Shittu Abosede Maryjane is the founder and creative director at Mjay Klothings.
Mjay Klothings is inspired by Maryjane’s love for effortlessly stylish dresses.
Her fashion journey started in 2012, during ASUU strike at Federal university of Agriculture, Abeokuta.
Maryjane’s passion for fashion ignited, leading her to learn from industry veterans. Armed with her own sewing machine, she became a trendsetter on campus, catching the eye of peers and establishing herself as a go-to designer.
As her skills flourished, Maryjane faced a pivotal decision in 2015: conform to a 9-to-5 job or follow her heart into the world of fashion. Opting for the latter, she secured financing, set up shop on campus, and soon became an acclaimed tutor, winning awards like Entrepreneur of the Year in her school.
Relocating to Lagos in 2019, Maryjane invested in advanced fashion classes, honing her expertise. In 2020, despite the challenges of the pandemic, she secured a spacious store in Ajah, Lagos. January 2021 marked the official launch, catapulting Maryjane into the limelight with a viral Ankara piece for popular comedian Taaooma.
Ever-evolving, Maryjane’s journey took an international turn in 2022 as she pursued further studies in the UK. Her goal? To revolutionize the UK fashion market, elevate her skills, and proudly represent Nigeria on the global stage.
Maryjane’s story is not just about garments; it’s a narrative of resilience, innovation, and a relentless pursuit of excellence in the world of fashion.
In this interview with Saturday Sun, the Fashion Designer shares her grass to grace story as well as her future ambitions.
2020 marked your official launch, how has journey been so far?
Journey has been good, full of ups and downs but in general has been wonderful.
What is the idea behind your brand name, Mjay Klothings?
It was coined out from my middle name Maryjane (Mjay) then clothings was added to it but with a little twist of making the first letter “k” instead of “c”.
What ignited your passion for fashion?
My love for being fashionable and being creative. I don’t easily get impressed by people making an outfit for me or even buying an already made outfit. So, I decided to go into fashion designing.
In your opinion, what’s the future of the fashion industry in Nigeria?
To be honest, the fashion industry is a very broad industry and it’s here to stay and it’s ever growing bigger and bigger by the day. People will always need an outfit and more talented creatives will emerge. So it can only grow bigger.
What are the challenges of opting for a career in fashion?
I think the major challenge of a career in fashion has to be the Nigerian economy and some clients not wanting to explore in the country. They just want a repetition of ideas and styles and most times from other creatives. It’s draining and exhausting. You want the exact design of another designer to be made by me. I believe everyone’s aim should be to look outstanding, presentable and confident in what they were not a “twin” of someone else at an event. Some even go as far as wearing same shoes and having same hair done. It’s ok to be inspired by a design but give room for creativity and be ok to explore as well that’s why I am more of a ready to wear and custom-made designer. I really don’t like to copy and paste.
What inspires your styles?
The major thing that inspires my style is actually my confidence. Of course I get inspirations from other people’s designs sometimes but I tend to picture myself in those designs and see how I can make it more suitable to boost my confidence. I believe the most important thing for me in an outfit is my confidence, if I’m not confident wearing something or it’s making see myself in some type of negative way I’m not wearing it, so I want my clients to always feel the same way in their outfits too.
Have you styled that one person you looked admire?
No, not yet but very soon by God’s grace.
What do you want to be in the mind of fashionistas when they speak about MARYJANE?
Confidence, different and timeless.
How do you intend to redefine the boundaries in styles?
My keep on pushing my notion of people accepting creativity, be ready to explore. Fashion is wide, wear pieces that are not trendy but timeless because a trend will come and go but a timeless piece will be around for a long time.
Your U.K journey, did it change anything about the way you see African styles and fashion generally?
Nothing has changed to be honest, because African creatives that I know of have grown and are ready to learn and up-skill themselves at every given opportunity. Trust me, we are very creative and we are representing globally.
Lastly any words to celebrities who you feel not representing the African style?
I really do not have anything to say to them because we are not doing bad globally ourselves. People from other countries also appreciate designers from Nigeria. So we are still winning regardless, but it will be good for them to also wear our brands and see things for themselves. Asides that trust me we are appreciated globally, I’m very certain about that.