly changed into a full-fledged business when I hand sewed my first few sketches and readers actually wanted to purchase them. That’s really how it all started.”
In 2011, one of her designs was highlighted in a well-read blog article, and this served
as the impetus for “Andrea Iyamah.” While pursuing her college education, she focused on her business, beginning by creating clients’ personalised clothing. Dumebi infuses her Nigerian roots into most of her designs. In an interview, she states
“My Nigerian roots are quite a part and parcel of me that it comes quite natural to include some elements that portray the culture. Nigerians are energetic, vibrant and confident which are elements that are evident in A.I. designs. Also having our flagship A.I. studio, and operating out of there, keeps the inspiration fresh and relevant.”
Andrea Iyamah accolades
Custom bridal, ready-to-wear, and swim and resort wear were the three main product lines she perfected for the brand. Her work has received notice from the press, including Vogue, Elle, Essence, Refinery29, HuffPost, Cosmopolitan, and many more. She formally launched a full swim collection in 2013.
Her designs have been worn by prominent celebrities, including Michelle Obama, Kate Hudson, Ciara, Gabrielle Union, and Genevieve Nnaji at fashion events she has produced in Africa, Europe, France, and the United States. At Lagos Fashion Week 2019, she debuted her Spring/Summer 2020 collection.
How Zeze Oriaikhi-Sao Brought African Cosmetics to Life Through Malée
expression of her interest in the beauty industry because she wasn’t sure of how she would handle it in a bigger way.
When she finally graduated in 2007, Zeze landed her first job, for British Telecom as a network integrating engineer and then as a database analyst, but her experience in the industry didn’t pull off much of a trigger on her, so she quit. “After working for a year at British Telecom, I realised that I could not continue in a job I didn’t want to do,” she said in an interview.
Just when she closed that chapter, she opened another as a small media consultant, ran the business with a partner for a while, and then dissolved it after a short period. The thirsty young adventurer then decided to enrol in a business school for a Masters in International Business at the Grenoble Graduate School of Business. Upon completion of the course, she wandered to South Africa with her partner after he got a job transfer.
derived local ingredients. From there, the company Malée was birthed.
Facing the Startup Challenges
“I started Malée from my home; the dining table was my office in the beginning. I drove around a lot, sourcing suppliers, so I was on the road often,” she said. “Launching Malée came with multiple challenges, starting from creating the products from the scratch, packaging, sourcing and dealing with people in the supply chain”.
Zeze was caught up in making profits and ensuring that sherolled out healthy, affordable products that her customers would love. Additionally, she encountered a lack of funding and zero workforce. At one point, she took a break from Malée because she realised she woke up not loving her business.
The African skincare industry has taken a new turn since Zeze Oriaikhi-Sao the magic of Malée, her startup company which has now turned out to be Africa’s first global luxury fragrance and body care brand. Her success story is highly inspired by ancient Africa and all of its natural sweetness.
The young entrepreneur, guest speaker, philanthropist, brand and business consultant was born in Nigeria on the 29th of May, 1985, but later moved to the United Kingdom at the age of twelve to be with her family.
In 2003, while at Teesside University in the United Kingdom, where she studied informatics, Zeze’s interest in the beauty industry got her to set up her first business, which offered mobile nail treatments. With her passion for play, she built a strong client base and saved some money for her daily expenses. But this action was merely an
Following the Life-Long Dream
Seeking to settle down in the new environment she found herself was almost impossible due to a ravaging economic recession at the time. Zeze tried getting a job, but to no avail, and that was when the pulse for her beauty business kicked in.
Another major spur of inspiration for her business was when she realised that the skincare products she was using while in England were not suitable for the African climate. She then set out to explore ingredients and processes for locally producing beauty products that would suit the African continent.
For a start, Zeze spent six months learning, using, and researching a wide range of skincare products and their ingredients. Backed up with scientific knowledge to create skincare products, she advanced to manufacturing her products with naturally
After much consideration and consultations from her close friends, Zeze decided to take the helm back and ensure she brought Malée to its full potential. In the process of working out her passion, she was featured on CNN African Marketplace to talk about Malée.
A New Malée
Presently, Malée Natural Science has grown to become one of the most popular body care companies and has expanded to 9 different countries, including the United Kingdom. Over the years, the company has built up a sizable clientele and has become a significant supplier of a variety of beauty products to numerous upscale hotels in Africa.
In addition to the clear accolades and recognition the business has received, Zeze Oriaikhi-Sao still has big plans for Malée. “My aim is to break into more markets globally, to gain more exposure and to keep growing. I hope one day Malée will hold a good market share and become the African ‘Estee Lauder’,” she said during an interview.
How Aisha Ayensu Grew Her Global Brand With No Initial Technical Skills
Through its look and design, Christie Brown conveys its origins and is proudly Made in Africa.
She has been interviewed by Folu Storms and for the radio show In the Studio on the BBC World Service, and in 2016 she was named one of Forbes’ Most Promising Entrepreneurs.
Education and Career
Aisha Ayensu has competence in both fashion and psychology. She attended Achimota School for her secondary schooling and Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design for her training in fashion.
Aisha’s grandmother, the original Christie Brown, who was a seamstress but never owned a large fashion business, instilled her passion of fashion in Aisha. She made the decision to give the label her name in her honour. Aisha decided to begin the company in 2008 despite having no technical knowledge of how to stitch or draw a single pattern.
“Remember that this is a young brand starting out in Ghana, West Africa, how else will the world see what you’re doing, if there weren’t platforms like Facebook at the time’’ she said.
In Christie Brown’s case, the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected practically every industry, served as a catalyst for breaking through the glass ceiling. The label was able to host an online show to display its most recent line.
“We did everything on Instagram, we first started with IG live and it was super interactive, the comment section was amazing, we then transitioned to IGTV where the main show was aired’’ she pointed out.
Award-winning fashion designer Aisha Ayensu is well known for creating the stage costumes and clothing for Sandra “Alexandrina” Don-Arthur, Jackie Appiah, Genevieve Nnaji, and Beyonce. She is the creator and creative director of the Ghanaian fashion business, Christie Brown.
Founded in 2008, Christie Brown is a highend Ghanaian fashion brand. Traditional handmade skills are reinterpreted by Aisha Ayensu and incorporated with contemporary silhouettes.
