Gtbank creates opportunities for SMES through Fashion Weekend

Nigeria’s tier one lender, Guarantee Trust Bank, has created a platform for the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMES) to connect with one another and create new markets through the Fashion Weekend.

The event, which will take place on November 9 and 10, will attract over 130 businesses in the fashion industry.

Oyinade Adegite, group head, corporate communications and external affairs of the bank, tells Businessday that the biggest take-away from the event is that small businesses will be able to see how they can connect with customers and create new markets for themselves.

“The biggest thing is to see how the businesses and brands can actually open up,” she says in an interview with BusinessDay in Lagos on Wednesday.

“We have done all the set-up and everything is provided free of charge by the bank. People are passionate about being in that space to meet hundreds and thousands of people that will come over the two-day period. For anyone who has a business, that is where they should be,” she notes.

The event, which is in its fourth year, will feature popular fashion names in the world as well as local designers. There will also be 10 master classes.

“The biggest story about the SMES is the story of being able to push the boundaries— the paradigm shift— and being able to see opportunities,” she says.

“The biggest stories that touch our heart as an organisation are the ones that talk to us about breaking boundaries and seeing opportunities where people do not see opportunities,” she further states.

Adegite explains that most of the businesses that will grace the Fashion Weekend are new enterprises, adding that GTBank is passionate about seeing entrepreneurs that do different things.