“The Dialogue of Leaders (TDL), a flagship TV talk show, is making a return to the small screen. Last year, Season One of the series (titled The Debate of Business Leaders, Nigeria @ 50), anchored by award-winning communication strategist, Celine Loader, saw a host of business luminaries engage in solutions-oriented discussions to contribute to the debate on Nigeria’ s economic and social challenges as the nation clocked its 50th anniversary.

A high quality studio audience of young professionals, entrepreneurs and academics, plus millions of home viewers across the country, drew inspiration from leading thinkers in corporate Nigeria who have risen above mediocrity and passivity to innovate and develop solutions for the everyday problems facing the masses. The show was made possible with the support of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), ValuCard Nigeria Plc, Toyota Nigeria, and a few other associates from the private sector.

Celine Loader says she is very excited to anchoring Season II of the programme which is planned to be bigger and better. The show will be broadcast on both local and international networks to over 70million people across Nigeria, West Africa and the Diaspora, courtesy of a headline production partnership with CNBC Africa.

According to Celine; “Today’s generation is desperate for inspiration and enlightened leadership, thus this kind of continuous dialogue is essential.” She however added that the talk must be accompanied by practical results. “This year, we have introduced a new twist to make the project more action-oriented by creating a platform where young entrepreneurs with viable innovations can get a chance to win funds and mentorship to start up their ventures,” she revealed.

The programme will feature a total of 20 leaders; from corporate captains, entrepreneurs, influential commentators to public sector luminaries. The focus will be on projecting new ways of thinking; examining the potentials for innovation within Nigeria’s mix of modern and agrarian economy and how local human and natural resources can be harnessed to transform the country to the regional economic giant and global player that it deserves to be.

Participating leaders confirmed include; Mr. Olusegun Aganga, Nigeria’s Minister of Trade & Investment; Mr. Atedo Peterside, Chairman Stanbic IBTC and founder of the ANAP Foundation for Good Governance; Mr. Ifie Sekibo, Group CEO, IEI Plc; Mr. Tonye Cole, Group CEO Sahara Group; Mr. Keith Richards, former CEO, Guinness Nigeria and Managing Director, Promasidor Nigeria; Mr. Femi Tejuosho, Senior Partner, Helios Investments Group, Africa-focused private equity Group, and others in both private and public sectors to be confirmed. . .”

More of the Real Deal on the Ground in Nigeria from Next News

Oloketuyi shares a lot of interesting business tidbits and principles that can be applied to Nigeria’s fashion industry. Happy watching and also enjoy these restaurants if you will be visiting the country or you are currently there.

The fundamental questions still need to be asked. For example, how exactly is the government rebranding Nigeria? Since our focus on LadybrilleNigeria is fashion, what exactly at this point does the government have in place in terms of electricty, a critical aspect of rebranding Nigeria and Nigeria’s fashion businesses? Independent of electricity, what about school systems? Ayo Johnson TV takes a look at Nigeria’s attempt to rebrand its image in a heated discussion on the topic of Rebranding Nigeria.

Are we truly rebranding the country’s image?

~by Uduak Oduok

Rebranding Nigeria I

Rebranding Nigeria II

Rebranding Nigeria III

Rebranding Nigeria IV

Rebranding Nigeria VI

Rebranding Nigeria VII

In 2000, MOMO the brand began as a fabric designer/retailer selling fabrics to Nigeria’s fashion consumers. By 2004 MOMO had evolved into a lifestyle brand (couture, ready to wear, accessories, interior design) headquartered in Abuja. In addition, MOMO had gained so much notoriety outside the boundaries of Abuja that by 2007, Asibuela had to launch MOMO in Lagos. With increased notoriety, it was time for an international debut on a large platform. The opportunity came through ThisDay’s media mogul, Nduka Obaigbena and the ThisDay Music Festival.

In 2008 Asibuela showed her collection at the ThisDay Music Festival in Washington DC with Supermodels Liya Kebede and Alek Wek, among many, strutting in her designs. The exposure on such large platform caught the attention of several media houses, in the USA, including the very popular NPR.

Following the success at the ThisDay Music Festival, Asibuela had the opportunity to show again at the elite New York Fashion Week in February 2009 and shortly after at London Fashion Week, where she again received even more international media recognition.

Five years after the launch into ready to wear and couture lines, Fati Asibuela/MOMO which currently employs two hundred (200) people is still standing, and standing strong. The very ambitious and successful designer now plans to expand into international markets.

MOMO FIVE(5) Year Anniversary Celebration Details
Location: 1 Ontario Crescent
Maitama, Abuja FCT
Date: December 2nd, 2009
Time: 12pm– 7pm
Phone: (011) 234 0807.336.7554

Watch Fati Asibuela Ladybrille Magazine interview.
Read our sister site Ladybrille Magazine coverage on MOMO London Fashion Week.
Read our sister site Ladybrille Magazine coverage on MOMO New York Fashion Week.