A maker and marketer of women’s clothing and accessories, Christie Brown creates stunning custom gowns, wearable yet statement ready-to-wear, and avant-garde accessories predominantly influenced by African culture and art.
“I believed in this dream, I knew it was what we needed in this part at the time and I was really inspired to go ahead and pursue my dreams’’.
Aisha Ayensu realised she needed to enroll in a fashion school and fully immerse herself in the technical side of fashion once she founded the company.
She earned the “Emerging Designer of the Year Award” barely over a year after the fashion line was introduced, but she still felt that the world needed to see the side of Africa that she experienced daily.
Through that virtual show, the business was able to engage with over 30,000 viewers, which in turn helped their sales. Using Whastapp the label engages with its clientele locally and globally, especially when there are new pieces, Christie Brown, a brand that first catered to made-to-order customers before opening its first store, now produces ready-to-wear clothing and has opened an online store where prospective consumers can place orders and have their items delivered to them wherever they may be in the world.
Christie Brown accolades
Aisha Ayensu and Christie Brown have drawn a lot of attention from across the world. From being named one of Forbes’ 30 Most Promising African Entrepreneurs in 2016, Ayensu also won the African Designer of the Year award twice at Ghana’s Glitz Style Awards in 2018 and 2019.
The
impact of social media on Christie Brown
Aisha Ayensu was able to show the world her talent with the help of social media,
Since its debut, Christie Brown has garnered praise from prestigious international fashion publications like Harpers Bazaar and Vogue Italia and has made waves in the West African fashion industry with its innovative selection of chic and wearable designs.
Charlotte Mensah: Meet the Ghanaian Afro
hair stylist putting African hair on the global map
Charlotte Mensah is to hair styling what Adele Dejak is to fashion accessories. She is a British and Ghaanian award winning hair stylist who has won several awards for her hair styling efforts. Charlotte is the founder and creative director of Hair Lounge, a multi award-winning salon situated on Portobello Road, London.
Charlotte made history in 2018 when she became the first black woman to be inducted into the British Hairdressing Hall of Fame.
Growing Up, Finding Passion
Sometimes, life events end up shaping and driving us in the direction we should go or what we are designed for. This scenario sums up Charlotte Mensah’s story and how she found her love for hair styling.
For Charlotte, it all started at the tender age of 13 when she lost her mother and was saddled with the responsibility of helping her younger sister with her hair. Life, it so happened, was only directing her to what would be her life’s mission.
Mensah was born in the United Kingdom and attended London College of
Fashion, where she learnt the rudiments of fashion and all that she has been involved in ever since.
She would go on to perfect her hairstyling skills under the watchful eyes of Winston Isaac, known as the Godfather of modern British Afro Hairdressing.
She then went on to set up her own studio, Hair Lounge, in London in 1999, with funds awarded to her by The Prince’s Trust.
While many Africans have complained about a lack of skilled hands when it comes to the styling of African hair, which by nature is more textured compared to that of others from across the world, studios like Charlotte’s are some of the very few able to attend adequately to Africans and give their hair the unique treatment it deserves in the United Kingdom. Charlotte’s studio is one of the few perfect destinations
Charlotte Mensah Oil Hair careCare Products
In 2016, Charlotte launched her hair care range of products, the Charlotte Mensah Haircare range’ to wide acclaim within the hair care industry. The product line was created with the specific needs of Afro and curly hair textures in mind, with ingredients sourced from organic and sustainable ingredientssourced from around the African continent.
Recognitions and awards
Charlotte has won several recognitions for her efforts at styling afro/mixed heritage hair and is regarded as one of the industry’s most respected voices on textured hair.
Some of the awards she has received include: 20212 Weave Stylist of the Year and Hair Stylist of the Year at Beauty/Sensationnel Hair Awards; 2013 UK’s best Afro Hairdresser of the Year at the British Hairdressing Awards; 2014 UK’s best Afro Hairdresser of the Year at the British Hairdressing Awards; and the 2017 UK’s best Afro Hairdresser of the Year at the British Hairdressing Awards.
beauty editors, and Janelle Monae, Eve, other high networth
Charlotte is a consultant for a number of prestigious global hair care brands, including L’Oreal and GHD. She has collaborated with notable publications such as Elle, Stylist, and Refinery 29 on various projects.
Philanthropic efforts
Beyond being an entrepreneur, Charlotte has continued to give back to her home country of Ghana. Through her Charlotte Mensah Academy, young people in Ghana are impacted and given the opportunity to learn hair styling skills. With this, they are able to sustain themselves and their families. She also has a charity called L.O.V.E. (Ladies of Visionary Empowerment). The charity is charged with empowering young women from Africa with educational opportunities to better equip them.
Adele Dejak: Meet the Lawyer Turned Fashion
Entrepreneur who is Turning Heads with her Creative Fashion Accessories
Nigeria, like the rest of Africa, is indeed blessed with creative minds and excellent brains. One such individual is the renowned fashion entrepreneur Adele Dejak.
Adele Dejak is a Nigerian-born lawyer, now fashion entrepreneur, based in Kenya where she churns out her fashion pieces from.
Her story is one that draws home the lesson the famous quote by Lewis Carroll which says, ‘’If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” This simply means that to the man who has no destination, any and every road will do but with a clear cut vision. You have a clear direction on how to get there.
Her jewellery brand, which goes by her name, is one in which every piece exudes rich bright colours and a gentle eccentricity, handcrafted out of recycled materials. From handbags to bracelets, necklaces, rings, and earrings, each piece bearing an aesthetic feel that jumps at you every time.
In her words, her earliest fashion influence was her mother, and she learned very early how to sew, while her grandmother was her source of inspiration for beads.
Her interest in beadwork, African textiles, and the art of adornment has been with her since she was a child growing up in the northern Nigerian state of Kano, where she was born and raised.
Speaking with Industrieafrica, she says, “My love for African fabrics and beadwork started at a young age, and I remember going to the market to shop for fabrics and observing Hausa artisans who were skilled in beadwork and leatherwork,” she says.
“I was fascinated by how the [North/West African] Fulani and Tuareg ethnic groups dressed and adorned themselves,” she said.
