Elmar: Innovation and Creativity Build Global Brands
The Ayo Van Elmar brand is one of the ‘Emerging Entrepreneurs’ being promoted by Sesema PR, a Lagos-based public relations firm. In this encounter with Raheem Akingbolu, the creative director of the fashion company, Ayo Van Elmar, spoke about the brand an
“Starting off as an entrepreneur I carry out the general management of the brand here in Nigeria and Europe. I sell the brand in London, Berlin, Vienna and Lagos. A lot of management, connecting, reaching out and getting back to people goes into being a creative manager so I automatically need huge funds to get this done”
Some brand owners are beginning to demonstrate to the world that some locally built brands can attract global attention. Through innovation and packaging, a lot are being done to position Nigerian brands to the rest of the world. One of the three entrepreneurs currently being promoted by a Lagos based Public Relations firm, Sesema PR, Ayo Van Elmar, falls into this category.
Recently, the agency, under the leadership of Tampiri Irimagha – Akemu, in conjunction with The-Insider.org called for entries into its 2016 edition of the “Corporate Communications Pitch Competition”. It is aimed at identifying bright communications graduates and avail them a platform to build a career in Public Relations and Digital Communications.
Speaking on the inspiration behind the brand, the creative director said the name of her brand would forever thrill her because it has created a lot of buzz for the brand. She disclosed that people often ask her what it means. “When I dreamt about having a brand, I wanted a name that will resonate with the dreams of the brand and where we are aspiring to be. Ayo Van Elmar is a life time concept so it’s going to go on to generations to come. I am looking at expanding to South America, Europe and every continent literally therefore I wanted a name that people from all walks of life can relate to. ‘Ayo’ is Yoruba (Africa) it also means something in Japanese and ‘’Van’’ is Dutch which represents Europe in a way, ‘’Elmar’’ is Spanish for the ‘’Seas’’; that’s South American. The concept was to have a name that will connect to all continents and this represents my dreams and reminds me that Ayo Van Elmar is a global brand, I have dreams of becoming the ‘’Chanel’’ of Africa.”
Source of fabrics To build a local brand with global colourations, the mode of sourcing for fabrics for the brand according to the fashion designer is as Afro-European as the Van Elmar brand. “I get fabrics from around the world. I attend fashion fairs in Italy, Austria, Holland and Germany where I buy fabrics and then I get local fabrics in Lagos in order to achieve the perfect blend. It’s a fusion of different cultures; there is something African and European about our entire piece
This can also be understood from the profile of the owner, which generally revolves around fashion, from creating clothing collections to fashion and style direction for magazines. In line with this, Ayo Van Elmar also recently came up with fashion related programs and products for TV.
Currently this all-round fashionista is studying fashion at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and now in her final year. She added that the education pursuit was necessary because there is nothing as good as having all that knowledge and degree of insight into fashion.
Challenges faced as an entrepreneur Like other entrepreneurs, the major lingering challenge faced in the market is finances. To her, a lot can be achieved if there is access to more fund. She said: “We could always do so much more with a lot more money and investors but I am very grateful; it’s been a great journey. I have three partners that support me financially so that helps keep the brand going even though I can do a lot better if I get more than what I have now. The capital to start a business is one of the key determinants of the success of that business because without funds you can do little or nothing.
“Starting off as an entrepreneur I carry out the general management of the brand here in Nigeria and Europe. I sell the brand in London, Berlin, Vienna and Lagos. A lot of management, connecting, reaching out and getting back to people goes into being a creative manager so I automatically need huge funds to get this done,”
Another challenge she mentioned was the African work ethic, having had the opportunity to have lived and worked in Germany under several bosses for 15 years. “I can say that I am as oriented as a German person will be because the way I learnt to work is quite different compared to how we live and work here in Nigeria. Getting staff that are devoted and passionate about what they do has seemed a herculean task, they just want to get paid and move on.”
Managing clients and deadlines To manage clients and deadline to ensure loyalty, she pointed out that she has always lived by a motto which is ‘one hundred percent customer satisfaction.’
“I make it a point of duty to see to it that every customer feels special; I relate with my customers on a personal basis and carry out after sales follow-up. I seldom give discounts at special seasons of the year such as Easter, Eid-il-fitri and Christmas. It’s always a good experience for everyone that comes into my store and this brings them back.
“Also one of my major principles with life and work is honesty, so when I’m asked to do anything that I can’t do, I’ll relate that immediately to the client, that way the person won’t be angry because you have explained initially. My terms are very clear and it has helped me serve my clients better in time past. I am a very straight forward person; I write my clients to keep them in the loop, if there happens to be a new development. I also don’t take up too much work so it’s quite easy for me not to disappoint customers,”
However because she sells right off the rack, she said she often do little altering for perfect fitting and that it doesn’t take time at all, due to her understanding the laws of branding. As a rule, Ayo Van Elmar doesn’t take on so much work because it ruins everything eventually.
Latest collection Speaking about what inspired her latest collection; ‘the Fishbone Collection,’ she said she was inspired by the remarkably big bone structure of the fish she had at a friend’s place when she first arrived in Lagos. “I was amazed at the size of the bone which was as big as my fist. It reminded me of the architectural structures of ancient Rome and the arts movements of the 16th and 17th centuries such as the Rococo and Michelangelo’s works. The humongous and unique bone structure of the fish drew my attention to the wonderful shapes of sea creatures. This bone structure inspired the “Fishbone Collection.” Five years ambition In five years, the brand owner hopes to be in Johannesburg. She also intends to expand into other African countries such as Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, and Tanzania. “Africa is the next big thing in fashion, lifestyle and entertainment industries. I am looking to leverage on this by hosting fashion shows in these countries and gradually enter those markets just as we did in Nigeria.”
Van Elmar brand, which would be five in May this year, started in 2011 in Vienna, Austria. It entered Nigeria in 2013, in a gradual process as the owner has to first surveyed the environment in order to get a proper footing.
View on Sesema PR Beyond the primary focus of being a Corporate Social Responsibility, Ayo Van Elmar described the ‘emerging entrepreneurs’ platform as a unique opportunity that can help Nigeria boost entrepreneurial spirit among youths. “I am very grateful to Sesema PR for giving me this platform to showcase my brand. It’s very important to always give something back to the society. For me, CSR is one of the things we also hold dearly as a brand, we usually make clothes for orphans at Christmas,” she added.