~Article by Uduak Oduok
~Photocredit: MOMO

But, what about a line for the hot Nigerian mamas while they are still preggers? A line that uses ankara/lace/adire/aso oke to create inspired maternity clothing that is fitted, sexy and fashionable for the Nigerian pregnant soon to be mom?

My thoughts were not too far off because a quick research showed Liz Lange had done it so well in the USA. How could I forget Liz Lange?! Liz started her maternity line with no idea how to run a fashion business, little cash and a lot of naysayers. Today her business is gigantic!

Here are some steps she took for the designers out there contemplating this idea:
1. She identified a market, that of pregnant women
2. She identified the problem: pregnant women want to feel sexy, fashionable yet appropriate and NO ONE, no retailer out there was responding to their needs!
3. Having identified the problem, she directly contacted pregnant women, mostly celebrities to wear her designs. Her first client was Supermodel Cindy Crawford.
4. Cindy rocking Liz Lange lead to loads of press and Liz’s phone ringing off the hook because many moms wanted the same thing Cindy was wearing!
5. Liz then pounded the pavement in the garment district till she found a manufacturer willing to help her make some small lots (quantities) for her small clients.
6. She began gaining momentum that way and then NIKE the sports apparel company contacted her. After a partnership with NIKE, her real take off began when Target contacted her to design for their customers.

From 5 employees, Liz grew to 50 employees and ultimately a multi-million dollar company.

The video clip gives you so much info. on running a fashion business, her mistakes and successes, importance of the right price points in a tough retail market and the importance of balance, especially when your business takes off.

Any takers for maternity wear for Nigeria’s pregnant women, all the hot mamas? “Why not you Uduak,” you ask? I have never been pregnant and have a little ways to go before I get there. So consider this your freebie idea for being a LadybrilleNigeria reader! (Smile)

Be inspired from Liz’s highly informative interview and go make it happen with your own fashion businesses, whatever they may be! Have a great weekend!

~Uduak Oduok
~Photocredit: Liz Lange.com

Ladybrille®Nigeria salutes and wishes you continued success and many blessings!

JD7 Couture is located at 19 Festival Road, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria
Phone:08037752000
Hours of Operation
Mon, Tues, Fri & Sat: 9:00 am – 7:00 pm
Wed:12:00 am – 7:00 pm
~Call before you visit to confirm store hours

Funlayo handles marketing, public relations and some of the daily business operations while Shola primarily researches, develops and manufactures the products. The fierce entrepreneurs have two subsidiaries under AgroBotanicals. The first is the Shea Radiance line of luxury spa products, also created from fairly traded shea butter. The second is Shea Radiance Supplies, a company that caters to small scale manufacturers selling small amounts of shea butter (5lbs -100lbs) in the natural and organic cottage sector of the spa business.

We had the pleasure of delving into the mind of the socially conscious and environmentally driven Funlayo Alabi, LadybrilleNigeria Personality of the Month, to discuss the beauty business, shea butter, shea products and what it takes to be successful fashion/beauty entrepreneurs. Read on . . .

LADYBRILLENigeria: Funlayo, first, there is a serious love affair with shea butter. How did that come about?
Funlayo: Having children with problems like eczema (youngest son had eczema) and extremely dry skin (oldest son had extremely dry skin prior to a kidney transplant) pushed us to revisit old remedies we remembered from our childhood. We asked my mother to bring us a few pounds of shea butter on her visit from Nigeria and we started using it on the kids and ourselves. The results were very encouraging and we realized that by adding different oils and humectants to shea butter we could create really effective moisturizers. Everyone in my house loves shea butter. Our shea butter formulations are so effective that they eliminate the need to use petroleum based products on the skin.

LADYBRILLENigeria: Give us the brief history of how you founded the subsidiary, Shea Radiance?
Funlayo: Once we began formulating our products and sharing them with friends and family, it became evident that there was a market for effective natural based moisturizers. We did some additional research and felt there was a need for luxury natural and organic products based primarily on the functions of shea butter. A lot of the large companies are begining to incorporate shea butter in their products, but use a very insignificat amount and they use refined shea butter. We wanted our products to be rich in unrefined shea butter so the customer would feel the immediate benefits to their skin.

LADYBRILLENigeria: For those who might not know, what are the qualities of Shea and where does Shea come from?
Funlayo: Shea Trees grow in the West African Savannah. They can be found in Burkina Faso, Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, Mali, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Senegal and Togo. Scientific research has confirmed what our grandparents have known about shea butter. In addition to being a superior moisturizer, Shea butter also relieves eczema, soothes burns, promotes healing, eases muscle aches and colds.

