Guardian

TALK is cheap, work is expensive. That’s one virtue Toun Awofeso learnt at a very young age. The clothier, who runs The Wardrobe, a garment-making factory in Lagos, learnt earlier in life that words were not strong enough to cut the scarred earth, but work would surely leave rivulets of marks anywhere touched.

The lady, who wears her work ethics like a fitted dress, started her fashion outfit from her living room. She offers, “at that time, I was living in Egbin, Nigerian Electric Power Authority (NEPA), now Power Holding Company of Nigeria, quarters in Ikorodu. I retired from the parastatal and went into full time tailoring. In this line of work (tailoring), there is no retirement. It is an un-ending career.

"I love what I do now because at every point in time there is something to be done, there is a challenge to be surmounted. It was more frustrating for me when I was in service because I was doing the same job over and over again but in this line of business, I figured that it is not the same problem that I solved yesterday that I am solving today makes me glad and happy.”

She adds, “every professional would want to, at a particular point in time, think about creating his or her own clothing line because it is your creativity and it must be defined. But the way we work at The Wardrobe is basically in five different folds or segments. We studied the market and came to the conclusion about what people want and that is the area we have decided to come in.”

A WARM, human pleasantness follows, as she rhymes about the Groom’s Place. Her heart thumps audibly, and it tries to leap through her throat. She clears her throat and shoots a warmly smile...

“We realised that there is a need in that area; there are indeed many fashion stores that address needs of the bride, but there are no stores that take the groom into consideration. So, we decided to meet that need, there is a little difference between a man wearing a suit to the office and a man wearing a suit for his wedding; the office suit is just regular, it’s not stylish but for the groom, it needs a little, which is what makes him look special like the celebrant of the day.”

Awofeso's face lightens up with a smile, “We also realised that the Nigerian groom loves playing with colours; they sometimes wear a cravat, so, we, at The Wardrobe, decided to meet these needs of the groom. People often think that is our main area of specialisation but The Groom’s Place is just a subset of our company.”

The former PHCN manager says, “the other segment we are also looking at is what I call the ‘Big and Beautiful’, no matter your size and shape, the designer knows what is right for you, people think that market can’t be catered for but we have sizes as high as 54 for women and it’s not just about sizes alone, but sizes that fit, no matter your figure or shape. It is a special line we have created for our big and beautiful women.”

She conntinues, “Everybody wants to appear good and beautiful; so far, we have been able to meet that need. The other segment that we have is the ‘Office Girl’. It’s just something we coined, which depicts the clothes for the up and coming young ladies and what they can wear to the office, we know their pocket size and we have been able to create a line for them, which they can wear to work, this is strictly for bankers,” she says.

IN a country where fashion stores and, entrepreneurs face several challenges ranging from lack of skilled manpower, high rent, chaotic transportation and many more, Awofeso points out technology as the most challenging in the industry.

She says, “the number one challenge that I would have mentioned would have been electricity, but any challenge that has an immediate solution, by way of getting a generator, is not really a challenge per se. The number one challenge for us is technology. Like I said earlier, there was a time we were working on a garment and we had to send it abroad because the kind of machine we have here couldn’t handle the job well, it’s not like we couldn’t afford the machine, but even when you buy that machine, you are afraid of something bad happening to it, because if it develops any fault, will you have to carry it back abroad? Or would you have to invite the expert? It is in this part of the world that technology is an issue, in other parts of the world, it is a constant.”

The widely travelled fashion designer, who shuttles between Lagos, Turkey, England, America and Hong Kong looking for the kind of factories that can make her products more accessible and affordable, frowns at the idea of people going abroad to just get cheap fabric to sell here.

Awofeso says, “I have worked with various factories abroad especially in Europe, the far East and even in Nigeria, that is where  professionalism comes in; if you notice, there are some stores in England and America that have products that are made in this same Dubai, Vietnam or even China. It’s not really the country, but the quality and that is where the designer comes in.”

According to her, “the designer determines the quality. It is the name behind the product that matters, it' not just about going to China, England or Italy. The designer knows everything; he or she knows the beginning and end of that product. You can source for your materials in Italy and have them produce it elsewhere, it’s a chain effect, it is not about where it is made but what is made but a person who just goes to China to buy just anything would end up buying junk because there is no quality attached to it. It means you are not working with any specifications in mind, that is why if you buy such things, there is never any warranty, but if you buy from a professional, who knows that his or her name is at stake, there would be a warranty attached to that particular product.”

She adds, “I could have a garment made here in Nigeria but the fabric could be from abroad, it is the end product that really matters. That’s why it is possible for you to travel to the US and you would see a quality garment made in China because it is not about the country but the designer behind that product. There are different factories for different products; so, it is the designer that knows, which factory that can do the best job at any particular point in time. We work directly with the manufacturers and every product here has a warranty.”

WHAT did you study in school?

Awofeso laughs, “Industrial Chemistry.” Silence follows but suddenly, she adds, “the memory of that era is short because I tend to remember my days in the fashion school more than my years studying industrial chemistry.

"I graduated over 30 years ago but there is no knowledge that is wasted in that when you are talking about fabric testing, the quality of your fabric, then you know your chemistry comes in, so you would agree that indeed no knowledge is a waste because what I just said now is the chemistry of our job now.”

Awofeso started dealing with clothes after her youth service in 1983. Then, it was more of having fun and getting appreciation from others. But at a point, she decided comparing what she was making with other imported clothes and she discovered a difference.

In 2005, she enrolled at the London College of Fashion, majoring in garment making. By 2006, she was back in the country and started operating a standard garment factory. She has also established a training institute in Ikorodu for people learn from her.

The soft-spoken lady says, “the more the entrepreneurs, the better. In fact, my target is training 100 fashion designers the nitty-gritty of making perfect garments. It’s a very big industry, you can’t do it alone.”

HOW does she still manage to be a wife, mother and also move from one factory to another abroad?

The simple, shy-looking mother muses, “well, I think that is really not an easy task but there is time for everything in life. I’m a little bit free now. My children are grown up; it’s just my husband and I, so, it’s a little easier for me, and that’s why I do a lot of travelling now, but when my kids were much younger, I was in the civil service and I wasn’t traveling at all. There is need to consider one’s family so as to know what to do at the right time. My husband has been very encouraging; he has been a pillar of support, which makes everything easier.”

Looking closely at this cheerful woman, you’ll think she is in her 30s. She says the secret of her youthfulness is that she tries to live each day at a time. “I try not to carry life’s problems on my head every time.”

She continues, “I’m a water person. I try my best to avoid processed food because I’m aware they contain chemicals and I get worried about the quantity of these chemicals in my body. Don’t joke with these chemicals; they are not your ‘friend’. Once I find out that a certain food contains chemicals, I simply drop it, it’s not as if I don’t take some of them, I try to limit it, I love fruits too. I eat when I am hungry, the funny thing is that, you can put a crate of coke in my fridge for a month and none of it would be missing, except if I am having a party, I stay away from it because of its chemical composition.”

As a stockist of up-to-date clothing, many will think Awofeso will be a loud dresser. The soft-spoken woman is however, simple in her dressing.

She says, “I wear what suits me. I design my style and I don’t go after what’s in vogue. Also women should learn not to be offensive in what they wear at all times.”