Even though she grew up with a growing love for the creative arts and wanted to pursue this further as a course of study, her parents objected strongly to this.
So, instead, she went on to read law and graduated with a Law degree from Middlesex University, and then, almost a decade later, went on to study typographic design at the London College of Communication with a determination to still pursue her love for creative arts and graduated with a Higher National Diploma in Typographic Design from LCC.
She never regrets her time studying law, as this laid the groundwork for her sojourn into the creative industry. Following her graduation from London College of Communication, she
spent some time working in the typography design industry in England and Italy in the early 2000s, but this was rather short lived.
She moved to Kenya in 2005 and, three years later, launched her accessories label in 2008. Made from recycled brass and Ankole horns, which are usually found in East Africa’s breed of cows, she has gone on to make a name for herself in the fashion industry.
Dejak is a true inspiration and one who inspires everyone that comes across her array of designs. Of the lessons she has picked up over time as an entrepreneur, Adele says two stand out for her. And that is to always trust one’s gut feelings and the place of making sacrifices. As an entrepreneur, she says you have to take on the responsibility of providing for your employees, and that means ensuring that they are paid as and when due.
A Beauty Brand from a Bible Verse: Meet Ore Runsewe of Arami Essentials
It may not be uncommon to see businesses that find their foundation in some religious saying or quote, but the thought of a beauty brand drawing its inspiration and slogan from a verse of the Holy Bible raised more than a pair of eyebrows.
Arami Essentials, founded by Ore Runsewe, is one of Nigeria’s home-grown beauty brands that has grown over the last few years to earn its place as a brand that knows how to play branding game and win.
Runsewe says she drew the brand inspiration from a verse from the Holy Bible – “Your body is the temple of the holy spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
“Skin and hair have been an integral part of my life since I was a child. I had severe eczema for a long time, so keeping the skin moisturised was central to my life! As I got older, I began to really love experimenting with different ingredients on my skin and natural hair,” she recounted in an interview.
Ore Runsewe was born and schooled in the United Kingdom, with an educational background primarily in public relations and digital marketing.
She worked as a Public Relations/ Communications consultant in the UK, before returning to Nigeria in 2014 to do the compulsory National Youth Service Corps programme.
She worked with the Women in Management, Business and Public Service, a non-governmental organisation based in Lagos; Hill+Knowlton Strategies, a communications consultancy firm; and then with an
investment bank’s communications/digital marketing team.
After relocating to Nigeria, Runsewe saw that some of the skin and hair products she used while growing up in the United Kingdom were not readily available on store shelves in Nigeria, and when they were, they were overpriced. As someone with a very sensitive skin, she decided to start creating her own alternatives instead of just resigning herself to any other toxic option.
“I started looking into what people used in Nigeria and the kinds of things that were available like the ingredients and products. That led me into looking into shea butter, black soap, coconut oil, and so on. I started experimenting with those things for myself, and that basically grew into what is now Arami,” she recounts.
She continues: “The word Arami directly translated to “my body” in Yoruba, and the idea of creating “Arami (my body) essentials”
Arami essentials started in late 2016 from Ore’s bedroom, with very little capital, which she used for ingredients and packaging material. For a long time, she juggled the business with her 9 to 5 full-time job. She reinvested all proceeds from the business back into it while living off her job.
This strategy worked well and kept the business through the early days when many others failed due to funding problems. With no overhead costs in the form of rent and utilities, the business stabilised, and Ore moved from her bedroom to a smaller room in her house and then to a space she built at the back of her compound.
One can easily tell that these movements meant more orders needed to be fulfilled. In October 2021, Arami Essentials launched it’s first factory at Nigeria Foundries in Lagos.
Arami Essentials took a unique route in its branding by attaching promise cards to its packages for delivery. According to Runsewe, it is a way to show them that they are a part of the brand story.
She says, “customers don’t just want to receive things from a brand. They want to feel like they are part of the brand, and they want to have an experience when they are receiving their products. So, putting promise cards in the package lets them know that we’re thinking of them constantly, and we appreciate them for buying from us. They are a huge part of our lives. We just always want to remind our customers that we are thinking of them constantly, and we always want to make sure that they are happy.”
The promise cards come with messages like ‘Everything will be beautiful in its own time,’ ‘Peace that passes all understanding,’ ‘Patience, love is kind.’
The messages target the customers’ physical and mental, and emotional well-being.
Mimi Plange: The Ghanaian Designer Who Did Odd Jobs before Launching Her Clothing Line
Starting a label
She eventually founded a brand with her husband, initially going by the name Boudoir D’Huitres, which she later renamed to the current personal label Mimi Plange. Her personal experience, architectural training, and desire to create clothing for ladies with a unique sense of style all came combined to influence her creative sensibilities.
Many people go to New York with the same ambition to succeed, but Mimi Plange credits her work ethic in big part for her success. The triumphs she’s enjoyed relatively early in her career don’t seem to have swayed her from reaching for more. She also uses her art to reflect the beauty of Africa on a global scale. Plange was quoted in a 2011 New York Times article as saying:
While still a little kid, her family moved to California. This became an open door for her to achieve her goals. She attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in California and earned a BA in architecture from the University of California, Berkeley, before that. After finishing her education, she traveled to New York and worked for Rachel Roy and Patricia Fields.
Her designs draw inspiration from her African ancestry. Rihanna, Serena Williams, and the first lady Michelle Obama have all been her clients. On the ABC television program The View, Michelle donned her A-line skirt.
Early life and education
At an early age, her mother and uncle influenced her interest in fashion. Her
architect uncle instilled in her a love for music and the arts, which sparked her own imagination. Mimi Plange learned the flute, but knew from an early age that her career would be in fashion design.
Some of her favourite visual artists were Nandipha Mntambo, Wangechi Mutu, and Kehinde Wiley.
Mimi Plange arrived in New York one month after receiving her degree from the FIDM. She worked a few odd jobs until landing one at a well-known urban luxury brand, which led to many new opportunities.
She was able to land a position as an assistant in the menswear section despite having no prior expertise designing men’s clothing but a solid portfolio in the very competitive talent pool that is New York City. She claims that it was an incubation phase that improved her understanding of the commercial side of the sector.
