From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
Owajoba Oluwabusayo is a fashion entrepreneur and Chief Executive Officer of De Elegant Expertise Palais (DEEP) based in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
A graduate of Accounting from Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Owajoba, convener of Ekiti Fashion Exhibition, hails from Emure-Ekiti.
In this interview, she spoke on what informed her decision to become a fashion designer, how she carved out a niche for herself in the business as well as the challenges in the industry, among other issues.
After graduating from the university, why did you choose to go into fashion designing?
From the beginning of my life I have always been creative. I have been into many things. I love creativity. Studying Accounting was just what I did because I had to go to school but that was not my passion.
It was after graduating that I started doing some petty businesses. I was into exterior decoration, interior decoration and event planning. But the fashion thing has always been inside of me. Even before I started the business, if I wanted to sew any style from any tailor or designer, I sketched my style. I gave them my own design that was not common. So, it has always been something
that I love. I chose colours for any bride that wanted to get married. Talking about make-up, making of shoes, bags even without learning, these are the things I just love. The fashion aspect of it is what I discovered, I love it and I ventured into it.
Where did you learn fashion designing?
I did not really learn or train. I was just opportune to attend an NGO programme that came to Ekiti State in 2016. They came in for just three weeks, and I learnt about it in the second week.
They had like ten days left when someone told me about it. When I got there, it was a two-hour programme in a day between the hours of 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm, so I was able to attend for just eight days. All they taught us was how to use paper to cut a particular fabric. There was no machine to train with. So I just learnt few things and from there I discovered that this is what Ilove and I could turn it to a business that can bring in money and affect lives positively. I bought a machine and I started developing myself, That was how I started and here I am today.
Why did you choose Ekiti as a place to do your fashion business?
Actually, when I looked at the situation in the state, I never wanted to be based here. I saw the level of fashion in the state and it wasn’t what I really wanted. But when I looked inward, I saw the environment that a lot of things needed to come in. It is not all about you going to a place where things are already happening. I can as well make a difference here.
I met someone who advised me when I told him about my dreams, my vision and aspirations. He then said Ekiti State would be a good platform for me to start the business because, where I am planning to relocate to people have already started the business there So, why not make Ekiti State my starting point and later spread my wings? I followed his advice and started my business here in 2016.
So far, how many people have you been able to train?
Like I said, I started in 2016. I started alone in December. This outfit was launched by the founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti(ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola, who was represented by one of his staff. The real fashion school started in 2017. I applied for one of these NYSC programmes and I became one of their Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) trainer. I have trained many corps members. Let me say that I can’t really count how many people I have trained but registering with NYSC really gave me the opportunity to have access to many corps members and students.
Do you sew for men and women?
Yes, I do for men and women but majorly I am into women’s wears. I do few of men’s clothes like ready-to-wear. I get fabrics from Lagos and Aba. I create designs, suits and all that, but the main ones like men’s natives, senators, I am not into that.
What type of outfit do you specialise in?
I am into so many things. I am into bridals, natives, corporate wears, bespoke etc, but the fact is that I really love creating designs with native attire because I love to promote African attire.
Even in my fashion shows, I encourage designers to work with African prints, like Ankara, Adire or anything African, so that we can keep promoting African fabrics.
What inspires your designs?
Well, I just love anything that is beautiful, anything that makes one looks good. I sit down and just figure out things. I look at the uniqueness in someone. For instance, if someone tells me, Elegant, I want to go for an event, I will ask questions from the client or customer. How is the event going to look like? Who are the people going to attend the event? I sit down and create because it is not something I see out there or I see on someone. I is just something that comes naturally.
What have been your challenges as the founder and Chief Executive Officer of this fashion house?
Well, I have faced so many challenges. There is no business that does not have its own challenges. One of them was having a good stylist. I discovered that people want to learn something but they don’t want to perfect it. They just want to have an idea and go. Apart from having students, I needed someone to really work with. When people started seeing my works, I started having more customers. People asked if I learnt sewing in Ghana, Lagos or those big cities. So, getting a stylist that will really meet up with my taste was a challenge. I have had
stylists that spoilt customers’ clothes for me, through that I lost some customers.
Another challenge is power supply. Someone like me, I work a lot. I work 24 hours many times.
At times, 48 hours, I will not sleep, having to run generators throughout has been another challenge. Another thing is having people to pay for the quality service you render to them. I know what I apply in my dresses. But I was able to overcome that when I started getting customers, even outside Ekiti State. So, referrals really helped me to overcome that challenge.
When people that have been sewing outside the state will say this is the same style or same way my designer in Lagos sews for me, what’s the point of sending my clothes outside the state when I can as well get the same quality service in Ekiti State.
You said you are the convener of Ekiti Fashion Exhibition? What is this all about?
Ekiti Fashion Exhibition (EFE) started in 2017. We had the first edition that year. I was not even up to a year in business when I thought of doing something different.
I started it with the aim of projecting or showcasing good designers in Ekiti State because a lot of people don’t believe we have a lot of good designers here. They will rather patronise designers outside the state which I was not comfortable with. A lot of youths showed interest in it. So, during the second year of the exhibition, I started skill acquisition training to empower people or train people who were interested in Ekiti fashion design. The exhibition opened the eyes of many people into fashion designing. We started the skill acquisition training in 2018. We were able to reach out to many more people. We empowered them. When we had the fifth edition of the exhibition, we had to change the skill acquisition thing and that was when Ekiti Young Fashion Entrepreneurs started. We discovered that a lot of people had training already but they didn’t have money to start business on their own. We gathered the youths that have had the fashion training together and picked some of them and gave them sewing machines to start their own business. The third edition of Ekiti Young Fashion Entrepreneurs contest is coming up this year
What can you say about the fashion industry in Nigeria?
Thank God fashion has gone beyond what anybody would have expected some years back. It is going wider and bigger. People are really venturing into fashion. Fashion is wide. It is beyond just sewing. We have make-up artists, hair stylists and many other things. I think fashion is something that connects us even as Africans with international market because, Africans are very creative. Their designs are very unique. So, people are seeing what they have never seen. Some people have a taste of fashion. They just imagine it and they see it happening.
Also, sewing is not like before when people sewed so cheap and they just wanted to put on something. But now, sewing has gone beyond that. People are introducing so many beautiful things.
African prints like Ankara are now used to make suits, blazers, even to make wedding dresses. It makes us to be more creative.
What advice do you have for those who have just started or are about to start the business?
They should be focused and determined. Don’t give room for distractions. A lot of things will happen. A lot of challenges will come up but if you are not strong enough to face the challenges before you know it, you will be out of business and nothing comes easy. Fashion business is not an easy thing. We work round the clock. Also, learn to be friendly, learn to embrace people because you need customers who will be consistent, who will stay with you in this business.