By Agatha Emeadi
Mudiaga Enejamo is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Mudi Africa, a Nigerian male fashion brand with branches in Kenya, South Africa, Ghana and Senegal that has existed for 30 years.
Multiple award-winning Mudi as he is popularly known has been a major force in creating, branding and styling men within and outside the shores of the country while guiding and nurturing his fashion skill to greater height.
Giant as one could see, Mudi goes down memory lane to tell his success story and how God used RMD to pay for his first ever first shop in Anthony Village, Lagos and his success story.
How and why did you go into fashion while other businesses trended?
First of all, it is a passion thing. Anything one does, once you are passionate about it, you must make progress. Fashion is my life, I breath, drink and eat anything and everything fashion. I do not see myself deviate into other ventures; but I will try my hands on aesthetics which is another part of my life, organizing work and living spaces. Other than that, it is fashion all the way. Through the mercy of God, last September was exactly our 30 years in business. When I was back home at a tender age, looking good was a way of life for me. I grew up knowing how to dress very well. I remember that when my siblings and friends wanted to buy clothes then, they would seek for my opinion, I would take them to shops and boutiques and make good choices for them. Fashion is just my way of life. I am expressing myself as an artist through a branch called fashion.
Parents then did not see fashion and entertainment industry as self-sustaining and worthy, they preferred professions like Law, Medicine, Engineering etc. What was your parents view then and now?
Well, not that our parents did not like fashion, of course, they did because they were wearing clothes, but they did not feel the need to see it as a sustainable lucrative business. When I started 30 years ago; people were not wearing Nigerian clothes, but now the narratives have changed considerably. African clothes are now won by almost all because of the beauty dispensation; democracy has really opened the market for all. People are becoming more individualistic, most Nigerians in various professions wear African clothes ranging from senators, to bankers, actors, religious bodies, politicians, government functionaries etc; all wear Nigerian clothes. The beauty of it is that we make everything male with serious attention paid to details. Now, one can see that the market has opened up widely, the mind has also opened to embrace our own concept, and designing has also changed drastically, attention is fully paid to details, so there is a radical positive change in the fashion industry and all saw the beauty and embraced it with open hands. When one talks about fashion in Africa, I would say that Nigeria remains the first based on the creativity and versatility. I came to this conclusion when I visit other African countries, meet with their top designers, and compare it to what we make here in Nigeria; one could see the gap that Nigeria is a giant in fashion.
How I met RMD
When I was starting and hustling for my business, I learnt that the owner of classic magazine, the late May Ellen-Ezekiel (MEE) is an Urhobo woman, so I dressed well as usual and walked into their office and met with MEE’s younger sister called Ushaei who sat at the reception. I introduced myself and told her my reason for coming. There and then, I convinced her and took her measurement and made a skirt for her which she liked. The day I brought that skirt to her, while coming down from the staircase, RMD and MEE were coming up and I greeted them. RMD took a quick look at me and went up to inquire who I was. The next time I came, Ushaei told me that Bros inquired who I was, then gave me his card to go and see him in his own office at Toyin street. I went immediately and introduced myself and took his measurement there in his office. First, I made him a trouser with Chino’s fabric, he liked it and asked me to make other things which I did and he loved them all. From there I started making clothes for him regularly and getting to know ourselves better to the home till date.
How RMD paid for my first shop
I started my fashion business in 1993 in Ketu, then going round to hustle, I went to different offices to introduce myself and my business using myself as a model; because most people liked what they saw on me. Then, in 1996, I moved into Anthony Village in one room-space shop. That shop was paid by Richard Mofe-Damijo (RMD). Though I was making little money, but other things were also online too, with familiarity, I went to RMD and asked him to help me pay for a shop I saw in Anthony. After some come-today, come-tomorrow, the day he was giving me the money, he said “Mudi, I don’t want to regret this money I am giving you now.” Out of fear and uncertainty, I said, Bros, don’t give me the money, instead send your junior brother Martin and I to go pay for the shop. When we got to the landlord, we mentioned that RMD sent us, and he said, the actor? We said yes. He wrote our receipt and gave us on April 28th, 1986. After the payment, it took me two to three months to put the place in order before I could move in and we were there until 2001 when I moved the business into a two-bedroom flat in the same Anthony Village. While my business was thriving in two-bedroom flat, my residential was one-room apartment on Lagos Island, near St. Nicholas. From there, I took an additional flat and in 2013, I bought my present office and renovated it to my taste. Then the icing on the cake would be the 2021 when I bought a property in Lekki where I built the flagship shop, which will be commissioned soon in commemoration of our 30th anniversary.
How did your father see you then?
My father is late now, but when he was alive, each time I dressed up, he used to be proud of me. There was this particular day, I dressed up to go out, when he saw me, he screamed ‘Ooshare’ which means a pleasant exclamation of boy, a great fashionista! When we were young, my mother also was one of the best dressed women in Ughelli. The richest woman in our community then used to consult her for clothes when they bring them from Lagos.
Now, that you have grown into an enviable position, how are you coping with the rise?
The first thing one does to cope with the rise is discipline. I started by saying that one must have the passion for a particular business, but discipline makes the passion to succeed. Even as a successful businessman in the last 30 years, I get to my office every day at 7:00a.m. It is a known fact. I leave my house by 6:20a.m and hit the road and get to the office by 7:00am, though our official resumption time is 8:00a.m, I get here before every other staff on a daily basis.
How has the society treated you?
As one meets people in the course of this career, you also learn from mistakes, attitudes of clients and one keeps working. The most important thing is to be focused in whatever one is doing and do not be carried away.
What advice would you give to upcoming designers?
The first is to tell yourself the truth if you have the skill to be a designer or a tailor because they are different. Then, focus on that area of one’s specialty.
Talk about your family?
My mother is 91 years old. She gave birth to nine of us, four are no longer living while five are alive in different businesses. I am blessed with two children.