“I want to prove to people that African fashion can’t be pigeonholed... I can compete globally.”
In none of her creations does Mimi Plange incorporate traditional African materials or prints. In addition, 2011 was the year when Michelle Obama, the former first lady, made her television appearance on The View while sporting an A-line skirt by Mimi Plange, which put her on the radar.
Scarred Perfection, her spring 2012 collection, referred to the body scars that Africans would wear as a means of tribe identification. To quote Plange:
“I am motivated by those things that make us question how we represent ourselves to others.”
In the fall of 2012, Mimi Plange was the focus of a brief profile in The New York Times, and during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week South Africa, she was named Designer of the Year.
After doing many odd jobs and then landing a role with a major urban fashion label, Mimi Plange made her dreams a reality and launched her thriving eponymous fashion label.
How Oke Maduewesi
Founded and Built Africa’s Leading Cosmetics Brand
There are several entrepreneurs blazing Africa’s trail in the beauty and wellness industry, and somewhere on that list is Oke Maduewesi, Founder and CEO of the Zaron Group of companies, comprising Zaron International Limited and Zaron Cosmetics Limited. In less than two decades, Oke Maduewesi has applied her experience in the banking and business sectors to build a formidable international brand in a market that already seemed saturated.
Recounting the story behind the Zaron brand, Maduewesi says that she conceived the idea during her Master’s program in Business Administration at the Leeds Business School.
In the early 2000s, Maduewesi had just relocated with her two kids to the United
Kingdom, to pursue a new chapter of her life, leaving behind a secure job as a Bank Manager in Port Harcourt. “I felt the need to grow but wasn’t sure of what exactly, except perhaps I thought to grow in managerial skills to elevate and dominate in the same sector”, she says.
Even though she had a first degree in Economics, she had not considered starting a business until then. As part of the activities in the MBA program, she had to join discussion groups where they reviewed different case studies of businesses and tried to pick out lessons from them. It did not take long before Oke started to wonder why all the business cases being reviewed were foreign businesses. It would seem that no big business arose out of the African continent. Maduewesi was not comfortable with this and decided that that had to change.
Even before deciding on the industry to play in, she came up with the name Zaron (drawn from her daughters’ names, Zara and Ona). Afterwards, she started looking from industry to industry and decided that the Beauty and Wellness industry was a good choice. There were no prominent African brands playing in that space, even though the industry seemed to be fast-growing. She worked on a Business proposal, which eventually served as the dissertation for her program, and Zaron Cosmetics was born.
Scoring an A in the dissertation gave her more confidence that Zaron would be a sound business decision. She leveraged the vibrant network her banking career had helped her build over the years. The brand was built to serve the African woman. So, from inception, Zaron focused on creating quality products for women of colour at affordable pricing.
“We are best equipped to understand our skin tone and texture; taking into consideration our environmental conditions in creating the most suited products for us”, she noted.
The growth journey
Trying to penetrate a market with minimal trust for made-in-Africa beauty brands was not a walk in the park. There were market visits, live demos, across African regions; roadshows, collaborative events and other means of promotion. Maduewesi had to make concessions and compromises along the way.
Zaron lowered the barriers of entry to allow new distributors to enter the chain, offered favourable credit lines, and practically looked out for franchisee partners who would bring their personal drive and passion into the business.
Interestingly, the franchise angle helped reduce the capital required to get the products out to new locations, and Zaron cosmetics widened its reach and presence at less capital cost.
Zaron Cosmetics has grown to have a presence in about 10 African countries, extending into North America and the United Kingdom. There are 25 franchisee outlets, over 800 distributors in Nigeria alone and the product has a presence in most cosmetic retail stores.
To keep up with the success, the brand continues to introduce new products based on market needs and surveys carried out by its research and Development team. The research results determine the product to be formulated, the ingredients, texture, colours, and packaging. The brand includes several layers of product testing and sampling on different skin types and through various weather conditions to ensure that the product wears well through hot, humid, rainy, dry and cool weather conditions before it is released to users.
The Coronavirus pandemic in 2020 redefined what was normal for lots of businesses, and Zaron had to make some needed changes to keep their game ahead. Since many people were losing their jobs and sources of income at the time, the company introduced an online sales initiative, called the Zaron Independent Beauty Consultant – a digital platform that allowed individuals to sign up as retailers and earn income with zero capital and without ever handling or delivering the product. This was a kind of drop-shipping arrangement which not only helped Zaron survive the pandemic but to come out stronger.
About growing a business in Nigeria, Maduewesi says, “There is never a comfort zone. Especially when you are running a business in Naija, every day relives fresh challenges. You have to be resolute, but knowing that you have higher returns on investment in running a business in this country is consoling. In addition, because Nigeria is a growing market, there are numerous opportunities.”
Mojisola Esther
Meet Claudia Oputa, the Accidental Shoemaker Primed to “Capture the Heart of Africa”
Fresh out of the University, Claudia Oputa had big dreams and plans but becoming a shoemaker was not part of that. It was an accidental detour that has become a calling of sorts. Initially, people didn’t believe she had the entrepreneurship spirit in her, let alone the chance of succeeding in a male-dominated industry. But against all odds, she proved everybody wrong. Today, Claudia is the CEO of HFactory, one of Nigeria’s fast-growing shoe brands. In this interview with Business Elites Africa, she chronicles her struggles, wins, and future plans.
What led you into the shoemaking business?
When I graduated from Abia State University in 2008, where I studied Environmental Resources
Management, I went for my compulsory one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program. After the service year, I participated in this skill acquisition training just for fun instead of staying idle. Along the line, I found that people picked interest in some of the shoes I made. At the end of that, I went job hunting with my earned collage degree and stuff but couldn’t find any. Then, I wondered why I would waste my time looking for a job when I could put my shoemaking skills to good use. That was how the journey started.
As a college graduate, when you decided to start shoemaking, didn’t your family or friends object to it?
The only people worried about the decision were the men around me, especially my husband. He felt I was too soft for such a business, but he went along with it when he saw that I was passionate about it.
I became so engrossed in the business that my kids would say the only thing Mommy thinks about is shoes. The idea of a female shoemaker was also strange to some people because it’s a male-dominated industry. Some didn’t believe I was the one making the shoes myself. So I would make videos of me making shoes just to prove to them that it’s my handwork.