Shea butter is rich in bioactive properties:
• Antioxidants such as Tocopherols (Vitamin E), Flavinoids including Catechins (Similar to those found in Green Tea)
• Triterpenes with anti-inflammatory and protease-inhibition properties
• Phytosterols which improve skin metabolism and reduce inflammation

LADYBRILLENigeria: As you know, Nigeria’s beauty industry is very much a part of the fashion industry. You are actively involved in trading Shea from Nigeria. Briefly describe the current state of Nigeria’s beauty industry as you know it?
Funlayo: Nigerians have always been on the cutting edge of beauty and fashion. We (Nigerians) are extremely creative at taking the old and creating something new and fresh. I see a move towards more natural and traditional beauty solutions growing in Nigeria. Lots of Nigerians are going for a more natural and organic look with their hairstyles and their fashion. The Nigerian fashion industry is on the verge of a major breakthrough on the international stage.

LADYBRILLENigeria: When all is said and done, what kind of footprint are you looking to leave (outside) and most expecially within Ngeria, as a business woman?
Funalyo: I believe that for any business to remain profitable, it must be sustainable. Shea butter production is primarily a woman’s business. As our business grows and prospers, we want to see the cooperatives we buy from grow and prosper. The shea butter producers are the caretakers of the shea trees that grow in their villages. If they are exploited and not paid fairly, what is the incentive for them not to have the shea trees chopped down and sold for firewood/charcoal when money gets tight?

I want my business to have a positive impact on the local community. Many companies buy shea nuts at a low price and ship them out of the country to extract the butter. We prefer to have the women do the shea butter production because it adds value to the product and they make a better wage.

LADYBRILLENigeria: (Speaking of the women producing their own shea butter), as the owner of a business, to a large extent your business values are an extension of you. What are Shea Radiance’s business values, if any?
Funalyo: We want our business to be around long after we are gone. Our business model is based on sustainable practices that have been best summarized by Andrew Savitz in the triple bottom line:
People
Planet
Profit
LADYBRILLENigeria.com: (Okay, let’s touch on people and planet.) You and your husband are even more remarkable than I thought. [I] love that 10% of proceeds from sales of your shea products go to the Agricultural Initiative for Women in Africa (AGRIWA). Explain why it was important for you both to get involved with AGRIWA?
Funlayo: AGRIWA is a non-profit organization that we are in the process of setting up. While in Nigeria in April (2009), we saw many opportunities to do good works in the rural communities in particular. We believe in giving back. We do it in our personal lives and we felt that as our business grows and expands we needed to have a vehicle that would allow us to do charitable work. Women in rural communities are especially needy of medical and educational support for their famillies. Our goal is to be able to fund in a small way projects that will improve lives and alleviate poverty. We hope to partner with other organizations that have a heart for the poor so we can do joint ventures with them.

LADYBRILLENigeria: So, I received the (review samples) Ultra Rich Body Cream, the Chocolate Truffle Pure Shea Butter (thanks for putting a warning label that says do not eat it (laughs)) and the Pomegranate Whipped Shea Butter. Could you explain the distinctions between pure vs. whipped shea?
Funlayo: Yes. Shea Butter is a very versatile moisturizing base and we feature this by creating 3 distinct textures of moisturizers using shea butter.The Chocolate Truffle Pure Shea Butter is the raw shea butter scented with a hint of cocoa essential oils. It has the firm texture of shea butter. This product is a great healing balm and can be used for moisturizing dry callused feet at bed time, sunburn, cuts, eczema, dry nails and lips. It’s a great spot treatment.

The Whipped Shea Butter is half shea butter and half combination of nourishing oils whipped into a rich souffle. This oil based delicacy is great for those who don’t have the patience to work with the raw shea butter beacuse it is easier to apply. It is also excellent mositurizer for the dry winter months. It is a great hair and body moisturizer.

The Utra Rich Cream is a rich creamy textured shea butter product. It is filled with antioxidants and extracts including Baobab etracts, Marine Extracts, Pumpkin and Guava extract. It is a very rich cream and a little goes a long way. This cream keeps the skin hydarated all day long long.

LADYBRILLENigeria: The Ultra Rich Body Cream is indeed VERY rich. Is that for all skin types or just really dry skin?
Funlayo: It’s for all skin types and those with dry skin will appreciate the benefits even more.

