The Nation Newspaper Reportage on Zucchini Outfits at the Intra-African Trade Fair in Cairo, Egypt

The African Export-Import Bank’s (Afreximbank’s) sponsored Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) in Cairo, Egypt attracted numerous exhibitors from Nigeria, largely sponsored by the Bank of Industry (BoI) and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC). Group Business Editor SIMEON EBULU, who was at the fair, reports.

An affable designer of children’s wears (Zucchini) from Ibadan, Olubunmi Olalekan, was quite excited about the fair, saying it’s a beautiful thing that has given her tremendous exposure. She spoke on her design style, fabrics and the support from the Bank of Industry.

On her startup, she said: “I used to import children’s clothes and sell (laughs), but along the line, I know that I wanted more than just import and sell for someone. And there was something in my head that was like – can we create something like this for children. I met with someone in Ibadan and I told her I wanted to learn just children clothing, and she said she had never seen somebody that would just learn children’s clothes. So, I kept looking for opportunities to learn just children clothes. Then I got somebody who taught me. I went for some courses at the Ibadan Fashion College, but it was online, so I got some textbooks and it opened my eyes to several opportunities in children clothing that we do not even know about.

“At a point, the exchange rate was so high that people that wanted to import could not, so they started looking for local designers to get clothes for their children for Christmas, and that was the breaking point. So many people saw opportunities in it. I have staff and two people I consult to design, because sometimes it is different for you to have the idea and also transform it. I have someone I consult for in fabrics. And another mistake I made before was that the adire that we made then, the colours were dull and children clothing should be bright, full  of life. So right now, I have been able to overcome that; now we have colourful designs of adire.

On materials’ sourcing, Olubunmi has this to say: “I have someone who does my adire in Ibadan. There is another one in Abeokuta; she learnt from the polytechnic in Ibadan. I have six  staff, and now we are fully into children clothing. We also train children because of my daughter.  I learnt something from her and it is workable. I have been trying to do that. She used to see me make clothings and now she makes clothes and she is just nine. As a matter of fact, there was a particular one she made for me and that really got me thinking, so now we do training for children’’.

When you said your daughter made it for you, did she give you the concept or she made it herself? The Nation asked.

Olubunmi, who cuts and  uses the machine, Olubunmi, said she got an award. ‘’There was a particular one she got from the Oyo State government. Her name is Ayomide. As many kids as are interested, I train them, at the same time, I try as much as possible to consider child labour, because I tell the parents that I don’t teach children without the parents’ consent and I insist that it doesn’t affect their education because that is paramount,’’she said.

On how she encountered BoI, she said: “I went to them, because I was using an apartment and there was more demands and then I was trying to save for some machinery, so I went to them. They believed in what I was doing and they financed the business with N4.2million. I got machinery because they were paramount. There  were some designs that I couldn’t make. There is something we call snap-button. I couldn’t make it. All those things, I got machines enough that gave me assurance that I could handle any design given my jurisdiction of production, then I got fabrics so that if I have orders, I can supply.”

She said the loan was being drawn down because she had enough outlets.  Her words: “Right now, there will not be any issue because I try as much as possible to look for schools that I would supply and stores. So, I got two stores, and some schools. What I have been doing is, when I supply the stores they usually give me part payment, then the schools, I usually do sport wears for them, they pay me when I supply. And I still take orders from individuals.”

Olubunmi said she was looking forward to harnessing the global market from the Intra-African Trade Fair thus:  “Yes, possibly stores across Africa and beyond; at least we have the capacity and we are hopeful that some stores will like our designs and we will supply them,” adding, ” hopefully that will also help.”

When asked if she thought her coming was worth it, her response was: “Yeah, I think it is worth it.

Culled from: The Nation (Monday, January 21,2019): Intra-African Trade of Hope by Simeon Ebulu. To read the full write up, click here