When did you decide to set it up as a proper shoe company?
It was in 2018 when I saw that people were interested in my products, and I was fully convinced that this was what I wanted to do full-time. I realised that I needed to brand myself. I needed to position myself as a brand name instead of just a roadside shoemaker. So I came up with the name Hagan Factory (Hagan is my last child’s name).
Do you still make the shoes all by yourself?
Of course not. When the number of customers increased, I couldn’t handle it alone. So I hired more hands, and that came with its challenges. I have a few married men on my team, and you know that most African men have a problem with a woman boss. So managing the men working for me has been a struggle.
Another challenge that I have had to deal with is sourcing leather. In Nigeria, leather sourcing is always shoemakers’ biggest challenge. This is mainly because the leather we produce in the country has poor finishing, so we rely on leather imported from Europe.
For instance, the only leather market in the whole South West of Nigeria is in Mushin, Lagos. It means all the shoemakers, retailers, and wholesalers in this region come to Mushin to purchase leather. Because of this, getting the exact leather you want at a given time isn’t easy. If I buy a sheet of leather and use it to produce a particular shoe design, and customers love it, I’ll have a problem replicating that design with the same leather.
If I exhaust the leather and get orders for that design, I could get to the market, and
they say the leather is sold-out. I would have to persuade the customer to settle for a different leather or lose that customer.
What lessons has entrepreneurship taught you?
Firstly, you have to be a good team leader. You can’t do it alone; you need a team, and you must learn how to work with them regardless of their individuality. Secondly, you have to be patient. If you are an impatient person, you won’t last in business. You also have to be persistent. This wasn’t where I was 3-4 years back. We’re moving up gradually. We take up the challenge as it comes every day.
You need to tell yourself you can’t give up. Another thing is that as an entrepreneur, you must be open-minded. Sometimes you will envisage a positive outcome that comes out negative. You must try again and keep moving.
Where do you see your brand in five years?
First, I’m hoping, praying, and working towards owning a standard shoe factory in the next three years, not even five. We would be able to employ at least 30 workers. I also want us to become a household name in Africa. I want to capture the heart of Africa and attract major international investments. We are looking forward to producing shoes that can compete favourably with Italian shoes and other prominent foreign brands.
Have you secured any external funding?
I don’t have investors at the moment. We have been bootstrapping the business from inception. Even though a few times, Bank of Industry has reached out that I should come and take a loan, I’ve been reluctant. I’m confident we’ll generate enough revenue to fund our immediate growth plans. But if that doesn’t happen in the next 12 months, we’ll probably go for a loan.
What would you tell an entrepreneur who is also struggling to run a business in Nigeria?
You have to be courageous and persistent. You have to make up your mind and say, this is what I want to do despite all odds, and put in the work. Attaining success will be challenging, but it is possible. Most people look at me now and say, ‘I want to be like HFactory’. I didn’t get to where I am today by sleeping. I worked hard for it. I was persistent. Sometimes, customers would turn down our shoes and ask for a refund. But I kept at it and continued to improve on our products. You have to be passionate about what you do; if not, it’s easy to give up. Everything I think about is just shoes and how to get the business to the next level. I’m constantly learning and improving our products and processes.
So I will reiterate, be persistent and don’t give up, even though the country is looking very hard and people are struggling. Please don’t give up on your dreams.
The globalisation of Africa’s Fashion and Beauty Brands
By Wale AmeenThe penetration of western values and culture and its infusion into the way Africans dress and all that makes up the entire way of life and culture of Africans cannot be denied. This impact has been far-reaching with the power of mass media, especially social media.
Even before the coming of mass media, this influence began as far back as the 15th century when shipping routes opened up between Europe, Africa, and the East. With this, trade increased and many items hitherto unknown to Africans were introduced to Africans by the Europeans, which these Africans coveted and, in turn, infused into their own clothing.
The history of African fashion and the western world has been an interesting ride. However, African fashion has stayed true and pure through the centuries. However, the clamour and drive now is the globalisation of Africa’s fashion and its fashion brands and how these can be globally accepted and patronised.
The history of African fashion
Africa no doubt has a rich culture, which is evidenced in the creative apparel that African designers are now known for. Africa is known for its rich cultural heritage, broadly reflected in the clothing seen across the continent. African clothing apparel is known for its beautiful print designs, vibrant colours and bold designs. These apparel are made largely from various fabrics found among different ethnic nationalities, and they all come with distinctive styles and designs.
Some of these African signature fabrics include Akwete cloth woven by the Igbo people of Nigeria, Ukara, which is dyed indigo cloth by the Igbo people, Aso oke
fabric woven by the Yoruba people of Nigeria, Adire, tie-dye produced by Yoruba people, and Kente cloth, woven by Ashanti and Ewe people of Ghana.
Others are Barkcloth, produced by the Buganda tribe, Mudcloth, produced by the Bambara tribe, Kanga, made in Tanzania, Kitenge, produced in Tanzania and other regions of East Africa, Chitenge, produced in Zambia, Shweshwe, produced in South Africa, Kuba textiles, made by the Kuba, Kongo textiles, produced by the Kongo, and Ankara or African Wax Prints produced by the Yoruba people.
The coming of age of African fashion designers and brands
For so long, African fashion designers and brands have been localised. While this is not so bad, it has not achieved much global appeal for a long time. However, that appears to be changing gradually.
While the global fashion world has constantly referenced African fashion and designs, it was not given its rightful place until recently. Today, African designers are taking their rich designs to the global stage, receiving tremendous recognition and adoption globally.
Today, African designers, such as South African designer Thebe Magugu, Kenneth Ize, who made his official debut at the 2020 edition of Paris Fashion Week, are making waves on the global stage. Both designers were finalists for the LVMH Prize, of which Magugu was declared the winner.
Now, we have platforms like Africa Fashion Week London, Paris Fashion Week, ‘Africa Fashion’ exhibition at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum described as UK’s most extensive exhibition of African fashion ever and others who are now giving African designers their due recognition and room to showcase the rich and colourful prints coming out of Africa.
The Africa Fashion Week London, which Ronke Ademiluyi founded, is now the largest catwalk, live exhibition event and education platform showcasing and promoting African designers and their works.