LADYBRILLENigeria: I like your packaging. The Chocolate Truffle packaging is not only attractive but the container is 100% biodegradable. I am really impressed that you are especially conscious about your environment. (If) you have lived in or visited Nigeria, we are far from being as conscientious about the environment, unless of course you go to the villages. What do you think has made you that sensitive about our responsibility to the earth and our job to do our part for a cleaner environment?
Funlayo: Thank you. It took us almost a year to design that package from the time the idea was conceived. We wanted a package that would convey the beautiful, renewable and sustainable nature of shea butter. We are more sensitive about the environement because our business in shea butter is dependednt on these trees being available to produce fruits. If the women who are the caretakers of these trees decide to cut them down, it will have a negative impact on the environment and our business. This is why Fair Trade is an important component of being good stewards of the environment.

LADYBRILLENigeria: (Let’s touch on the “profit” aspect of your business value systems) I read on your blog that you recently visited Nigeria and gave a speech in the Niger Delta area. You identified five primary concerns in supply chain logistics that affect Nigeria’s ability to be profitable in trading shea. Briefly explain each concern to us and why we should care?
Funlayo: Yes, we were in Minna, Niger State for a Shea Butter Financing Workshop sponsored by the Niger State government and USAID/West African Trade Hub. The major challenges faced by Nigerian producers is lack of financing from the banks. In spite of all the talk about supporting agricultural initiatives, that money is rarely seen by those who are really interested in developing the shea butter business. Another challenge is the lack of committment to quality standards – in haste to make money Nigerians are sometimes known to compromise on quality. The last challenge is the need to rebrand Nigeria’s image. Negative reports of Nigerian ethics hurts all our businesses. I know that there are many excellent and creative entrpreneurs in Nigeria. We just need to hear more about them and less about the corrupt ones.

LADYBRILLENigeria: I like that you have a blog that is regularly updated and seems to be an extension of your customer service to your clients. How important is that in today’s fashion business world?
Funlayo: Yes our blog is an extension of who we are. We try to stay updated and this can be a challenge with so many conflicting priorities. Our customers want to about our trips and other interesting facts. I also know that as Africans, we have a unique opportunity to educate and inform others about all the good that is coming from the continent. We currently have two blogs, http://www.shearadiance.typepad.com/ and http://www.sheabutterexperts.com./ The same extends to the fashion world because people want to stay informed on the trends. I am amazed at the number of incredible designers emerging from the continent and the only reason I know this and can brag about it to my American friends is because I read blogs/websites such as (LadybrilleNigeria) that highlight this.

LADYBRILLENigeria: Your business is involved with the West African Trade Hub in the USA. How can Nigerian fashion and beauty businesses like yours, looking to trade with the West, use the West African hub to their advantage?
Funlayo: The West African Trade Hub was created to fulfill a mandate by the USAID to promote trade between the US and West Africa. It was through the Trade Hub that we made a connection with our partners and cooperative in Nigeria and have since made several trips with members of the trade hub to the shea areas in Nigeria. The trade hub also helps execute the AGOA mandate which also promotes trade of certain items, including textiles, crafts and fashion from West Africa to the US, tariff free.

LADYBRILLENigeria.com: What next for Shea Radiance?
Funlayo: Well we just updated our product line with new labels and logo. We are looking forward to the 2010 shea harvest with the hope of buying and selling lots of shea butter.

LADYBRILLENigeria: How do we support your work and where both online and offline can we find your products for purchase?
Funlayo: You can find us online at http://www.shearadiance.com/or shearadiancesupplies.com. We are also in the Mall at Columbia. Our non profit efforts through AGRIWA will be published on AGRIWA.org soon. Those in the Washington DC Metro Area can find us at the Shea Radiance Kiosk at The Mall in Columbia, on the lower level beside Kay Jewelers during the holidays.

LADYBRILLENigeria: Thanks Funlayo for being our personality of the month. We are honored and congratulations with all of your great work. (It) is not as easy as you make it all look.
Funlayo: Thank you so much for letting me share our story.

Visit Funlayo Alabi’s Shea Radiance site(s).
Visit the West African Trade Hub here.

~Interview by Uduak Oduok

LadybrilleNigeria Personality of the Month is a monthly feature of Nigeria’s fashion entrepreneurs, business leaders and personalities truly connecting and changing the face of Nigeria’s fashion industry.

In this video clip, successful entrepreneurs Marc Ecko and Xavier Court cover the gamete on fashion and business. They explore topics such as past and current fashion business models, launching new products, branding image, piracy, growth, entrepreneurship, runway shows,impact of the recession on fashion and the changing face of fashion customers, among many topics. Enjoy and walk away informed and inspired to be even more innovative with your fashion business.

Watch the rest at Fora TV

~Uduak Oduok

London Fashion Week is an example of where our industry can aspire to be. LFW has rebranded itself and has most industry talking about it. Click through to watch the basic overview of how London Fashion Week works and what goes into producing the show.