5 MINUTES WITH OLUWUNMI FUNBI-OLUFeKO
For those who love African stories, season after season, Design for Love has kept us visually entertained and interested with its closet worthy pieces. Our correspondent, Mojisola Allen caught up with its creative director Oluwunmi Funbi-Olufeko who shared exclusives about how it all started, its most recent project “Sisi Eko” and how Ibukun Awosika changed her Life.
What was your life before Design For Love?
Life before DFL was studying and graduating with a Bsc in Biochemistry. I never really thought of going into Fashion even though I had always loved drawing. Out of boredom, I started selling African Print Fabrics because I had a keen eye for colours and patterns, this led to people wanting more than just getting good fabrics and this gave birth to Design For Love.
How will you describe the woman who wears DFL?
Our target market are young working class women, women trying to build careers and business while maintaining a descent social life, balancing the work and life, the every day cosmopolitan woman who wears DFL to work, play and party. Our garments caters for that woman who loves to show off the African print culture yet remains on contemporary.
What’s the story the name of your label “Design For Love” ?
In orde to interpret my designs, I started to look out for tailors. At that time, there weren’t many good tailors in Abuja. The very good ones were expensive and beyond the reach of my target market (which was the young working class). Around that time however, the company I was working for sent me to Lagos on a project that was going to take 4-6 months. When I got to Lagos, I started asking around for tailors and eventually I found one. Coincidentally around that time, I also read a book about business start-ups and how people say that they can’t go into business because they don’t have enough capital to start off. According to the book, if you are going to do a business of a certain amount, you should break that amount into bits and get the required number of people to contribute those bits (by getting them to buy a product or service). With that in mind, I decided to make two shirts and wore one of them to visit my cousin, who at that time, was working for a telecommunications company. When I got there, people likedthe shirt and enquired about it. There and then, they started placing orders. Those downpayments became my start-up capital for that line of business. So I transitioned from selling fabrics to actually making clothes. The name was just a play of words “for the love of design”
Behind every successful brand is a team of brilliant, hardworking, committed individuals, tell us about how you built your dream team over the years?
The core of any successful business are the staff, the ones that make up the dream team. I pay great attention to my staff and I have built and structured the relationship where we all see ourselves as one big family with everyone having a stake in the success of the business. I believe my success is their success and we have all grown to understand that, especially in an industry where tailors are seen as the most unreliable artisans.
Your most recent presentation was a well thought out style editorial themed “Sisi Eko”, what is it about the women in the vivacious city of Lagos that inspires you?
When I was in high school at the International School of Ibadan, Lagos based students were seen as “Imported.” I am constantly inspired by the energy of the women domiciled in this city, their vivacious spirit, their love for social gatherings regardless of their social strata, the hustle of the average Lagos girl and the strength we bear regardless of all the craziness. I wanted to portray all of this without holding any ounce of creativity back, so I opted for a presentation that gave room for all of these thoughts to come to life using clashing colours, clashing print patterns, clashing textures in the unexpected design structure which is very typical of Lagos.
Your works have been compared to the likes of Stella Jean and Duro Olowu. How do you feel when your craftsmanship is being compared to such designers outside Nigeria?
The thing about being an artist is that we are usually our own worst critics and I am no exception as I never feel like the collections reflect what I really want to say. I am amused and humbled at the same time when compared to the foreign brands, everyone interprets one story in different ways so we are similar but very different.
There has been a major uproar amongst fashion consumers about how pricey Nigerian fashion brands are regardless of the financial recession, how affordable is it to own an ensemble from DFL and has the recession taken its toll on production and sales?
I must say the recession has got us finding creative ways to maintain this price structure as we are sensitive to the mood of our society. Because we target working class women, our outfits would be perceived as highend in that we are not mass produced but we are definitely very affordable with our prices ranging from N7,500-N25,000.
We all have that one lesson, that one experience that changes the course of our lives, what was yours and what’s the mantra you live your life by?
One of the people that shaped the way I am in business today is Mrs Ibukun Awosika; and even at the time, more than 12 years back, when I first heard her speak, I didn’t know I was going to do business. She said this, “Your word should always be your bond”. And those words have stuck with me ever since. Saying yes, and letting that yes remain what it is. Today I strive for that in all areas, whether when dealing with my staff or when dealing with my clients. I will not cheat you because I know that I will not gain anything by doing so; my conscience wouldn’t let me be. Treat others the way you will like to be treated. Integrity is key for me and Mrs Ibukun Awosika has shown me what integrity in business can do for you.
Jugglinh motherhood, marriage and work is noeasy feat. How have you found a balance with all three responsibilities?
I have got an unwavering support system from my husband who understands how demanding growing a business is, to my kids who are always eager to help out when I have to bring work home or we have bulk orders which means everyone at home becomes an ad-hoc staff. To my In-laws that consistently encourage me by filling in when I can’t be available for the kids, and of course my friends who I call my tribe, the ones who allow me vent and act as my sounding board. It is not easy but God has been faithful.
What was the Pure London experience like, meeting and exhibiting your work alongside a handful of international brands?
Thenevent had over 12,000 buyers ranging from individuals, department stores, and e-tailers in attendance not just to source for brands, but also place orders. I attended Pure London in 2014 and DFL happened to be the only brand from Nigeria amidst a countless number of other countries represented at the exhibition. The experience gave me the confidence to scale up my business so that currently we are able to produce 1000 bags in a month and we are working on scaling up even further in anticipation of getting even bigger bulk orders.