Creativity gives rise to opportunities ? — Adeuja

Adeola Adeuja

The founder of Esther Mélange Clothing, tells IFE ADEDAPO the need to be creative and take advantage of opportunities to excel in business

What does your business entail?

We specialise in making and selling professionally tailored wears, making use of carefully selected sophisticated fabrics. We use Western and African traditional fabrics to create classy designs that accentuate both the male and female figures. For now, the brand has three different lines which are the heritage, noble and bridal.

What was your growing up like?

Growing up was challenging for me because I lost my dad when I was four years old, so my mother single-handedly trained my brother and I. What I am today, I owe it to God and my mother. My education was a bit fast, at age four, I was already in primary one, started my secondary education at age nine and wrote my WAEC exam at age 14. Soon after, I gained admission into the university.

As a child, I wanted to do everything. I wrote a lot of unpublished books. I would bake cake and all kinds of pastries. At the same time, I practically turned our backyard into a farm. I planted a lot of crops such as yam, tomatoes, and pineapples. I also went into horticulture and surrounded the house with a lot of beautiful flowers, some of which are still in my compound. At a point, my mother got confused because I would plait my friend’s hair and make clothes for dolls with needle and thread and redesign my clothes. Also, at the sight of Benita on the television I wanted to become a musician.

I joined the drama group in school because I really love acting too. In my first year in the secondary school, we acted a drama called ‘Rags to riches’ in which I played a major role. We did so well that the drama was taken to a cinema hall and people had to pay to watch us then.

How did you get involved in business?

As I grew older, my love for fashion design superseded all others. I realised I like making people look good. I would sketch my designs and give to tailors to make but it was sad that they never got them right; so I decided to learn how to sew. Initially, I trained as an apprentice and later proceeded to a fashion school after my National Youth Service Corps programme. I started making my designs and people appreciated them on me. Before I finished from the fashion school, I was already receiving overwhelming orders from people. It was really demanding for me but I enjoyed what I was doing and I was making money from it.

What challenges have you been facing?

At first, electricity was my major challenge but this was solved when I started running on generator because there was really no way we could do a perfect work without electricity, even though it increased our expenditure.  The job is quite demanding; as a fashion designer, one needs to combine creativity with managerial skills. One must be highly creative to combine colours, shades and textures. Then designing for people with different personalities, values, and lifestyles comes to mind. I overcame this by learning on my own how to work for people with different personalities, styles and values so I always have in mind the adventurous, the conservative and the simply elegant. That aside, fashion is dynamic and you have to be on your toes all the time so as to be relevant.

Another problem we constantly encounter is getting committed tailors to work with. Most young people prefer white collar jobs. Most of the people we get are the Togolese or Senegalese. Even after giving them so much, they still betray one; they take off without any notice and sometimes take some of your customers along.

How did you start Esther Mélange Clothing?

It all started in my bedroom in 2009; from the and later to the corridor, sitting room and now where we are today. It began officially in 2011, which means the company is just two-years-old. Over the two years, EM Clothing had grown as though it has existed for years. Our combination of high sense of creativity and style, colour expertise, good taste and optimum attention to details make the brand a sought after. Our clientele which also consists of prominent people in the society has grown tremendously and I can say that 80 per cent of our customers came through referral. We also train interested youths, some have graduated and are doing fine already.

What strategies did you adopt to expand the business?

I believe when a man commits his ways unto God, his plans will be established; so that was what I did. The other thing involves hard work and determination. There were times I would work overnight, sometimes stay up late trying to meet up with some customer’s demands because I was working all alone and getting overwhelmed. For me, I made it a point of duty from the beginning never to disappoint my customers. Once we agreed on any day of collection, I made sure the clothes were ready, even if it meant working overnight. And that has really helped the business to grow.

I also attend fashion shows to network with other designers and get updates on fashion trends.

Apart from that, I spend a lot of time developing myself. I read books and attend seminars.

Being focused is another strategy that has paid off. I had some discouragement from people. Even the ones you thought would support were among those who discouraged me. Even my mother is yet to come to terms with the fact that this is what I really want to do for a living. There were times we had serious arguments on this issue. She encouraged me to take a second degree which I did and even though she is happy with my progress in the business, she just does not want me to stop there. So, the ability to stay focus in the midst of confusion is important.

What plans do you have for the future?

Our plan is to take the Nigerian fashion industry to another level. There are opportunities for growing; there is always room for improvement. God willing, I will like to make Esther Mélange a household name in Nigeria, Africa and the world as a whole.

What impact are you making on the society?

We derive pleasure in teaching interested youths the art of fashion design. We have trained a number of youths who have also started something on their own.

We make the concept of tailoring very simple by offering a step by step tutelage to enable even a novice to comprehend. Last November, we organised a free training in basic tailoring for two weeks which many people benefitted from. That is our own little way of giving back to the society.

What advice do you have for young unemployed graduates?

It breaks my heart when I see graduates searching for job for years when they should be creating these jobs. I believe everyone has talents; all we need to do is discover and develop it. Let us all find something to do and strive to be the best at it. There are a lot of opportunities out there. All we have to do is take advantage of them. We need to be really creative to identify these opportunities. It may not be easy initially but it is always worth it in the long run.

Would you take a paid employment if the need arise?

That is one question I was wishing you would not ask. Well personally, the answer is no. Why would I want to work for anyone when I can use the same energy, time and talents to develop my business? The Nigerian labour market is not even for young talents like us. No training, no seminars and workshops, just the same routine every day; how do we develop ourselves in such an environment? However, if I have to, the pay had better be quadruple what I am making now.

Do you have mentors and what have you learnt from them?

My mother is my major mentor. I learnt hard work, perseverance, patience and tolerance, among other things from her. Another person is my boss, Mrs. Ronke Olubanjo; she and her husband taught me so many things.