I graduated from Lead City University with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Science. Before I started my line, I had to get some training on how to make clothes. So, I went to a fashion school in Ikeja, Lagos, One Stop Celebration, where I learnt how to make male and female clothes. It was a nine-month course. Soon, I will enrol in another fashion school to learn more. I believe that adding value to oneself is very crucial.
How did you develop an interest in fashion?
For me, fashion started from university days. I would combine clothes and get great comments from people. But at the time, it didn’t occur to me that I could do this full-time and make a living out of it.
After my tertiary education, the passion I had for well-made clothes grew. I didn’t just want to look good; I wanted to make other people look good too. I had a tailor then that made my clothes. So what I decided to do was to become a middle man. I would tell the tailor what to make and get my commission after selling to people. The joy I got from people looking good as a result of clothes they got through me was overwhelming and that was the point I decided I wanted to do this as a full-time career. I don’t want anything more than just that.
When did you set up your company?
Seun Friday Couture was birthed on January 5, 2013. I had always made clothes and the acceptance was great. I was encouraged a lot by my friends too, but it had not yet become a business.
Why did you decide to use your name for the business?
On this particular day, I was with a friend, Evans Akanno, an exceptional Internet entrepreneur. And he asked me, “Why don’t you start a website, a Facebook page, and more importantly, come up with a name?” We came up with various names and kept changing it, because some other people had used them. But I wanted a brand name carved out of my name, not made up of complex words.
Eventually, with my idea of what I wanted, alongside prayers and Evans’ input, we came up with Seun Friday Couture. Immediately after, we launched our Facebook page and bought the domain name. We have registered the name, but we will be registering it as a company later in the year. I couldn’t afford a space at the time I started, so I worked from home and I had a couple of guys that worked with me. We are looking to get a space now. We have seven skilled workers. Soon, we will storm Nigeria and the world at large. We’re just taking on one day at a time.
What were the challenges in starting up?
There were a lot of challenges. Contrary to what most young people always say, money wasn’t the problem for me. The biggest issue I had was moving from the artistic to the business aspect of making clothes. As simple as it sounds, that is what determines one’s success in whatever field one is operating. Another major one was creating the essential structure for meeting the demands of clientele. But I thank God that now, we know better and things can only get better.
Do you have any role model in this line of business?
Yes and the list is actually endless. It would be arrogant of me to say I don’t have any. Every single person that has been in the industry before me, whether at home and or abroad has inspired me. But there are a few that I connect with and whose jobs I admire. Locally, I would say Mai Atafo, April by Kunbi, and Deola Sagoe. Internationally, I admire the works of Tom Ford and Patrizio Bertelli, a great businessman. I pick one or two things from each of these great designers and fuse them into what I do.
If you weren’t doing fashion, what would you be doing?
If I wasn’t doing fashion, I would probably be doing music or photography. I actually sing and I took a three-week course in photography. So, I still have my hands on the three, but fashion is my number one, and I’m blessed that that is what I get to do for a living. But if I wasn’t doing fashion, it would definitely be one of the two: music or photography.
What is your greatest milestone since you started this business?
The greatest milestone for me since I started would be the people that it has brought my way and the places that I’ve been to in such a short time, as a result of people who saw and admired my works. So far, beyond the money, this for me is and will always be the greatest milestone. Another is that I have been able to speak at seminars organised to inspire, encourage and challenge younger people; together with friends who have businesses as well.
What are some of the lessons you have taken away from being a business owner?
There are a number of lessons I have learnt as an entrepreneur, but I will like to mention the major ones. First is that being a businessman involves dealing with lots of people with diverse backgrounds and ideas about how things should be.
So, in the short while that I have been an entrepreneur, I have been able to learn to understand people and relate with them using that understanding. One needs to be humble to get ahead. Until one is faced with a situation, he can’t really tell how difficult being humble is. But it’s very crucial.
Another lesson I have learnt is discipline. Since you own your business and you don’t report to anyone, the tendency to want to do things anyhow is there. So, discipline puts this in check. Lastly, business is spiritual. Every little move made is very important as it can destroy or spring the company to the next level. Hence, the God factor can never be overemphasised.
What sets your brand apart from others?
I personally believe that fashion is a form of art and its outward expression is solely dependent on the person through which it’s being expressed. Seun Friday Couture would always stand out because of its uniqueness, precision and originality in terms of creativity.
There is a lot of competition in the fashion industry right now. What advice do you have for young people who aspire to own fashion lines?
The difference between those that are up there and the man on the street is what they know. So, first of all, I will ask them to get wisdom from the one true source, God.
Next, it is important that they invest in themselves; that is, having a wealth of knowledge about the industry, developing the necessary skills and getting trained, getting certified, learning the business side of fashion, being disciplined and staying focused.
Aspiring fashion designers should also practice delayed gratification and know that the greatest asset they will ever have are the people that will come their way.
What is your source of inspiration?
My dad and the entire family, including my girlfriend, have been and continue to be great sources of encouragement. I surround myself with people that believe in what I do.
Where do you see your business in the next 10 years?
Ten years from now, Seun Friday Couture will be a household name. We must have been able to reduce the number of unemployed people in Nigeria; own a fashion house, where people can be trained; and most importantly, become a force to be reckoned with in the fashion world, locally and internationally.
No comments:
Post a Comment