By Damilola Fatunmise
Ten years ago, Kony Republic started as a merchandise brand, focusing on the sales of premium wears to enhance men’s fashion.
The success achieved by the fashion house over the years, especially in the aspect of product packaging in branded bags, soon earned it a reputation as a reliable brand that delivered good services and quality clothing. This came at a time when vendors were leveraging social media as an e-commerce space, with just a few credible merchandisers.
People fell in love with Kony Republic and this motivated the brand to expand its scope of business to make valid fashion statements that were finely tailored and neatly knitted into garments befitting of royalty, adding pep to every man’s gait.
Kony Republic’s co-founders, Olatunji Olatunbosun and Adeyinka Adebogun, recently engaged each other in a creative brainstorm and decided to start making the best attires for men’s big days. With the vision to become the biggest fashion brand for customised men’s luxury clothing in Nigeria and Africa, the duo started designing suits and traditional wears for grooms and groomsmen, and styling birthday boys for their parties. They have since grown the brand and attracted a large customer base both locally and internationally.
However, the feat hasn’t been without some setbacks, especially in the early days when they had to start in Ibadan and work twice as hard to service clients across Nigeria’s big commercial cities like Lagos, Abuja, Onitsha, and others.
Both Olatunbosun and Adebogun, who are accomplished fashion designers with varying technical skills, focused on the quality, artistry and aesthetics of their products as the focal points of their brand identity. Today, one of the biggest monarchs in Nigeria, His Royal Majesty, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife, wears Kony.
On its 10th anniversary, Kony Republic now makes traditional attires, urban T-shirts, casual wears, hats/caps, shoes and accessories for men. Celebrities and influential personalities like KCee, Olu Maintain, Cubana Chief Priest, Senator Dino Melaye, Ramsey Noah and many others make the list of extensive clientele of Kony Republic, with all of them endorsing the brand.
Kony Republic’s range of products was released as part of different collections that reflect its inventive capability over the years.
Olatunbosun and Adebogun’s primary management roles as creative director and business development manager respectively have been strategic to the brand’s development. Their investments and collaborations with other brands have helped to create a fashion legacy that extends beyond style, defining the platform as a paragon of innovation and resilience in the fashion industry.
Kony Republic has contributed to the creation of contemporary designs with cultural fundamentals fit for urban trends. With a physical store and an e-commerce website, Kony Republic has created a retail footprint across Nigeria and in the United States, reaching new markets and audiences annually. The fashion house has also given back to the community by sponsoring the training of selected upcoming designers at different fashion schools across the country.
The reviews, testimonials and feedbacks about Kony Republic have earned it a deserved customer loyalty and referrals. The brand’s commitment to customer satisfaction has formed the core of its successful business partnerships and relationships.
On the 10th anniversary of Kony Republic, the directors have vowed to introduce more innovations that will make the brand relevant in an ever-changing fashion industry.