By Damilola Fatunmise
Jolomi Joy Gedu has always had passion for fashion design right from childhood.
Having inherited her creative talent from her mum, who was a well-known tailor in her days, Jolomi consistently toed the path of tailoring, and today she has carved a place for herself as a reputable fashion designer in Nigeria.
“Fashion has always been in me right from my early years, watching my mum sew with her Singer sewing machine. I cut pieces to make clothes for my dolls with different designs, using just a needle and thread,” she recalled.
Though innate, Jolomi decided to hone her fashion skills, so she enrolled for a formal training in fashion design in 2016. Like a dutiful apprentice, she began to understudy fashion designers and learning the tricks of the business, from 2017 till 2022 when she established her fashion brand, PJ Prejoy Fashion House.
“I registered for a formal training in fashion design in 2016, then I started to understudy fashion designers and learning the business from 2017 till 2022 when I launched PJ Prejoy Fashion House,” Jolomi stated.
Being a fashion connoisseur, PJ as Jolomi is fondly called, likes rocking a mix of formal contemporary wears spiced with African cultural styles. And she loves to complement this with nice and trendy accessories.
To the fashion entrepreneur, every style she creates is a vision and conception brought to life. Indeed, for her, seeing the clients bounce with confidence while adorning her designs is a thing of joy.
Married to Precious Gedu and blessed with three children, Jolomi obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Animal and Environmental Biology from Delta State University, Abraka. Only this year, she got her Masters in Animal and Environmental Biology (Physiology and Toxicology) from University of Benin.
Though, Jolomi’s vision is to make PJ Prejoy Fashion an internationally respected brand, she’s currently focused on bridging the gap between contemporary style, and African fabrics and designs.
“We make ready to wear, bespoke female dresses for all ages. To us, fashion is life; it is a culture and way of life. We are conscious of the fact that time, age and the environment influence style. Therefore, our brand is known to deliver high quality, trendy and stylish wears,” the fashionista asserted.
To this end, on April 2, 2023, Jolomi Gedu had her creative designs showcased to a standing ovation at Warri Fashion Lifestyle Festival held at Brownhill Coliseum, Ogunu, Warri, Delta State.
“One of my most memorable experiences is when I took part in the Warri Fashion Lifestyle Festival. I showcased my unique and trendy designs to a large audience and the response was huge and positive,” she said.
Faced with the challenges of erratic power supply and poor logistics like most Nigerian entrepreneurs, Jolomi believes that the future is bright.
“Every startup has its challenges, starting mine was capital intensive and time consuming. Although, increasing the staff strength has greatly improved my availability, our products and designs speak for us as that has increased our customer base. We intend to go global because that is the original intent of the brand, infusing African prints into contemporary urban wears.”