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Empower a woman and you have empowered a whole community. Ubong Agina understands this so well which is why she has built a successful fashion training school centered around empowering women and helping them fulfill their potentials.

The entrepreneurial journey is not easy; it requires a large heart. However, as challenging as it may be, just as a child’s first attempts at walking, success is sure with clear focus, consistency and the ability to manage changes.

Agina was inspired to launch her fashion design and training school business, respectively for a couple of reasons.
The first being a love for African fabrics and the fashionable beauty of local, well-made designs relative to foreign brands. The second being a deep love for teaching/training.
When Agina ventured into couture, fashion designing and creation, she found a vast opportunity for capacity building and empowerment among fellow African women. So, she expanded to also establish a fashion training school.

Nubeeka Couture, an arm of Nubeeka Concepts, is a creative fashion designing private enterprise founded with the mission to promote African beauty, art and style through creative and innovative garment fashion designing. They are committed to women empowerment through training and through their own fashion school.

Their range of products includes various female apparel such as corporate-wear, semi-formal and casual dresses, gowns, jackets, skirts and tops, and shirts, all of which we produce as bespoke designs, as well as small to large scale ready-to-wear (RTW) designs.


Ubong Agina’s entrepreneurial journey started from her childhood. In her own words, “coming from a meagre background, my entrepreneurial journey started as an arduous uphill task and my main anchor was my passion to drive my mission. After acquiring the necessary basic and advanced academic, as well as fashion design skills, I started my fashion making business in the comfort of my home for the first several months. When customer satisfaction incrementally drove patronage beyond what I can manage in my home, I took the bold but fretful step and I officially launched my business, with the inclusion of the training school.”

Her biggest fulfilment as a fashion entrepreneur and trainer comes from her customer satisfaction, together with their kind and encouraging feedback and referrals.

Ubong Agina’s final words on entrepreneurship is this, “the entrepreneurial journey is not easy; it requires a large heart. However, as challenging as it may be, just as a child’s first attempts at walking, success is sure with clear focus, consistency and the ability to manage changes.”

 

Fashion entrepreneur, Mocheddah, has taken to her IG page to recount how being an adult and entrepreneur in Nigeria makes her cry a lot. She posted the photo above on her IG page and wrote

This is me —

After a goooood cry ?, I had to wipe my tears , drink tea , get on the phone and get work done .

40% of my time is spent on the phone talking , I do not wish it so but it is , I’m either talking to staff , a supplier or trying to get logistic companies to “do their job “on time because customers need their orders .. .

Another 40% is spent on the field , in the sun buying materials I would need or on an okada trying to meet up with a delivery, ( I’ll post the picture soon ) 
The last 20% is what I have left for myself , family and other businesses I run … .

.It is HARD , I cry , I cry a lot ???.. .

that’s the only way you can survive as a Nigerian business owner … .

Do not let my Instagram slay pictures deceive you , being an ADULT is HARD work, being an entrepreneur is even HARDER .. .

If you must chop you must work 
On the brighter side God rewards hard work … so you will always reap what you have sewn .. I’m writing this to let someone out there know it’s hard for me too … but we will survive .. PS- try drinking green tea – it makes it easier ??

Credit: LIB

Akosile Foluke is the brain behind House Of Lawof a female fashion brand that clothes women, empower female undergraduates, coach aspiring female entrepreneurs and blog about fashion.
She studied Chemical Engineering as both first degree and masters degree.
In this interview with Women Of Rubies, she talks about her brand ‘House Of Lawof’, projects, and her goals.
MEET ME
My name is Foluke Akosile. My mother give birth to me after all hope was lost medically, people that know the circumstances surrounding my birth call me a miracle.

I am a very simple but principled adult. I have gone through some very rough patches in life but God sustained me.

I will say basically Foluke is just a simple next door girl.

INSPIRATION BEHIND HOUSE OF LAWOF.
Though I was referred to as being stylish during my school days at the University of Benin ( I even received an award to that effect), it never crossed my mind to go into the fashion business. I was looking forward to graduating and getting a job in the oil and gas sector.

Starting this journey was a calling, I was lying on my bed in school when God ministered to me and directed me to start female fashion business.

I started out with selling imported female wears to my flatmates, course mates, friends of friends without a thought that someday we will have a clothing line with our label.

IMPACT OF MY WORK
The part of my work where I will say I have impacted most is the scheme I started in the year 2016, House Of Lawof Female Undergraduates Fashionpreneurial Scheme (HOLFUFS).

What this scheme is all about is that we reach out to female undergraduates that are willing to start a female fashion business in school but dont have start up capital and help them to start up by giving them goods at production cost and on credit. They get goods from us at the prices we produced them, put them up for sale at their own prices and pay us after they have sold their goods.

I am happy to see female undergraduates key into this opportunity.

I started House Of Lawof as an undergraduate, making money in school made life easier, after school I didn’t need to join millions of youths waiting for white collar job. I decided to start this scheme so that several girls too will not be stranded in school financially and can also continue making money after school without waiting for someone to employ them.

We also do drop shipping, we allow women that need a side business but dont have the time to use pictures of our products to source for customers. When they get customers, the customers pay them, they remove their profit pay us and also shift the delivery to us. It’s a very convenient way of making money on the internet, all they have to do is to get clients while we do the leg work.

Aside this, we also do a yearly House Of Lawof essay competition for undergraduates, the winner goes home with a cash price.

These are the little impact of my work.

CHALLENGES
House Of Lawof in 2016 started a made in Nigeria female clothing line “Foluke by House Of Lawof “.

Our clothes are ready to wear and they come in various designs and sizes. At first the major challenge was how to convince Nigerians to wear Made in Nigeria clothes but thankfully presently more ladies are buying and wearing Foluke by House Of Lawof .

The only challenge we are facing now is publicity, with the right publicity we will conquer more grounds.

MY DRIVE
My drive is to become a Nigerian brand that will be acceptable all over the world. I look forward to the day when people will proudly wear Foluke the same way they wear Gucci all over the world.

OTHER PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES.
I have a couple of projects that I am working on, there is an aspect of fashion that fashion entrepreneurs in Nigeria are not paying attention to, myself and my team are working on bringing that aspect to light. When we unveil the project we will let you know.

Also we are working towards having a fashion show where made in Nigeria wears can be showcased for the world to see this year.

GREATEST REWARD
My greatest reward for now is when people say “if not for your name/label on the clothes, I won’t have known they are made in Nigeria, they are really beautiful”

If you see me at such moment you would think I won lottery.

MY BRAND IN FIVE YEARS
I leave that in the hands of God. Like I said earlier I never knew a business I started with N20,000 would grow this big, so I let Him lead and I follow. Though I have plans mapped out but in my life and entrepreneurial journey, God’s Will remains the ultimate.

RECOGNITION FOR WOMEN.
I am passionate about the female gender, luckily my business is female oriented. Women are getting more recognition all over the world, though it can get better but in all I will keep pushing for women’s recognition in my own little ways.

MY INSPIRATION.
My inspiration is God and my family.

BEING A WOMAN OF RUBIES
What makes me a Woman Of Rubies…my passion to make as many girls/women as possible to become financially empowered.

ADVICE FOR FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS.
Keep praying, keep pushing, be honest, don’t give Up, the sky is your starting point. For aspiring entrepreneurs I will say just start, start without capital, start with the little you have, start from somewhere, always remember that time waits for no woman.