On its part, the Africa Fashion exhibition at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum is said to be part of a broader push by V&A to increase its collection of work by African and African Diaspora designers. At the exhibition held earlier this year were clothes by 40 contemporary designers. Among these were Nigeria-based Nkwo Onwuka, South African brand Nao Serati, North African Moroccan fashion house Maison ARTC, and many others.
The exhibition curator, Dr Christine Checinska had this to say about the initiative:
“We really see fashion as a catalyst with which to tell deeper, richer, expanded stories about the myriad histories and cultures across the continent,”
“And so we hope that our visitors will come away feeling inspired, and perhaps some assumptions might be challenged as well. So it’s a space where you can think about African fashions, you can experience the buzz of the African fashion scene, and you can come away inspired, we hope, to find out more.”
Other platforms such as the online concept store, The Folklore, which distributes luxury and emerging designer brands from Africa, and Orange Mentorship, an initiative that provides mentorship to young fashion entrepreneurs in Africa are now giving designers from the continent the muchneeded showcase of their designs.
It can only get better…
Despite the recorded milestones covered above, much more still needs to be done to further give African designers their due place on the global stage. There is a need for more structures and platforms that will showcase African designs to the global market.
When asked the ways African fashion designers can be supported so that they can become global businesses, Guyanese/ Burundian designer, Margaux Rusita whose company, Margaux Wong is known for its signature technique of turning rare cow
horns and brass into luxurious and wearable art had this to say:
“African designers, like any designer from every background, require lots of support in order to become globally successful businesses. I think our proximity to global competitors, peers, platforms and experienced professional mentors is a major challenge.”
For Nigeria-based fashion designer/artist, Ekwerike Chukwuma who launched his men’s and women’s wear brand, WUMAN in 2013, access to education and training is an important way designers can be empowered.
“African fashion designers can be supported to excel globally through more training and education, access to more developmental programs like the EFI accelerator, platforms that give them more visibility, support in manufacturing and funding, ‘’ he says.
On her part, a celebrated supermodel, Naomi Campbell feels Africa deserves an African title of Vogue magazine. Indeed Vogue is one of the most popular global fashion magazines but, quite interestingly, does not have an African title in all of its years of print. Naomi says this ought not to be so.
According to her, African fashion deserves better. “There should be a Vogue Africa,” she says during the Arise Fashion Week. “We just had Vogue Arabia - it is the next progression. It has to be. Africa has never had the opportunity to be out there and their fabrics and their materials and their designs be accepted on the global platform ... it shouldn’t be that way.”
Indeed, Africa is rich in all ramifications and there is simply no justification that such a brand does not have an African edition.
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, African designs and fashion designers are indeed going global, and the works of these designers are getting the global patronage they deserve. Much has been done, but much more needs to be done for Africa fashion and its designers to take their rightful place on the world market.
Fikirte Addis is promoting Ethiopian cultural heritage through the fashion line Yefikir designs
How it all started
Fikirte fashion days started in high school. While in school, she tried her hands on different designs and fabrics, and this grew into a passion, which led to the birth of her brand.
She skillfully leveraged the Ethiopian fashion style to stand out in 2010 during the USAID East Africa Trade Hub. This led to the discovery and launch of Fikirte Addis to the world.
With the help of USAID, Fikirte was introduced to Wambui Njogu, an African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) exporter. She was also funded to attend fashion shows in the USA that had international buyers in attendance.
One such event was the Origin Africa Fiber to Fashion Designer Showcase in Mauritius in 2011. There, she won the Origin Africa Fiber Fashion Designer Showcase. This paved the way for the African Fashion Week held in New York. Her success in the 2011 fashion week led to Paris 2012.
She secured a collaboration with Adiat Disu, a spokesperson for African fashion week. This led to the exhibition of her work on Disu’s site, adiree, an online fashion marketplace. Her clothing is also available on Africa Design Hub, a US-based online store that showcases African designs.
The leap into the entrepreneurial waters has seen the mother of three kids in 2013 train 135 weavers to cut hand-spun Ethiopian cotton. She is now also a member of the ethical fashion scene in Paris. Her distinct style in the 2013 ‘Timeless Girl’ fashion collection earned her recognition from Zen Magazine, a fashion-focused brand.
The experience so far
Addis credits her success to the support, opportunity, training and orientation the
Trade Hub gave her. Hence, to her, the place of proper exposure is essential.
She made this known in an interview with Edge Fashion Intelligence, “The first thing was getting international exposure and finding out that there is a vast potential market and fashion appetite for traditional Ethiopian clothes. So getting into that network of designers and other professionals in my work is valuable.
Secondly, exposure allowed us to give the best of Ethiopia to the rest of the world.
Thirdly, it gave me a great learning experience. I learned about different cultures and new ways of working as a designer and a businesswoman. But most of all, I got to see how art and fashion bring all the diversity of the world into one humbled and harmonised whole, enforcing a positive impact on the world.”
Another side of Yefikr Design
Apart from the fashion side of Yefikr Design, Fikirte Addis uses her brand platform to advocate for less privileged children in Ethiopia. She raises awareness on issues such as child labour. Addis does this by getting involved in activities that serve as a means of giving back to her community. This way, she uses her creativity to connect her love and passion for children and culture.
In an interview, she said, “I also volunteer as a psychologist. Psychology is an integral part of my life; it has improved my life and broadened my understanding, affecting how I relate to people.
Psychology and design are actually complementary. Psychology helped me establish many socially responsible production systems like child-labour-free products, ensuring fair payments and also creating job opportunities for mothers,” she concluded.
Nadir Tati, a Criminologist, Turned One of the Most Expensive Angolan and Africa Fashion Designer
Rachael Mwanza (actress) and Angola’s current First Lady Ana Dias Lourenço.
Styling Rachael Mwanza for the 2013 Oscars’ Best Foreign Film Award made Tai the first Angolan and African stylist of an Oscars nominee. This marked the beginning of her career in the international fashion industry.
her all this experience in transforming the fashion space in Angola and rest of Africa. Hence, the birth of her fashion brand Nadir Tati, Lda, in 2003.
She tried to reform the Angolan fashion industry to be recognised and be on par with the world. However, it was not a walk in the park for her, especially in a country that lacks a structured fashion industry.
