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From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
The future of many youths has been brightened through fashion and innovation empowerment in Ekiti State.
This is facilitated by a fashion entrepreneur and Founder, De Elegant Expertise Palais (DEEP), who is also the Organizer of the Annual Ekiti Fashion Exhibition, Owajoba Oluwabusayo.
In an exclusive interview, Owajoba shares impact of exploits on the local fashion scene. According to her, the outfit was established in 2016 and inaugurated by a legal luminary and educationist, Aare Afe Babalola. She pointed out that DEEP represents a pinnacle of fashion expertise, pioneering trends and self-discovery through fashion. This is in spite of the challenges of staffing and acceptance of new ideas. Owajoba has through all these remained dedicated to excellence.
Reminiscing on the coming on stream of the Ekiti Fashion Exhibition (EFE) in 2017, the fashion prodigy stressed its vantage position in re-energizing fashion in Ekiti State and bridging the gap with fashion-enterprising behemoths like Lagos and Ibadan. She explained that EFE projects local talent and empowers unemployed youths by providing opportunities for skills acquisition.
Owajoba’s foray into the fashion world in 2015, was borne out of an ambition and quest that climaxed to self-improvement through training programs. This formed the background for the remarkable success of DEEP, a feat that has placed her in the good books of different business associates and engendering talent discovery.
DEEP stands out as being in the forefront for advancing cultural heritage.
This is demonstrated through a variety of designs and patterns predicated on choices. Being a beneficiary of DEEP programmes cuts across different individuals and all backgrounds.
The Ekiti Young Fashionpreneuer Contest(EYFC), which emerged in 2021, proffers solutions to challenges that could confront potential entrepreneurs by availing them of financial facilities, networking and mentorship. This all-encompassing trajectories are to energize economic growth and innovation in the domestic fashion industry.
Prospects of DEEP are bright as it can boast of possessing the wherewithal and extending its tentacles beyond the shores of Nigeria, continue to invest in human development and become a beacon of opportunity in Nigeria’s fashion landscape.
As initiatives like EFE and EYFC continue to nurture talent and drive economic development, Owajoba remains committed to her vision of a vibrant and inclusive fashion industry in Ekiti State.
Owajoba believes by investing in the next generation of fashion entrepreneurs, she can create a more sustainable and prosperous future for the industry as a whole.