Nadir Tati is an Angolan criminologist turned fashion designer. She charted her course by front-lining the fashion industry at a time of war in their country.
At home in Angola, in different neighboring African countries and during her formative years in the West, Tati was able to channel this experience to make a fashion statement. She blends Western and African cultures and creates narratives using colour and patterns, and uniquely creates styles for Africans and westerners.
In an interview with African Peace. Tai said, “Being a fashion designer helps me to show my culture, values and above all, connect to the world…My message is always about freedom and peace.”
Her creative styles have seen her transcend the shores of Africa into the global fashion industry. Her designs has been worn by famous people like Maria Borges, Leila Lopes,
She ascribed her success to not repeating styles. In her words, “A big part of my success comes from the fact that I never repeat creations – everything is bespoke. We have a lot of rich people here, but when they spend, they spend because they’re looking for exclusivity”.
How it all started
Nadir Tati is the only girl out of her parents’ five children. After obtaining a degree in Sociology and Criminology in South Africa, she did her post-graduate studies in Criminology in Hamburg and master’s degree in Mexico City.
She said, “Mexico was a country that helped me to study not only crimes but fashion design, and Cancun was my first experience at fashion week.”
Afterwards, she relocated to Europe just before the end of the civil war in Angola that lasted for 27 years. While in Europe, she worked in the fashion industry. There, she harnessed and gained more experience in the field.
Seeing how evolved the fashion space in Europe is, she decided to return to Angolaand apply
“I think working in Angola’s fashion sector is one of the most difficult things to do. I often have to explain to people here what my job as a fashion designer means. Fashion has always been part of society in Europe and the United States. In Angola, it is something we’re only learning now,” says Nadir Tati.
Notwithstanding the lack of finance and recognition of the fashion industry, she built her brand with years of consistent fashion delivery. This has today elevated her as one of the best designers in Angola and Africa, with an attire in her collection worth about $6,000 to $10,000.
In recognition of her work, she won the award for Best Designer in Angola for three successive years, from 2010 to 2012. She received the Angola Diva of Fashion in 2011 and 2012 and the Angola Diva of the Year in 2012.
Nadir Tati also received the 2013 Prestigious Sirius Award given to Angolan personalities in recognition of her excellence in business and the industry and for having raised the name of Angola on the world’s runways. In countries such as New York, Lisbon and Berlin.
Through her work, she is also an advocate for African art, human rights, and disadvantaged children.
Liya Kebede: The Super Model Launched Clothing Line to Preserve Her Ethiopian Roots
a French agency, and later to the US, first to Chicago and subsequently to New York City.
Liya Kebede soon made a name for herself in the modeling world of Paris. After walking for Ralph Lauren and BCBG Max Azria less than a year after moving to the city, Tom Ford personally chose her to be a Gucci exclusive for the Autumn-Winter 2000 season.
The brand’s DNA has always prioritized collaboration, from using weavers to integrate traditional methods and Western style to designer collaborations with Moncler to Kebede’s most recent trick: an H&M collection.
Lemlem’s collaboration with H&M
The brand collaborates with H&M to further the goals of promoting artisanship and giving traditional weavers across the continent employment possibilities.
Leaving home for Paris wasn’t an easy thing for the Ethiopian model Liya Kedebe, but it was worth it. Besides being a model, she is also an actress, a maternal health advocate, and the founder of a clothing line.
She gained fame after walking the Gucci fall-winter 2000 runway. Liya was the first person of colour to represent Estee Lauder cosmetics after she was named the brand’s spokesperson in 2003. In 2011, the model signed as an ambassador for L’ Oreal Paris.
This wasn’t an easy feat for Kedebe as she faced a lot of racial discrimination.
Early life and education
Liya Kebede was raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she was born. She is of Amhara descent. With four brothers, she is the only daughter in the family. She was discovered by a French film director while she was enrolled at Lycée Guebre-Mariam, the institution where she acquired fluent French. The director connected her with a modeling agency in France.
Liya relocated to Paris after completing her studies in order to seek employment with
Carine Roitfeld, a longtime partner of Ford’s and the editor of French Vogue at the time, gave the model even more respect when she devoted the entire May 2002 issue of the magazine to Kebede, a first in the publication’s history.
How Liya Kebede started Lemlem
Liya Kebede didn’t have any intentions of starting a fashion line after seven years of having a successful modeling career. Because the founding of Lemlem was really a coincidence out of a stroll through an Ethiopian market street, she views herself as an accidental entrepreneur.
“Lemlem’s designs share the story of the art of handweaving and amazing talent, diversity, and inspiration to be found in Africa,” she told ELLE Magazine via email. Kebede came upon a group of traditional weavers attempting to sell their handwoven clothing while strolling around the Ethiopian market.
Given the name, an Amharic phrase that means “bloom” and “flourish,” Kebede used her personal savings to assemble a team of volunteers and workers to assist these weavers.
The collection consists of necessities for the warmer months like crop tops, caftans, dresses, jewelry, and more that combine Lemlem’s classic design with H&M’s fashionforward approach.
In an interview with H&M, she said, “Lemlem is a label of love. Our idea is to do something beautiful that gives back to the communities we engage with. It’s about creativity and inclusiveness — taking the richness of an art form and creating something new.”
Furthermore, H&M donated $100,000 to the Lemlem foundation to keep giving opportunities to female artists.
Accolades and personal life
Liya Kebede has been on the cover of reputable publications like Vogue Paris, Vogue Italia, V Magazine, Vogue US, and Harper’s Bazaar US.
She has served as a Goodwill Ambassador since 2005 for the World Health Organisation’s division of maternal, newborn, and child health.
In 2013 she received the Glamour Women of the Year award for her philanthropic efforts on behalf of the Liya Kebede Foundation.
Lisa Folawiyo Globalised Traditional African Prints
Nigerian fashion designer Lisa Folawiyo is celebrated for her colourful collections that fuse traditional West African fabrics with modern tailoring and beaded embellishments. Since starting her label in 2005, Folawiyo has spearheaded the movement of Nigerian designers achieving international recognition for their work.
Despite several moments of doubt, Lisa Folawiyo chose fearlessness and left her job as a lawyer to pursue a career in fashion. Though she kick-started her label, Jewel by Lisa with only 12 yards of fabric, she never thought of the brand in any other way than a global one. Jewel by Lisa which was later rebranded to ‘Lisa Folawiyo’ has become a multi-faceted global womenswear and accessories label.
She has a knack for elevating traditional African prints above the status quo, making them relevant for a global audience. She has showrooms in both Nigeria and New York and her collections are stocked in the UK, the US, South Africa and Nigeria itself.
In 2012, Folawiyo won the African Fashion Awards, nominated alongside Maki Oh and Kofi Ansah, two more prolific designers from the Nigerian fashion scene. Championed by Vogue Italia, Folawiyo has also partnered with L’Oréal and done a trunk show on Moda Operandi. Her line is stocked in Selfridges.
The Lisa Folawiyo brand has shown collections on international platforms in Lagos, Johannesburg, London, Paris, Milan and New York, as well as been featured in publications such as international editions of Vogue, The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar and Elle. The brand counts with various diffusion lines including The J Label and Pretty Precious.
Folawiyo came to fashion with no formal training. She founded her own line, Lisa Folawiyo in 2005. Her collections are exclusively crafted from Ankara textiles;
vibrant wax-resistant dyed fabrics characteristic of West Africa. “Our mothers, grandmothers and probably great-grandmothers have worn this fabric,” Folawiyo told the BBC. Her garments are embellished with beads, sequins and crystals all sewn by hand in local workshops in Nigeria. She attributes her success to finding and sticking to this unusual aesthetic.
“In 2004, there arose an unquenchable desire to express myself through fashion design and have a loud voice heard in fashion the world over,” says Lisa. “We have perfected the art of wearing Ankara through the use of ornate embellishment and have transformed the fabric through texture, by creating a global print which in turn has turned the label into a coveted luxury brand.”
Lisa says she finds her design inspiration from “beautiful prints, nature, culture, childhood memories, street style, and fashion icons. My biggest style icons are my mum and mother-in-law. But actually, the list is way too long and ranges from famous icons to the woman on the street.”
Lisa, who is infatuated with dancing and inspired by God and the strength, selflessness, and love from her parents, is determined to create and design forever.
She adds, “I dream of designing until I’m old and grey and to have an even louder voice and greater impact in fashion and other socio-economic matters, all over the world. I want to create viable opportunities for younger creatives. I call it Legacy Building.
“I find that in life, too many people want it all too quickly. I call it ‘The Now Syndrome’. Especially today where technology keeps you connected with everyone else via social media. This has resulted in fierce competition amongst peers, an unhealthy thirst for instant success and recognition. When I find myself feeling this way and wanting it all to happen NOW, I remember this, I relax, slow down hurrying up ‘the ladder’ and allow myself to enjoy ‘today’ and it’s triumphs, however big or small.”
Frank Oshodi: Jack of All Trade, Master of All
Frank Oshodi Richard has been a model, makeup artist, fashion designer, and creative director since 1989. He’s the founder of Bunor Creazioni, which comprise the House of Bunor and Frank Oshodi for Bunor. He created the two brands for makeup and fashion designing, respectively.
Frank captures and expresses the sentiments of a generation and expands his horizon to impact African society and the diaspora by creating harmony between fashion and life.
As a makeup artist, he has worked with many Nigerian organisations for their television commercials. He worked for Macleans Toothpaste, Ultrasheen, Chocolate éclairs, Indomie Noodles and others.
As a fashion designer, he tailors well-finished ceremonial gowns, evening dresses and bridals with African prints, bridal and silk satin, French laces, chiffon and many other luxurious natural fibres and fabrics.
In 2001, he became a household name, and his brand was shot into the stars when Silverbird selected him to be the makeup artist and designer of a beauty pageant contestant, Agbani Darego, who later won Miss World in 2001.
Frank recounts how he landed the gig, “She (Agbani Darego) was introduced to me by the Pageant Manager of Silverbird Production after she won the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria contest. I was asked to groom her for the Miss World 2001 contest, that is, handle her makeup not only for the contest but also for the duration of her reign as the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria.”
Frank’s collections have graced many runwaysSouth Africa Fashion Week, Vukani Fashion Award, Mozambique Fashion Week, Africa Fashion Week London, PAHBA awards, Miss Africa U.S.A; Atlanta and Barbados, Paris runway and many more.
He has worked with several prominent people, especially local and international models and many Nigeria celebrities. He designed Nyekachi Douglass’ outfit for Miss World 2019. He made Ufoma Mcdermott’s wedding dress in 2010. He also designed the fabulous outfit Sandra Ikeji wore for her Igbankwu ceremony in 2020.
In 2013, Frank partnered with Vogue international fashion week for their annual international fashion show: Black, Bold and Jazzy. He showcased his Red collection from House of Bunor at the Red, Bold and Jazzy in 2007, organised by Vmobile. In 2011, Frank displayed his bridal ensemble from Bunor 2011 collection in collaboration with the Austrian lace manufacturers.
In 2019, Frank participated in New York spring/ summer couture fashion week. He won Next Gen award at RCCG, City of David and Zenith Bank’s Zenith Youth Hero award.
He is the organiser of West Africa Fashion Week and the president of the Professional Model Managers Association of Nigeria (PROMMAN).
Frank Oshodi has continued to move gracefully from one part of the fashion industry to another.
What sparked his interest in fashion? Frank says it all began at home.
He recalls, “I never thought I would be a designer. I was influenced by my Mum as a teenager when she used to make me and my immediate siblings join her when she is making her personal working dresses. However, I was very artistic growing up. I used to draw on everything and every space I saw. So working closely with my Mum got attracted to the sketches on the patterns she used to buy and bring home. In no time I was already selling my sketches and helping to get some tailors to bring the designs to life.
“I was given an opportunity to work with princess international designs. When I left, some of the costumers started searching for me and then one of them located my home, dropped off some fabrics and good money and says I don’t want to know what, how and which way you will get them done as long as you get them ready. The money was very tempting even when I had told her I was not going to go into sewing cloths. After she left, I looked at the money and, the very beautiful and exquisite fabrics she left behind, I knew right there and then I have to get these sorted. Since then I never looked back.”